Lier kommune
—  Municipality  —
Coat of arms Buskerud within Norway
Lier within Buskerud
Coordinates (city): 59°52′3″N 10°12′51″E / 59.8675°N 10.21417°E / 59.8675; 10.21417Coordinates: 59°52′3″N 10°12′51″E / 59.8675°N 10.21417°E / 59.8675; 10.21417
Country	Norway
County	Buskerud
Municipality ID	NO-0626
Administrative centre	Lier
Government
- Mayor (2003)	Ulla Nævestad (H)
Area (Nr. 277 in Norway)
- Total	301 km2 (116.2 sq mi)
- Land	281 km2 (108.5 sq mi)
Population (2004)
- Total	21,594
- Density	77/km2 (199.4/sq mi)
- Change (10 years)	9.8 %
- Rank in Norway	40
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Official language form	Bokmål
Norwegian demonym	Liung[1]
Website	www.lier.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

Lier is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lier. The municipality of Lier was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The area Åssiden was transferred from Lier to the neighboring municipality of Drammen on 1 July 1951.

Norway's longest indoor shopping center, Liertoppen, is located in Lierskogen.

Contents 1 General information 1.1 Name 1.2 Coat-of-arms 2 Geography 3 Attractions 4 Notable residents 5 Sister cities 6 References 7 External links

[edit] General information

[edit] Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Líðir. The name is the plural form of líð which means "hillside".

[edit] Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times and was designed by Hallvard Trætteberg. They were granted on 14 August 1970. The arms show five silver-colored apple blossoms on a red background. They area is well-known for the production of various types of fruit, berries, vegetables, and flowers, so this was chosen as a symbol of the area's lush scenery and agriculture.^[2][3]

[edit] Geography

Lier borders to the municipalities of Asker and Bærum (in Akershus county) and Drammen, Modum, Nedre Eiker, and Røyken (in Buskerud county). It includes the villages of Lier (Lierbyen), Sylling, Sjåstad, Nøste, Gullaug, Lierskogen, and Tranby.

Lier is thought of as a "green lung" for Norway's capital, Oslo, with its vast number of fields and apple trees. It is also famous for its agricultural products as strawberries and vegetables.

The Gilhusodden Nature Preserve is home of many different bird species. The area is also used for recreation, especially swimming and sunbathing, with its long, shallow beach.

[edit] Attractions

• Bygdeborgen, a village stronghold from the Middle Ages on Fosskollen
• St. Hallvard's minne, a memorial of St. Hallvard
• Gjellebekk skanse, a defence stand which prevented a Swedish invasion of Norway
• Gilhusodden, a Nature Preserve
• Sylling cemetery - Ten British RAF Airmen from World War II are buried here.

[edit] Notable residents

• Bjørn Eidsvåg, artist and preacher, living in Lier, born in Sauda
• Karin Fossum, author, living in Sylling/Lier
• Thorleif Haug (1894–1934), skier/ski jumper
• Hans Christian Heg, American Civil War officer
• Thorbjørn Jagland, politician, former prime minister, currently president of parliament
• Martin Kolberg, secretary of The Norwegian Labour Party
• Gert Nygaardshaug, author
• Håvard Steensen, graphic artist and animator
• Sten Stensen, speed skater
• Hallvard Vebjørnsson or St. Hallvard, Oslo's patron saint, was born in Lier

[edit] Sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Lier:^[4]

• - Falköping, Västra Götaland County, Sweden
• - Kokemäki, Western Finland, Finland
• - Mariagerfjord, Region Nordjylland, Denmark

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lier, Buskerud

Look up Lier in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
• Buskerud travel guide from Wikitravel

v • d • e Municipalities of Buskerud Ål · Drammen · Flå · Flesberg · Gol · Hemsedal · Hol · Hole · Hurum · Kongsberg · Krødsherad · Lier · Modum · Nedre Eiker · Nes · Nore og Uvdal · Øvre Eiker · Ringerike · Rollag · Røyken · Sigdal