Buskerud

County (fylke) of Norway
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County in Norway
Flag of Buskerud
Flag
Coat of arms of Buskerud
Buskerud within Norway
Buskerud within Norway
Coordinates: 60°30′00″N 09°30′00″E / 60.50000°N 9.50000°E / 60.50000; 9.50000CountryNorwayRegionØstlandetCounty IDNO-33Administrative centreDrammenGovernment
 • GovernorKirsti Kolle Grøndahl
  Arbeiderpartiet
  (1999–2020) • County mayorTore Opdal Hansen
  Conservative Party
  (2024–)[1]Area
 • Total14,908 km2 (5,756 sq mi) • Land13,794 km2 (5,326 sq mi) • Rank#12 in Norway, 4.53% of Norway's land areaPopulation
 (30 September 2019)
 • Total284,955 Increase • Rank8 (5.29% of country) • Density18/km2 (50/sq mi) • Change (10 years)
6.7 %DemonymBuskerudfolkTime zoneUTC+01 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02 (CEST)Official language formNeutralIncome (per capita)155,400 NOKGDP (per capita)227,626 NOK (2001)GDP national rank7 (3.57% of country)Websitewww.bfk.no
Data from Statistics Norway

Buskerud (Urban East Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈbʉ̂skərʉː] ⓘ) is a county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Innlandet, Vestland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardangervidda mountain range in the northwest. The county administration was in modern times located in Drammen.[2] Buskerud was merged with Akershus and Østfold into the newly created Viken County on 1 January 2020.[3] On 23 February 2022, the Viken County Council voted in a 49 against 38 decision to submit an application to the Norwegian government for a county demerger.[4] Due to this, Buskerud (except the area forming the defunct municipalities of Røyken and Hurum) was re-established in 2024.

Etymology

The county was named after the old manor Buskerud (Old Norse: Biskupsruð) (Biskopsrøysa) located on the west side of the Drammen River in Åmot, Modum municipality. The first element is the genitive case of biskup, 'bishop' (referring to the Bishop of Hamar), the last element is ruð n 'clearing, farm'. The farm was one of the largest in Buskerud, and the original name of the farm (before it became a benefice) was probably Modum. At the time of the Reformation (c. 1536–39) the farm became property of the Crown at which time the farm then served as the residence of the king's bailiffs until 1668.[5][6][7]

Geography

Buskerud extended from Hurum at the Oslofjord to the Halling mountains and Hardanger. The county was conventionally divided into traditional districts. These were Hallingdal, Numedal, Ringerike, Lower Buskerud, which was originally part of Vestfold, and Western Vingulmark.

Hallingdal consisted of Flå, Nes, Gol, Hemsedal, Ål and Hol.[8] Numedal consisted of Flesberg, Rollag and Nore og Uvdal.[9] Ringerike consisted of Hole, Krødsherad, Modum, Ringerike and Sigdal. Western Vingulmark consisted of Hurum and Røyken.[10][11] Lower Buskerud consisted of Drammen, Hurum, Kongsberg, Lier, Nedre Eiker, Røyken and Øvre Eiker. The district was merged from parts that belonged to Vestfold and Vingulmark.[12]

Buskerud's western part was a mountainous plateau with forested valleys and high, grassy pastures; its eastern part contains a lowland basin with many lakes and streams. Tyrifjorden and Krøderen were the biggest lakes. Numedalslågen, the third longest river in Norway, starting in Hordaland, ran through Buskerud unto Vestfold where it reached the sea, while river Begna sweeps into lake Sperillen.

Mountains

History

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1951156,220—    
1961168,351+7.8%
1971198,852+18.1%
1981214,571+7.9%
1991225,261+5.0%
2001238,833+6.0%
2011261,110+9.3%
2021?300,142+14.9%
2031?332,808+10.9%
Source: Statistics Norway.[13]