Lillestrøm
| Lillestrøm | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Square in central Lillestrøm |
|
 Lillestrøm
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| Coordinates: 59°57′N 11°05′E / 59.950°N 11.083°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Akershus |
| District | Romerike |
| Municipality | Skedsmo |
| Elevation | 109 m (358 ft) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 2000-2004 |
Lillestrøm is a town located some 18 km (11 mi) east-northeast of Oslo, the capital city of Norway. With a population of some 14,000 inhabitants, it is the administrative centre of Skedsmo Municipality in Akershus County, and lies within the traditional district of Romerike.
The name means "the little [part of] Strøm", Strøm being the name of an old and large farm (Old Norse: straumr, which also meant "stream" as well).
Lillestrøm's history dates back to the times river powered sawmills came into use for the production of building materials. Later Lillestrøm got its own steam sawmill which laid the base for the development of the area which became the town. The area was, by and large, a moss covered swamp-like area, at the time considered almost uninhabitable. However, the almost non-existent property values were judged to be a fair exchange and so the workers started living and settling in the area around the sawmill, and Lillestrøm was born.
On 1 January 1908 Lillestrøm became a municipality of its own, having been split from Skedsmo. At that time Lillestrøm municipality had a population of 4,351. On 1 January 1962 the two municipalities were reunited under the name Skedsmo. Before the merger Lillestrøm municipality had a population of 10,840.
In 1997, Skedsmo municipal council declared Lillestrøm to be a town (by) in its own right (a purely honorary status which has no effect upon the organization of local government, but is a matter of local pride nonetheless). The event is commemorated in an annual 4-day street fair, which includes music by high-profile Norwegian artists on several outdoor stages, food stalls, retail business exhibitions, and thrill rides. The whole thing (with free admission to all) is held in Lillestrøm's main thoroughfare and its connecting streets, which are closed to all vehicles for the duration.
In 2002, Norway Trade Fairs moved from Skøyen to Lillestrøm.
Norwegian national road 159 is a four-lane motorway connecting central Lillestrøm directly to Oslo. The E6 motorway bypasses Lillestrøm a few kilometres to the west on its way from Oslo to the north of the country. National road 22, running from northwest to southeast, passes through the northern outskirts of the conurbation.
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Wikipedia