Vestby
Encyclopedia
Vestby is a municipality
in Akershus
county
, Norway
. It is part of the Follo
traditional region
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vestby.
) is named after the old Vestby farm (Old Norse
: Vestbýr), since the first church was built here. The first element is vestr which means "west" and the last element is býr meaning "farm
". The neighbouring farms have the names Østby ("eastern farm"), Sunnby ("southern farm"), and Nordby ("northern farm"); and they must all four be the parts of a bigger an older farm, which name is now unknown.
is from modern times. They were granted on 18 June 1982 and designed by Bjørn Linnestad. The arms show three gold bottony
cross
es on a red background, two over one. They represent the three original parishes in the municipality: Vestby, Garder, and Såner
. At the same time they also represent the three natural harbor
s in the area: Emmerstad, Kjøvangen, and Sonskilen.
research in Hølen has confirmed that the area has been populated since about 2400 BC. There are various archeological finds in the area, such as the ones from the Bronze Age
.
Many Norwegian emigrants went to America
during the 1840s and later settled in the area of the present city of Westby, Wisconsin
(named after general store owner and American Civil War
Union
soldier Ole T. Westby); a city which still has a mostly Norwegian American
population.
Hølen became known for the production of timber. It became a lading place in the 17th century.
From the Renaissance
until the 18th century, Son was an important harbour. On some Dutch
maps from that time, the Oslofjord
is called Zoon Water.
Vestby was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt
). The municipality and lading place of Hølen
was merged with Vestby on 1 July 1943. The municipality and lading place of Son was merged with Vestby on 1 January 1964. (The lading place of Hvitsten
in Vestby has never been a municipality of its own.)
, Hvitsten
, Garder, and Son
. Recently urbanized areas are Randem, Pepperstad skog, and Sole skog. Randem is located north of the municipal centre, Vestby, and includes an industrial area. Pepperstad is located southwest of Vestby, by the road 155. Sole skog lays west of the centre. The village of Vestby has 5,424 inhabitants (2006). All the small towns together have over 13,000 inhabitants.
with the following cities: - Vara
, Västra Götaland
, Sweden
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in Akershus
Akershus
- Geography :The county is conventionally divided into the traditional districts Follo and Romerike, which fill the vast part of the county, as well as the small exclave west of Oslo that consists of Asker and Bærum...
county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It is part of the Follo
Follo
Follo is one of three districts in the county of Akershus, Norway. It is located between Oslo and Østfold and includes the southwestern part of the county's area east of Oslo, namely the municipalities Frogn, Oppegård, Ski, Vestby, Ås, Nesodden, and Enebakk...
traditional region
Districts of Norway
The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vestby.
Name
The municipality (originally the parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
) is named after the old Vestby farm (Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
: Vestbýr), since the first church was built here. The first element is vestr which means "west" and the last element is býr meaning "farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
". The neighbouring farms have the names Østby ("eastern farm"), Sunnby ("southern farm"), and Nordby ("northern farm"); and they must all four be the parts of a bigger an older farm, which name is now unknown.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is from modern times. They were granted on 18 June 1982 and designed by Bjørn Linnestad. The arms show three gold bottony
Bottony
In heraldry, bottony refers to a symbol having a bud or button, or a kind of trefoil, at the end; furnished with knobs or buttons. Hence, a cross bottony is a cross having each arm terminating in three rounded lobes, forming a sort of trefoil...
cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
es on a red background, two over one. They represent the three original parishes in the municipality: Vestby, Garder, and Såner
Såner
-Citations:*Godal, Anne Marit . . Store norske leksikon. 10 March 2009. Web. 21 June 2011....
. At the same time they also represent the three natural harbor
Harbor
A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
s in the area: Emmerstad, Kjøvangen, and Sonskilen.
History
ArchaeologicalArchaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
research in Hølen has confirmed that the area has been populated since about 2400 BC. There are various archeological finds in the area, such as the ones from the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
.
Many Norwegian emigrants went to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the 1840s and later settled in the area of the present city of Westby, Wisconsin
Westby, Wisconsin
Westby is a city in Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,045 at the 2000 census.-History:Westby was named after general store owner and Civil War Union soldier Ole T. Westby of Biri, Norway, where many of the city's Norwegian-American settlers originated...
