Drammensfjord
Encyclopedia
Drammensfjord is a fjord in Norway
that connects to Ytre Oslofjord
on the west side. It stretches to the north and northeast. The Drammenselva
river discharges into the head of the fjord
. The municipality and city of Drammen
which is named after the fjord is also found there.
The majority of the fjord is within the county of Buskerud
, but in the west and southwest it lies in Vestfold
county. The land on the east side of the fjord is called Hurumhalvøya or the Hurum
peninsula
; it separates the Drammensfjord from the Oslofjord
.
The fjord narrows to a strait
at Svelvik
in Vestfold on the west side and Verket in Hurum
on the east side. The strait is crossed by an automobile ferry
. This narrowing, some 200 meters broad and 10 meters deep, combined with the freshwater inflow from the Drammenselva, results in the water inside the fjord north of the strait being brackish water
. On the surface the water is fairly fresh, resulting in bathing areas that are free of jelly fish, while deeper the water has a higher salt concentration, with saltwater fish such as cod
, pollock
, flounder
, and mackerel
. Dead coral
reef
s are also found at 10-20 meters deep in the fjord. The maximum depth of the fjord northwards of the strait is 117 meters.
For a number of decades the Drammensfjord was polluted
. The sewage and industrial discharges by industries in Drammen have been corrected so that the water is now much cleaner. Salmon
and sea trout are again found in both the fjord and the Drammenselva.
In old Norse times the Drammensfjord was know by the name Dramn or Drofn, meaning hazy waters. In the Norse saga
s Snorre Sturlason tells that Saint Olav hid himself from Canute the Great
at a fjord which was called Dramn. At that time the water stood 4-5 meters higher and the fjord reached up to Hokksund
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
that connects to Ytre Oslofjord
Ytre Oslofjord
Ytre Oslofjord is that part of the Norwegian Oslofjord which is south of Drøbaksund . Ytre Oslofjord stretches down to Færder fyr and west to Tjøme....
on the west side. It stretches to the north and northeast. The Drammenselva
Drammenselva
Drammenselva is a river in Buskerud county, southeastern Norway.-Location:Drammenselva is one of the largest rivers in Norway, with a drainage basin of about 17,000 square kilometers and a flow rate of 300 cubic meters per second. The river has an average discharge of about 300 m3 / s...
river discharges into the head of the fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
. The municipality and city of Drammen
Drammen
Drammen is a city in Buskerud County, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the eastern and most populated part of Norway.-Location:...
which is named after the fjord is also found there.
The majority of the fjord is within the county of Buskerud
Buskerud
is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:...
, but in the west and southwest it lies in Vestfold
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
county. The land on the east side of the fjord is called Hurumhalvøya or the Hurum
Hurum
Hurum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village Klokkarstua. The municipality of Hurum was established on 1 January 1838 . The small village of Holmsbu was granted town status in 1847, but it did not become a municipality of its own...
peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
; it separates the Drammensfjord from the Oslofjord
Oslofjord
The Oslofjord is a bay in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the Torbjørnskjær and Færder lighthouses and down to Langesund in the south to Oslo in the north....
.
The fjord narrows to a strait
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
at Svelvik
Svelvik
is a town and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Svelvik.The town of Svelvik was separated from the rural municipality of Strømm to become a municipality of its own in 1845. The two municipalities were merged back together on 1...
in Vestfold on the west side and Verket in Hurum
Hurum
Hurum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village Klokkarstua. The municipality of Hurum was established on 1 January 1838 . The small village of Holmsbu was granted town status in 1847, but it did not become a municipality of its own...
on the east side. The strait is crossed by an automobile ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
. This narrowing, some 200 meters broad and 10 meters deep, combined with the freshwater inflow from the Drammenselva, results in the water inside the fjord north of the strait being brackish water
Brackish water
Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root "brak," meaning "salty"...
. On the surface the water is fairly fresh, resulting in bathing areas that are free of jelly fish, while deeper the water has a higher salt concentration, with saltwater fish such as cod
Cod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
, pollock
Pollock
Pollock is the common name used for either of the two species of marine fish in the Pollachius genus. Both P. pollachius and P. virens are commonly referred to as pollock. Other names for P...
, flounder
Flounder
The flounder is an ocean-dwelling flatfish species that is found in coastal lagoons and estuaries of the Northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.-Taxonomy:There are a number of geographical and taxonomical species to which flounder belong.*Western Atlantic...
, and mackerel
Mackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
. Dead coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s are also found at 10-20 meters deep in the fjord. The maximum depth of the fjord northwards of the strait is 117 meters.
For a number of decades the Drammensfjord was polluted
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
. The sewage and industrial discharges by industries in Drammen have been corrected so that the water is now much cleaner. Salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
and sea trout are again found in both the fjord and the Drammenselva.
In old Norse times the Drammensfjord was know by the name Dramn or Drofn, meaning hazy waters. In the Norse saga
Norse saga
The sagas are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, about early Viking voyages, the battles that took place during the voyages, about migration to Iceland and of feuds between Icelandic families...
s Snorre Sturlason tells that Saint Olav hid himself from Canute the Great
Canute the Great
Cnut the Great , also known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden. Though after the death of his heirs within a decade of his own and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was largely lost to history, historian Norman F...
at a fjord which was called Dramn. At that time the water stood 4-5 meters higher and the fjord reached up to Hokksund
Hokksund
Hokksund is a town in the municipality of Øvre Eiker in the county of Buskerud in Norway.-History:Hokksund is the administrative centre, and largest town in Øvre Eiker, with a population of around 8,000. The river Drammenselva flows through the town, 500m from the centre. Hokksund has developed on...
.