Akershus ()
is a county in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, with
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in
Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, and is named after the
Akershus Fortress in Oslo and ultimately after the medieval farm Aker in Oslo. From the Middle Ages to 1919, Akershus was a main
fief
A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
and main
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
that included most of
Eastern Norway, and from the 17th century until 2020 and again from 2024, Akershus also has a more narrow meaning as a smaller central county in the
Greater Oslo Region. Akershus is Norway's largest county by population with over 716,000 inhabitants.
Originally Akershus was one of four main fiefs in Norway and included almost all of
Eastern Norway. The original Akershus became a main county (''Stiftamt'' or ''Stift'') in 1662 and was sometimes also known as ''Christiania Stift''. It included several subcounties (''Amt'' or ''Underamt''); in 1682 its most central areas, consisting of modern
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
and Akershus, became the subcounty of Akershus within the larger main county of the same name. In 1842, the capital city of Christiania, which at the time consisted of a tiny part of modern Oslo, became a separate subcounty within Akershus main county. The main county of Akershus was disestablished in 1919, and the subcounty continued as Akershus county (''fylke''). During its history Akershus (sub) county ceded territory to Oslo several times; Akershus' most central and important municipality,
Aker, was transferred to Oslo in 1948. Thus, while modern Akershus' capital is Oslo, Oslo is not located within the modern county itself. In 2020, the county of Akershus was merged into
Viken along with the counties of
Ăstfold
Ăstfold () is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Ăstfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra GĂśtaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other ...
and
Buskerud
Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, 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 Hardanger ...
, but Akershus was reestablished as a county from 2024 with slightly enlarged borders. Modern Akershus borders Oslo,
Hedmark
Hedmark () was a Counties of Norway, county in Norway from 1 January 1919 to 31 December 2019, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar.
Hedmar ...
,
Oppland,
Buskerud
Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, 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 Hardanger ...
,
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
, and
Ăstfold
Ăstfold () is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Ăstfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra GĂśtaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other ...
; it also has a short border with
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
(
Värmland
Värmland () is a ''Provinces of Sweden, landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders VästergÜtland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west.
Name
Several Latinized version ...
).
Geography
As a geographical term the meaning of Akershus has changed over time. Akershus originally primarily referred to Akershus main county, which included most of
Eastern Norway, with the exception of
Upper Telemark and
BĂĽhuslen (now mainly part of Sweden). The modern Akershus county is a direct continuation of the subcounty of Akershus, created in 1682, and included all of modern Oslo and Akershus. In 1842 the capital city of Christiania, which at the time consisted of a tiny part of modern Oslo, became a separate subcounty within Akershus main county. Akershus main county ceased to exist in 1919, after which Akershus in everyday usage became synonymous with the modern county that excluded Christiania. Akershus' most central and important municipality,
Aker, was transferred to and merged with Oslo in 1948.
After 1948, the remaining Akershus county is conventionally divided into
Asker and
BĂŚrum
BĂŚrum () is a list of municipalities of Norway, municipality in the Greater Oslo Region in Akershus County, Norway. It forms an affluent suburb of Oslo on the west coast of the city. BĂŚrum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a populatio ...
to the west of Oslo,
Follo and
Romerike
Romerike is a Districts of Norway, traditional district located north-east of Oslo, in what is today south-eastern Norway. It consists of the Akershus municipalities Lillestrøm, Lørenskog, Nittedal, RÌlingen and Aurskog-Høland in the southern ...
.
Embracing numerous suburbs and urban areas of Oslo, notably BĂŚrum and historically Aker, Akershus is one of the most densely populated areas in the country. The main national railway lines into Oslo run through Akershus with many junctions and stations such as Asker,
Sandvika
Sandvika () is the administrative centre of the municipality of BĂŚrum in Norway. It was declared a List of cities in Norway, city by the municipal council (Norway), municipal council in BĂŚrum on 4 June 2003.
Sandvika is situated approximately ...
, Ski, and
Lillestrøm. Akershus includes some of the lake
Mjøsa and some of the river
Glomma.
The county also includes the historical place Eidsvoll, 48 km north of Oslo, in which the national assembly ratified the Norwegian constitution in 1814. South of Eidsvoll is the international airport,
Oslo Airport at Gardermoen. Oslo's previous international airport, Fornebu, is also located in Akershus. The estate of the crown prince is located in Asker (the royal palace is in Oslo).
Mountains in Akershus
Infrastructure
The county has two major hospitals,
Akershus University Hospital and
Sykehuset Asker og BĂŚrum.
The main road from continental Europe,
E6, enters Akershus in the south, and runs through eastern Oslo, further to Gardermoen, and into
Hedmark County on the eastern shores of lake
Mjøsa.