(named after general store owner and American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
soldier Ole T. Westby); a city which still has a mostly Norwegian American
Norwegian American
Norwegian Americans are Americans of Norwegian descent. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the later half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 million Norwegian Americans according to the most recent U.S. census, and...
population.
Hølen became known for the production of timber. It became a lading place in the 17th century.
From the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
until the 18th century, Son was an important harbour. On some Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
maps from that time, the Oslofjord
Oslofjord
The Oslofjord is a bay in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the Torbjørnskjær and Færder lighthouses and down to Langesund in the south to Oslo in the north....
is called Zoon Water.
Vestby was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
). The municipality and lading place of Hølen
Hølen
Hølen is a former town and municipality in Akershus county, Norway.Hølen was in early times known for the production of timber, and from the 17th century important trade took place. Timber was floated on the river Såna...
was merged with Vestby on 1 July 1943. The municipality and lading place of Son was merged with Vestby on 1 January 1964. (The lading place of Hvitsten
Hvitsten
Hvitsten is a former town in Akershus county, Norway, located between Drøbak and Son.It is the smallest town that has ever existed in Norway: In 1951 it had 76 inhabitants, and an area of just 0.07 km². Because of its size it could not be established as a municipality of its own, and it had to...
in Vestby has never been a municipality of its own.)
Geography
Vestby includes the villages Vestby, HølenHølen
Hølen is a former town and municipality in Akershus county, Norway.Hølen was in early times known for the production of timber, and from the 17th century important trade took place. Timber was floated on the river Såna...
, Hvitsten
Hvitsten
Hvitsten is a former town in Akershus county, Norway, located between Drøbak and Son.It is the smallest town that has ever existed in Norway: In 1951 it had 76 inhabitants, and an area of just 0.07 km². Because of its size it could not be established as a municipality of its own, and it had to...
, Garder, and Son
Son, Norway
Son is an old town, and a former municipality. It is located in Vestby municipality in Akershus.- Overview :Son is located at the Oslofjord, 50 kilometres south of the Norwegian capital Oslo, just north of Moss and near the border of Østfold, and is located west of the village of Hølen. Before the...
. Recently urbanized areas are Randem, Pepperstad skog, and Sole skog. Randem is located north of the municipal centre, Vestby, and includes an industrial area. Pepperstad is located southwest of Vestby, by the road 155. Sole skog lays west of the centre. The village of Vestby has 5,424 inhabitants (2006). All the small towns together have over 13,000 inhabitants.
Notable residents
- Ola Abrahamsson (1883–1980): painterArtistAn artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
- Erik BodomErik BodomErik Bodom was a Norwegian landscape painter.Bodom was born in Vestby, and was educated in Christiania , but concerned himself more with drawing than his studies. When Hans Gude returned from Germany in 1848, Bodom joined his studio, and traveled with him in 1850 to Düsseldorf...
(1829–1879): painter - Caspar WesselCaspar WesselCaspar Wessel was a Norwegian-Danish mathematician and cartographer. In 1799, Wessel was the first person to describe the complex numbers. He was the younger brother of poet and playwright Johan Herman Wessel....
(1745–1818): mathematicianMathematicianA mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change.... - Johan Herman WesselJohan Herman Wesselthumb|Johan Herman WesselJohan Herman Wessel was a Norwegian-Danish poet. Some of his satirical poems are still popular.-Biography:...
(1742–1785): poetPoetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Twin towns — Sister cities
Vestby is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with the following cities: - Vara
Vara Municipality
Vara Municipality is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Vara.The present municipality consists of 25 original local government entities . Between 1974 and 1982 the territory of present Essunga Municipality was also included.-External...
, Västra Götaland
Västra Götaland County
Västra Götaland County is a county or län on the western coast of Sweden.The county is the second largest of Sweden's counties and it is subdivided into 49 municipalities . Its population of 1,550,000 amounts to 17% of Sweden's population...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
External links
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics NorwayStatistics NorwayStatistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All releases are published both in Norwegian and English...