Jessheim is a town in the

Ullensaker Ullensaker is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Jessheim. It has a population of 40,459 inhabitants. Norway's larges ...

municipality in

Akershus Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main cou ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

History

The railway station with the Jessheim station was built in 1854 as part of the

Hovedbanen In telecommunications, trunking is a technology for providing network access to multiple clients simultaneously by sharing a set of circuits, carriers, channels, or frequencies, instead of providing individual circuits or channels for each clie ...

line from

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

Eidsvoll Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet. General information ...

. The railroad had at the initial construction of the railroad in 1854 called the stop "Trøgstad", but because of confusion with the town name

Trøgstad Trøgstad is a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skjønhaug. The municipality is divided into the parishes of Skjønhaug, Havnås and Båstad. The parish of ''Trygstad'' ...

Østfold Østfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden ( Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other s ...

, the name was changed in 1897 to "Jessum". This name was used blasphemically, for example by

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

recruits who said they had passed through Bøn (town north of Jessheim) which sounds like "prayer" in

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

to Jessum, which could sound like Jesus. The priests in the area complained to the bishop who in 1900 brought the case up with the local council and suggested the form "Jessheim". The name was changed to "Jesseim". In 1920 the railroad changed the spelling to the current form, Jessheim.

Facilities and landmarks

Jessheim is a center for commerce and regional service functions at

Øvre Romerike Øvre Romerike is the upper (northern) half of the traditional Norwegian district Romerike. It consists of the Akershus municipalities Gjerdrum, Nannestad, Eidsvoll, Hurdal, Ullensaker and Nes The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8 ...

. The area also has some industry such as a concrete factory that utilizes the sand and gravel resources in the area as well as a wood products manufacturer. Jessheim Storsenter (mall) located in the center of town, is one of the biggest shopping malls in Norway. Jessheim is also home to Ullensaker Kulturhus which is a cultural center with a library and cinema. West of the town is the old royal burial mound

Raknehaugen Rakni's Mound ( no, Raknehaugen) is a large mound at Ullensaker in Akershus county, Norway. It is the largest free-standing prehistoric monument in Norway and is one of the largest barrows in Northern Europe. It dates to the Migration Age and ...

which dates back to between AD 533 and 551.

Etymology

The name "Jessheim" is from Norse ''Jasseimr'' or ''Jesseímr'' where the first part has unknown origin, while the second part (heimr) means ''home''. It is also possible that the first part "Jess" can mean

jarl Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the pet ...

or jarls (earls). The name was originally used for the Hovin parish.

Population

As at January 2020, Jessheim's population was estimated to be 21,598.

Transport

Jessheim Station Jessheim Station ( no, Jessheim stasjon) is a railway station at Jessheim which opened in 1854. It is rom Oslo Central Station and has an elevation of above mean sea level. The station is part of Norway's first railway, the Trunk Line, which r ...

(''Jessheim stasjon'') is located on the main track of Norway's first railroad, completed in 1854, and formed the foundation for the later town. From Jessheim trains go north to Dal and south to

. The E6 highway runs past on the west side of the town. Distance to

is 41 km along this road, distance along the railroad is 45 km. Jessheim is also an important crossroad between

Riksvei 35 Norwegian national roads (Norwegian: Riksvei/Riksveg abbr. Rv; literally: road of the rike/realm), are roads thus categorized by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen) which also maintains them. In 2007 there were of this cla ...

westward to

Oslo Airport, Gardermoen Oslo Airport ( no, Oslo lufthavn; ), alternatively referred to as Oslo Gardermoen Airport or simply Gardermoen, is the international airport serving Oslo, Norway, the capital and most populous city in the country. A hub for Flyr, Norse Atl ...

and Hønefoss,

Riksvei 174 Norwegian County Road 174 ( no, Fylkesvei 174) is long and runs between Nordby and Dalstua in Ullensaker, Norway. Prior to 1 January 2010, it was known as National Road 174 (). 174 174 Year 174 ( CLXXIV) was a common year starting on ...

to Nannestad and Hurdal, and eastward to

Kongsvinger Kongsvinger () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger. Other settlements in the municipality include Aus ...

( Riksvei 2).

