Skallum
Encyclopedia
Skallum is an area at Stabekk
in Bærum
, Norway
. Named after the local farm, Skallum is known locally for its art gallery
and as a recreational area, and nationally as the site of an event in the closing days of World War II
in Europe.
, but slightly south of Stabekk Primary School and the former college at Ringstabekk
.
Skallum distinguished from the surrounding area as it forms a small valley, a creek having run here in the past. The creek was a part of the Stabekk Watershed, which originated north of Øvrevoll Galloppbane and ran southwards via Voll, Jar, Jarmyra, Tjernsrud and Ringstabekk. The creek dropped into the valley as a waterfall right after crossing what today is the road Gamle Ringeriksvei. The part of the creek that flowed into the Skallum area was named Skallumbekken. After Skallum it continued (under the name Stabekk) to the southeast, across Stabekk farm and Ballerud, before turning northeast and then south, before reaching its mouth at Holtekilen.
Somewhat north of Skallum farm is found the pond Egerdammen. It is named after a former owner, who most likely created the lake some time before 1900, damming up Skallumbekken. Today, this pond is the only trace of a waterway at Skallum, as most of the Stabekk Watershed has been led underground through a pipe system. The lake is rich on biological life, and has been used as an ice skating
rink during the winter.
Monastery before the Reformation
of 1536, and thereafter by the Crown. In a 1661 record it was registered as an alpine meadow—though the territory is in no way alpine.
The Øverland family then owned the farm between 1685 and 1812. It received a matricule number in 1826, and at that time a horse, two sheep and two cattle were held there. Since 1889 the farm is owned by the Eger family, among others the industrialist Conrad Wilhelm Eger
. An adjacent street was name after him a few years before his death. Most of the farm buildings that exist today were raised in the late 1880s and early 1900s. Since 1982 one building is used for an art gallery
, Galleri Skaugum.
lived there. The Nazi authorities had already set up an anti-air
battery, named Grossbatterie Bertha, on a field south of Skallum.
When the Nazis were ousted from power on 8 May 1945
, a group of Nazis entrenched themselves at Skallum, reportedly against the orders of Vidkun Quisling
. Quisling and his followers had barricaded themselves at his home Gimle at Bygdøy
, but the Nazi government had been torn apart in the late days of World War II. On 8 May, Minister of Justice Sverre Riisnæs
was picked up in a car by a helper of Minister of the Police Jonas Lie
, and they drove to Skallum. In addition to Reichborn-Kjennerud and Lie, police leaders Egil Olbjørn
and Henrik Rogstad were present, in addition to lower-rank police officers and SS
members. On the other hand, a group of police that included Erling Søvik, labelled by historian Nils Johan Ringdal
as more "opportunist", were not present.
Resistance members from the Home Front
had already begun surrounding the farm. Olbjørn, Reichborn-Kjennerud and others left by bus, leaving only Riisnæs, Lie and Rogstad. At one point, the three left the building to negotiate with the resistance members, but this did not bear fruit, and as such they resumed the entrenchment. On 10 May the group was "requested to leave the farm". The situation was becoming desperate. Jonas Lie was high on pills and alcohol, and was reported to have fired a gun in the direction of Riisnæs and Rogstad, as well as threatening them with an unsafe hand grenade
.
On 11 May, the entrenchment was brought to an end. Sverre Riisnæs surrendered, approaching the resistance forces while flying a white handkerchief, whereas Lie and Rogstad were found dead. A suicide note
was later found, signed by all three, but only Rogstad actually committed suicide—Lie is believed to have died from intoxication and stress.
. It is one of three such locations, the other two being at Engervannet
and at Fossveien near Haslum
. Construction started in 2007.
In terms of public transportation, Skallum is served by the lines 143 and 733 of the Ruter
bus network; the bus station is named Skogveien. Also, Skallum is within walking distance of Bekkestua metro station
and Stabekk railway station
.
Stabekk
Stabekk is a suburban centre in the municipality of Bærum, Norway. Mainly a residential area and have most of the conservative population in Norway the current population is 6,261....
in Bærum
Bærum
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandvika. Bærum was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. A suburb of Oslo, Bærum is located on the west coast of the city....
, Norway
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...
