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{{Short description|Town in Østfold, Norway}}
{{About|the municipality in Østfold, Norway}}
{{Infobox kommune
| name               = Askim
| native_name        =
| native_name_lang   =
| other_name         =
| official_name      =
| idnumber           = 0124
| image_skyline      = 
| county             = Østfold
| district           = Smaalenene
| capital            = Askim
| demonym            = Askiming
| language           = [[Norwegian Bokmål|Bokmål]]
| coatofarms         = Askim komm.svg
| munwebpage         = www.askim.kommune.no
| mayor              = