Asker - Definition and Overview

Asker kommune Asker_coa.png Image:Asker_coa.png County Akershus Landscape Viken Municipality NO-0220 Administrative centre Asker Mayor (2004) Area 101 km² Population  - Total (2004)  - Density 50,651 /km² www.asker.kommune.no Data from Statistics Norway (http://www.ssb.no/english/municipalities/0220)

Asker is a municipality in the county of Akershus, Norway.

Main villages are Asker, Vollen, Dikemark, Holmen, Heggedal, Hvalstad and Blakstad. Asker is a notably coastal place, but is also a place of hills and woods. The district is known for many important factories. It is also known for gardening. The farm Skaugum, in which the Norwegian Crown Prince and his family live, is situated here. Asker is also known for museums, such as the home of the singer and TV-personality Alf Prøysen. The poet Arne Garborg also lived here for a period. The first IKEA store outside Sweden was opened in Asker in 1963.

Asker is also the home of Frisk Asker Tigers who won the Norwegian Hockey championship in 2002.

Other famous people from Asker:

• Halvard Hanevold, Olympic Gold in Biathlon
• Anders Jacobsen - professional footballer, Notts County, Stoke, Sheffield United, Start, Skeid, Lillestrøm, Vålerenga and Asker

External links

• Asker Skiklubb`s website (http://www.asker-skiklubb.no/)
• Asker Svømmeklubb's website (http://www.askersvom.no/)
• Frisk Asker Tigers (http://www.frisktigers.no/)
• Asker public library (http://www.asker.folkebibl.no/)

For other uses, see Asker (disambiguation).