. Named after the local farm, Skallum is known locally for its art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
and as a recreational area, and nationally as the site of an event in the closing days of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Europe.
Geography
The area is located north of the commercial centre at StabekkStabekk
Stabekk is a suburban centre in the municipality of Bærum, Norway. Mainly a residential area and have most of the conservative population in Norway the current population is 6,261....
, but slightly south of Stabekk Primary School and the former college at Ringstabekk
Ringstabekk
Ringstabekk is a district in Bærum, Norway. Named after the local farm, the district is also known for its schools and the sports field. The sports club Stabæk IF originates in the area.-The farm:...
.
Skallum distinguished from the surrounding area as it forms a small valley, a creek having run here in the past. The creek was a part of the Stabekk Watershed, which originated north of Øvrevoll Galloppbane and ran southwards via Voll, Jar, Jarmyra, Tjernsrud and Ringstabekk. The creek dropped into the valley as a waterfall right after crossing what today is the road Gamle Ringeriksvei. The part of the creek that flowed into the Skallum area was named Skallumbekken. After Skallum it continued (under the name Stabekk) to the southeast, across Stabekk farm and Ballerud, before turning northeast and then south, before reaching its mouth at Holtekilen.
Somewhat north of Skallum farm is found the pond Egerdammen. It is named after a former owner, who most likely created the lake some time before 1900, damming up Skallumbekken. Today, this pond is the only trace of a waterway at Skallum, as most of the Stabekk Watershed has been led underground through a pipe system. The lake is rich on biological life, and has been used as an ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
rink during the winter.
History
The name has also been written Skjelme, but both names stem from the same root. The name of the area is taken from the farm Skallum, to which Stabekk is sometimes suffixed (Skallum-Stabekk). Historic spellings of the farm name include Skalmestadbeck (1617); in 1723 Skallum-Stabæk was registered. The farm was owned by HovedøyaHovedøya
Hovedøya or Hovedøen is one of several small islands off the coast of Oslo, Norway in the Oslofjord. The island is quite small, no more than 800 metres across in any direction, the total area is 0,4 square kilometre. It is well known for its lush and green nature, with a wide variety of trees,...
Monastery before the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
of 1536, and thereafter by the Crown. In a 1661 record it was registered as an alpine meadow—though the territory is in no way alpine.
The Øverland family then owned the farm between 1685 and 1812. It received a matricule number in 1826, and at that time a horse, two sheep and two cattle were held there. Since 1889 the farm is owned by the Eger family, among others the industrialist Conrad Wilhelm Eger
Conrad Wilhelm Eger
Conrad Wilhelm Eger, often referred to as C. W. Eger was a Norwegian businessperson. An associate of Sam Eyde, Eger was the chief executive officer of Elkem for decades, and later played a role in building the Norwegian iron industry....
. An adjacent street was name after him a few years before his death. Most of the farm buildings that exist today were raised in the late 1880s and early 1900s. Since 1982 one building is used for an art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
, Galleri Skaugum.
Event of 1945
During the German occupation of Norway, which started in 1940, Conrad Wilhelm Eger owned Skallum. When he was forced into exile in 1944, the Nazi authorities requisitioned the property. It was used by the Hird, and sports official and judge Egil Reichborn-KjennerudEgil Reichborn-Kjennerud
Egil Reichborn-Kjennerud was a Norwegian judge, cyclist and sports administrator. He was a Norwegian champion in cycling. During World War II he was a sports leader under the Nazi rule, leading the Norwegian Confederation of Sports from 1940 to 1942.He administrated the court which sentenced...
lived there. The Nazi authorities had already set up an anti-air
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
battery, named Grossbatterie Bertha, on a field south of Skallum.
When the Nazis were ousted from power on 8 May 1945
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
, a group of Nazis entrenched themselves at Skallum, reportedly against the orders of Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
. Quisling and his followers had barricaded themselves at his home Gimle at Bygdøy
Bygdøy
Bygdøy or Bygdø is a peninsula on the western side of Oslo, Norway. Administratively, Bygdøy belongs to the borough of Frogner.Bygdøy has several museums, like the Kon-Tiki Museum, which shows all year long the legendary expeditions of Thor Heyerdahl; the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History ; the...
, but the Nazi government had been torn apart in the late days of World War II. On 8 May, Minister of Justice Sverre Riisnæs
Sverre Riisnæs
Sverre Parelius Riisnæs was a Norwegian jurist and public prosecutor who was born 6 November 1897 in Vik, Sogn county and died 21 June 1988 in Oslo...
was picked up in a car by a helper of Minister of the Police Jonas Lie
Jonas Lie (government minister)
Jonas Lie was a Norwegian councillor of state in the Nasjonal Samling government of Vidkun Quisling in 1940, then acting councillor of state 1940–1941, and Minister of Police between 1941 and 1945 in the new Quisling government...
, and they drove to Skallum. In addition to Reichborn-Kjennerud and Lie, police leaders Egil Olbjørn
Egil Olbjørn
Egil Yngvar Olbjørn was a Norwegian police leader.He came to prominence during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, as a member of Nasjonal Samling and supporter of Jonas Lie. He headed the police branch Ordenspolitiet. To a certain degree he tried to resist German control, and was imprisoned...
and Henrik Rogstad were present, in addition to lower-rank police officers and SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
members. On the other hand, a group of police that included Erling Søvik, labelled by historian Nils Johan Ringdal
Nils Johan Ringdal
Nils Johan Ringdal was a Norwegian author and historian, known mostly for his works on Norwegian occupation history and Norwegian cultural history, and for his controversial book "Nationaltheaterets Historie 1899-1999" ...
as more "opportunist", were not present.
Resistance members from the Home Front
Norwegian resistance movement
The Norwegian resistance to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms:...
had already begun surrounding the farm. Olbjørn, Reichborn-Kjennerud and others left by bus, leaving only Riisnæs, Lie and Rogstad. At one point, the three left the building to negotiate with the resistance members, but this did not bear fruit, and as such they resumed the entrenchment. On 10 May the group was "requested to leave the farm". The situation was becoming desperate. Jonas Lie was high on pills and alcohol, and was reported to have fired a gun in the direction of Riisnæs and Rogstad, as well as threatening them with an unsafe hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
.
On 11 May, the entrenchment was brought to an end. Sverre Riisnæs surrendered, approaching the resistance forces while flying a white handkerchief, whereas Lie and Rogstad were found dead. A suicide note
Suicide note
A suicide note or death note is a message that states the author has died by suicide, and left to be discovered and read in anticipation of suicide....
was later found, signed by all three, but only Rogstad actually committed suicide—Lie is believed to have died from intoxication and stress.
Transportation
Skallum is used as an excavation location of the Bærum TunnelBærum Tunnel
The Bærum Tunnel is a long double track railway tunnel in Bærum, Norway. Running between Marstranderveien and Engervannet, it will make up most of the long section of the Asker Line between Lysaker Station and Sandvika Station, which was taken into use on 26 August 2011. The tunnel was...
. It is one of three such locations, the other two being at Engervannet
Engervannet
Engervannet is a lake between Blommenholm and Sandvika in the municipality of Bærum in Akershus county, Norway....
and at Fossveien near Haslum
Haslum
Haslum is a district in the municipality of Bærum, Norway. Its population is 6,041. Haslum is noted for its medieval parish church, which is surrounded by a cemetery.-References:...
. Construction started in 2007.
In terms of public transportation, Skallum is served by the lines 143 and 733 of the Ruter
Ruter
Ruter As is the public transport authority for Oslo and Akershus, Norway. The company, organized as a limited company is responsible for managing, but not operating, public transport in the two counties, including bus, the Oslo Metro, the Oslo Tramway and ferries...
bus network; the bus station is named Skogveien. Also, Skallum is within walking distance of Bekkestua metro station
Bekkestua (station)
Bekkestua is a station on Kolsås Line of the Oslo Metro situated at Bekkestua in Bærum, Norway.Located between Egne Hjem and Gjønnes it is being served by the Oslo Tramway line 13 while the Kolsås Line is closed for upgrade...
and Stabekk railway station
Stabekk Station
Stabekk Station is a railway station located at Stabekk in Bærum, Norway on Drammenbanen. The station is served by the Oslo Commuter Rail line 400 operated by Norges Statsbaner with two hourly services.-History:...
.