E18 enters Akershus in the south-east, merges for a short stretch with E6 at Vinterbro in
Ă
s, before running under central Oslo. E18 then turns south-west through BĂŚrum and Asker before entering
Buskerud County north of
Drammen
Drammen () is a city and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such ...
.
E16 runs from the intersection with E18 in Sandvika into Buskerud County west of
Sollihøgda.
All main railways out of Oslo run through Akershus:
* Southwest: the
Drammen Line
* Southeast: the
Ăstfold Line as two separate railways
* North: the
Gjøvik Line
* Northeast: the
Trunk Line,
Gardermoen Line, and
Dovre Line
The Dovre Line () is a Norwegian railway line with three slightly different lines which all lead to the historic city of Trondheim (city), Trondheim.
Definition
*Dovre Line is the main line between Eidsvoll Station and Trondheim Station, used b ...
* East: the
Kongsvinger Line
History
Akershus became a fief in the 16th century, and then also included the current counties of
Hedmark
Hedmark () was a Counties of Norway, county in Norway from 1 January 1919 to 31 December 2019, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar.
Hedmar ...
,
Oppland,
Buskerud
Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, 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 Hardanger ...
, and
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
, as well as the municipalities of
Askim,
Eidsberg, and
Trøgstad in the county of
Ăstfold
Ăstfold () is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Ăstfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra GĂśtaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other ...
. In 1662, Akershus became an
''Amt'', and in 1685, Buskerud was separated from Akershus and became an ''Amt'' of its own. In 1768, Hedmark and Oppland were also separated from Akershus to become ''Oplandenes Amt'' (and Askim, Eidsberg, and Trøgstad were transferred to Ăstfold). In 1842, the city of Christiania (Oslo) was made a separate ''Amt'', as well. In 1919, the term ''Amt'' was changed to ''Fylke''. In 1948, Aker, the greatest and the most populous municipality of Akershus, was transferred to the county of Oslo.
Name
The county is named after
Akershus Fortress. The fortress was built in 1299, and the meaning of the name is "the (fortified) house of (the district) Aker". The name is somewhat misleading now, since the fortress is now outside Akershus (it is in Oslo County since 1842). In fact, the administration of Akershus sits outside the county, as well, in the centre of Oslo.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1987). It shows a
gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
from Akershus Fortress.
Municipalities

Akershus has a total of 21 municipalities:
Districts
Cities
Parishes
Villages
Former municipalities
Notable residents
People from Akershus
*
Kristoffer Ajer (1998â), football player (
Celtic FC), national team
*
Harriet Backer (1845â1932), artist, painter educated in Oslo, Berlin, Munich and Paris
*
Jo Benkow (1924â2013), WWII pilot and politician, president of
Stortinget
The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...
1985-1993
*
John Carew (1979â), former football player (Lørenskog, VĂĽlerenga, Valencia, Lyon, Aston Villa), with 24 goals for Norway.
*
Bjørn DÌhlie (1967), cross-country skier and most-winning skier globally, with eight gold medals from Winter Olympics
*
Kai Eide, diplomat, writer and politician; special UN envoy to Kosovo in 2005, head of UN mission to Afghanistan from 2008 to 2010
*
Euronymous (1968â1993), musician and co-founder of black metal band
Mayhem
*
Ă
slaug Haga (1959â), politician, member of parliament and government, president of
Global Crop Diversity Trust
The Crop Trust, officially known as the Global Crop Diversity Trust, is an international organization, international nonprofit organization with a secretariat in Bonn, Bonn, Germany. Its mission is to conserve and make available the world's crop d ...
from 2013 to 2020
*
Morten Harket (1959â), musician and singer, vocal of pop group
A-ha
A-ha (often stylised as ''a''-h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ros ...
*
Trygve Haavelmo (1911â1999), economist and
Nobel Prize laureate
*
Anniken Huitfeldt
Anniken Scharning Huitfeldt (born 29 November 1969) is a Norwegian historian and politician for the Labour Party (Norway), Labour Party. She has served as the Norwegian Ambassador to the United States since 2024. She previously held several mini ...
, politician, chair of
Stortinget
The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...
Committee on Foreign Relations and Defence
*
Carl Otto Løvenskiold (1839â1916), politician, and briefly prime minister in Stockholm in 1884
*
Rolf Presthus (1936â1988), politician, former chairman of Conservative Party and minister of Finance
*
Jan Tore Sanner (1966â), politician, minister of Finance in Norway since 2020
*
Reiulf Steen (1933â2014), politician, chairman of the
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party (; , A or Ap; ), formerly The Norwegian Labour Party (, DNA), is a Social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Norway, political party in Norway. It is positioned on the centre-left of the political spectru ...
from 1965 to 1975
*
Johan Herman Wessel (1742â1785), poet and early satiric author
References
External links
Akershus county website*
*
{{Authority control
Counties of Norway
2020 disestablishments in Norway
States and territories disestablished in 2020