Hokksund
Hokksund is a town in the municipality of Øvre Eiker in the county of Buskerud, Norway.[1]
History
Hokksund is the administrative centre, and largest town in Øvre Eiker, with a population of around 8,000. Hokksund is located 18 km west of Drammen. The river Drammenselva flows through the town, 500m from the centre. Hokksund has developed on both sides of the river. Hokksund is located in a rich agricultural district. Forestry has traditionally been the principal industry, but engineering, especially electrical as well as the cement industry, have become important within the past century. There are three hotels in Hokksund and a campsite there, which holds up to 240 caravans.[2]
Transportation
Hokksund Station ( Hokksund stasjon) is on the Sørlandet Line. The station is served by local trains between Kongsberg via Oslo to Eidsvoll operated by the Norwegian State Railways. The railway line is part of the Oslo - Bergen, and the Oslo - Kristiansand - Stavanger route. The two nearest international airports are Oslo Airport, Gardermoen and Sandefjord Airport, Torp, but there is a Hokksund Airport, with the ICAO airport code of ENHS. Hokksund is approximately 17 km to the west of Drammen.[3]
Local attractions
- Haug Church (Haug kirke), originally built in 1152, is a Medieval stone church consisted of the west tower, nave and chancel. The church was extensively repaired and redecorated from 1961 to 1962. The organ was built by the German organ builder Jürgen Ahrend in 2004.[4]
- Nøstetangen Museum at the old county farm (Sorenskrivergården), shows how glass was made according to ancient tradition. Nøstetangen glassworks operated here from 1741 to 1777. It produced table-glass and chandeliers in the German and English style. Adjacent to the museum's garden is the Skriverparken, a beautiful park area extending down to river.[5][6]
Notable residents
- Ole Bremseth, ski jumper
- Johan Buttedahl, politician for the Centre Party
- Stian Hole, graphic designer, illustrator and writer of children's books
- Geir Holte, cross-country skier
- Tor Håkon Holte, cross country skier
- Jonas Lie (1833-1908), novelist, poet, and playwright
- Svend Karlsen, strong man
- Broiler (DJs), Norwegian DJ
- Sverre Isachsen, rallycross driver
- Kate Gulbrandsen, Norwegian singer, known from Eurovision Song Contest
References
- Geir Thorsnæs. "Hokksund". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- Velkommen til Hokksund Camping
- "Hokksund stasjon". Norsk jernbaneklubb. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- Haug kirke (Øvre Eiker kommune, Tunsberg bispedømme) Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- Nøstetangen Glassworks (Nøstetangen)
- Gamle Sorenskrivergaarden (Nøstetangen) Archived 2012-03-24 at the Wayback Machine