Drammenselva () is a river in
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 ...
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 ...
, southeastern
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 ...
.
Location
Drammenselva is one of the largest rivers in Norway, with a
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
of about and a
discharge of per second. Drammen River's total length is making it the fifth longest river in Norway.
Its 48 km course runs from
Tyrifjorden
Tyrifjorden (Lake Tyri) is a lake in Norway. It lies northwest of Oslo and is the nation's fifth largest lake with an area of 138.56 km2. It has a volume of 13 km3, is 295 meters deep at its deepest, and lies 63 meters above sea level ...
in the north to
Drammensfjord
Drammensfjord () is a fjord in along the border of Akershus and Buskerud counties in Norway that connects to Ytre Oslofjord on the west side. It stretches about to the north and northeast. The Drammenselva river discharges into the head of the f ...
in the south, where it cuts through the centre of the city 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 ...
. The Drammen River gathers inflow from several streams and rivers. The largest include the
Simoa
Simoa is the name of a river which flows through the municipalities of Sigdal and Modum in Buskerud County, Norway.
Location
The Simoa river runs from Lake Soneren through the municipality of Sigdal in a south-easterly course until it flows into ...
River. The whole
drainage system which includes the Drammenselva as the lowest part is known as Drammensvassdraget and is located in the counties of
Innlandet
Innlandet is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. It was created on 1 January 2020 with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (Jevnaker Municipality and Lunner Municipality were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken ( ...
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 ...
.
Development and usage
For centuries the river was used for
log driving
Log driving is a means of moving logs (sawn tree trunks) from a forest to sawmills and pulp mills downstream using the current of a river. It was the main transportation method of the early logging industry in Europe and North America.
History ...
, transporting timber from the forests in
Eiker
Eiker is a traditional district in the county of Buskerud, Norway.
History
Eiker consists of the municipalities of Nedre Eiker and Øvre Eiker. The area is located in the southern part of Buskerud county.
Eiker is an agricultural area with a ...
to the many paper mills and other industry along the river. From the 1850s onwards, many steam-powered sawmills and planing mills were established along the lower section of the river, and products became exports moving through the Port of Drammen. During the 20th century this activity caused the river to be heavily polluted. However, the majority of the paper and pulp factories in Drammen shut down in the 1960s and 1970s, and the river is now clean and safe.
On its way to the sea, Drammen River passes a series of rapids and waterfalls. The largest are Vikerfoss, Geithusfoss, Kattfoss, Gravfoss, Embretsfoss, Døvikfoss and Hellefoss. There are a number of power plants on the Drammen River several with dams. The owner and operator is
EB Kraftproduksjon which is headquartered in Drammen. The power company is owned by Buskerud Energy Power Generation (''Energiselskapet Buskerud AS'').
*Hellefoss has a hydroelectric dam in
Hokksund
Hokksund is a town in the counties of Norway, county of Buskerud in Eastern Norway. It is the largest population center and administrative center of the municipalities of Norway, municipality of Øvre Eiker.
The town is located upstream of the ...
in
Øvre Eiker Municipality
*Døvikfoss and Embretsfoss have hydroelectric dams in
Ã…mot in
Modum Municipality
Modum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vikersund. The municipality of Modum was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt).
The area has a long tradition of ...
*Gravfoss and Geithusfoss have hydroelectric power station in
Geithus
Geithus is a village in Modum municipality of Buskerud, Norway. It is situated between the villages of Ã…mot and Vikersund.
Geithus is located where the southwestern arm of Tyrifjorden ends and drains into Drammenselva. Geithusbrua is a cable br ...
in
Modum Municipality
Modum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vikersund. The municipality of Modum was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt).
The area has a long tradition of ...
Since then the city of Drammen has spent substantial resources on developing attractive park areas along the riverside. The area between the City and the
Holmen bridges in Drammen has also been developed into parkland, and is now known as
Bragernes
Bragernes is one of the central areas of the city of Drammen in Buskerud, Norway, on the north side of the Drammen River (''Drammenselva'').
Bragernes Church
Bragernes Church (''Bragernes kirke'') was erected in 1871 in neo-Gothic style in th ...
Riverside Park. Hundreds of trees and thousands of perennials have been planted here in order to create a pleasant leisure area. Today Drammenselva is used for recreational purposes, and is known for its excellent salmon fishing. It is the site of the annual Drammen River Festival (''Drammen Elvefestival''). The festival features music concerts, dragon boats, raft racing and bathtub rowing. More than 100 different events take place during the River Festival.
Gallery
File:Mjöndalen bru IMG 2928.JPG, Mjöndalen bridge on the Drammenselva
File:Ypsilon binder sammen Union Brygge med Bragernes.JPG, Ypsilon bridge betsween Strømsø and Bragernes
File:MG Drammenselven og Union Brygge.JPG, Union Brygge area along the Drammenselva
File:Bybrua Drammen.JPG, Bybrua bridge and Bragernes ship pier
File:Drammen IMG 3996 övre sund bro.JPG, Øvre Sund bridge in Drammen
File:Drammen Bragernes IMG 4000.JPG, Bragernes along the Drammenselva
File:Jernbanebroa i Drammen.jpg, Jernbanebroa bridge in Drammen
File:Drammenselva.jpg, Drammenselva downstream from Solbergelva
Solbergelva is a village in Drammen Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Buskerud, Norway. The village lies north of Drammenselva, approx. 5 miles west of Bragernes square, between Ã…ssiden in the east and Krokstadelva in the west with Solber ...
.
References
External links
Drammen Elvefestival
{{coord, 59, 44, N, 10, 14, E, display=title, region:NO_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki
Rivers of Buskerud
Drammen