Sports

As of 2016 the local

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team Ullensaker/Kisa plays in the professional

Norwegian First Division The Norwegian First Division, also called 1. divisjon and OBOS-ligaen (named sponsor is property developer OBOS), is the second-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Each year, the top finishing teams in the 1. divisjon are p ...

Notable locals

Martin Julius Halvorsen Martin Julius Halvorsen (4 November 1867 – 7 March 1951) was a Norwegian newspaper editor and politician for the Norwegian Labour Party, Labour and Social Democratic Labour Party of Norway, Social Democratic Labour parties. Born in Oslo, K ...

(born 1867), founded the Akershusingen, later

Romerikes Blad ''Romerikes Blad'' is a local newspaper published in Lillestrøm, Norway. It covers the Romerike district. History and profile ''Romerikes Blad'' was established by Martin Julius Halvorsen in 1902 in Jessheim under the name ''Akershusingen'', a ...

, in 1902. Typographer and book printer. Best known as M. Jul. Halvorsen * Diaz (born 1976), artist and rap artist *

Ole Kristian Furuseth Ole Kristian Furuseth (born 7 January 1967) is a retired Norwegian alpine skier. He scored his first World Cup victory in Furano in 1989 and his final World Cup victory in Bormio in 2000, and in total he has three World Cup victories in giant sl ...

(born 1967), slalom racer. *

Anniken Huitfeldt Anniken Scharning Huitfeldt (born 29 November 1969) is a Norwegian historian and politician for the Labour Party. She has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2021. She previously served as Minister of Children and Equality from 2008 to 2 ...

(born 1969), Politician * Tanja Hansen (born 1973), former porn star *

Egil Nyhus Egil Nyhus (born 23 January 1962) is a Norwegian illustrator. He was born in Tønsberg as the twin brother of illustrator/writer Svein Nyhus. He took his education at the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry from 1981 to 1985, wor ...

(born 1962), illustrator *

Solveig Kloppen Solveig Kloppen (born 10 June 1971) is a Norwegian journalist, actress and TV hostess.Solveig Kloppen
in

Memnock Håkon Didriksen (born 2 February 1974), known professionally as Memnock, is a Norwegian bassist best known for playing in the extreme metal band Susperia. He has been playing bass since early 1990 and started with a cheap Cort. He then bought a ...

, artist and black metal musician (

Susperia Susperia is a Norwegian black/thrash metal band formed in October 1998 by Tjodalv and Cyrus. The band was originally named Seven Sins, but since there was another band with that name they changed it to the title of the horror film '' Suspiria ...

) *

Alexandra Rotan Alexandra Rotan (born 29 June 1996) is a Norwegian singer. Rotan began her career as a child singer, becoming a superfinalist in Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2010 with the song "Det vi vil". She later joined the group Keiino in 2018, and represent ...

, singer, songwriter, member of the Europop band Keiino, participated in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2019 The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 was the 64th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, following the country's victory at the 2018 contest with the song " Toy" by Netta. Organised by the European Broad ...

Dimmu Borgir Dimmu Borgir () is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, ...

symphonic black metal Symphonic black metal is a subgenre of black metal that emerged in the 1990s and incorporates symphonic and orchestral elements. Notable symphonic black metal bands include Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, and Carach Angren. History ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

formed in 1993. * Sebastian Sponevik (born 2005), artistic national team

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

Gallery

File:Storgata_Jessheim.jpg, The main street "Storgata" at Jessheim in

. File:Storgata_7_Jessheim.jpg, Storgata 7 on the main street of Jessheim. File:Herredshuset_Ullensaker.jpg, Herredshuset was completed in 1901 and housed Ullensaker county administration until 1967. File:Jessheim_railway_station.jpg, Jessheim railway station was originally built in 1854. File:Jessheim i Ullensaker - 1.jpg, Jessheim city seen from the south, with the

European route E6 European route E6 ( no, Europavei 6, sv, Europaväg 6, or simply E6) is the main north-south thoroughfare through Norway as well as the west coast of Sweden. It is long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and thr ...

running on the west side of the city.

References

{{authority control Villages in Akershus Populated places in Akershus Ullensaker