Ringerike (municipality)

Ringerike is a municipality in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Ringerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hønefoss.

Ringerike kommune
Municipality
Town of Hønefoss
Coat of arms
Viken within
Norway
Ringerike within Viken
Coordinates: 60°12′19″N 10°9′9″E
CountryNorway
CountyViken
DistrictRingerike
Administrative centreHønefoss
Government
 • Mayor (2007)Kjell B. Hansen (Ap)
Area
 • Total1,552 km2 (599 sq mi)
 • Land1,423 km2 (549 sq mi)
Area rank47 in Norway
Population
 (2004)
 • Total28,060
 • Rank26 in Norway
 • Density20/km2 (50/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
2.4%
Demonym(s)Ringeriking[1]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-3007
Official language formBokmål[2]
Websitewww.ringerike.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

The municipality of Ringerike was created on 1 January 1964 after the merger of the town of Hønefoss and the rural municipalities of Hole, Norderhov, Tyristrand, and Ådal. However, the area of Hole was removed from the municipality of Ringerike on 1 January 1977 to become a separate municipality once again. The historic area of Ringerike included not just the modern municipality of Ringerike but also Hole and Krødsherad, Modum and Sigdal.[3]

General information

Etymology

The Old Norse form of this name was Hringaríki. The first element is (probably) the genitive plural of hringir, the name of an old Germanic tribe. The last element is ríki n 'kingdom, reich'. (See also Romerike.)[4]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms were granted on 16 June 1967. The arms show a gold ring on a red background. The colours red and gold represent royalty and are the royal colors of Norway. The ring is a canting symbol and at the same time symbolises the unity of the area, which has been a separate entity (even considered a petty kingdom) since medieval times.[4][5]

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Ringerike by country of origin in 2017[6]
Ancestry Number
 Poland663
 Lithuania198
 Germany190
 Kosovo179
 Iraq162
 Russia160
 Denmark159
 Bosnia-Herzegovina149
 Iran147
 Thailand135
 Syria126
 Sweden124
Hønefoss, largest town and the administrative centre of Ringerike

Geography

The municipality of Ringerike is bordered on the north by the municipalities of Sør-Aurdal and Søndre Land; on the east by Gran, Jevnaker, Lunner, and Oslo; in the south by Bærum, Hole, and Modum; and in the west by Krødsherad and Flå.

Lakes in the region include:

It is also home to mountain ranges, including Ådalsfjella.

Ringerike potato

Economy

Ringerike is famous for two agriculture products; Ringerike potato (Ringerikspotet) and Ringerike pea (Ringeriksert). Jens Aabel first started production of Ringerike potato around 1867. The Ringerike pea has obtained PDO (protected designation of origin). The Ringerike potato has applied for the same protection, and is waiting for the result from the Agriculture department (2003). In June 2007, the potato got "protected geographical indication" (PGI) under the name Ringerikspotet fra Ringerike. Six farmers are now producing and packing this special potato at Ask in Ringerike. Most of the potatoes are sold in the Oslo area. [7][8]

Notable residents

International relations
Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Norway

Twin towns — Sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Ringerike:[9]

  • Ringerike Town Hall
  • Ringerikes Museum
  • Tandberggården in Hønefoss
  • Ringerike District Court
  • Skøiengården at Søndre Torv in Hønefoss
  • Hønefoss Railway Station

See also

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Vol. XIII: A History Of Norway And The Passion And Miracles Of The Blessed Óláfr Viking Society for Northern Research, Anthony Faulkes and Richard Perkins, p. 128
  4. "Kommunevåpen" (in Norwegian). Ringerike kommune. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  5. Kommunevåpen, Norske (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  6. "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents". ssb.no. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  7. "Ringerikspotet - landsort med varemerke". Norsk institutt for bioøkonomi. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  8. "Ringerikserter". matmerk.no. Archived from the original on 2007-02-12. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  9. "Vennskapskommuner" (in Norwegian). Norden.no. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  10. "Internationale betrekkingen" (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2008-12-07. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  11. "Terraza Carmona Eventos" (in Spanish).
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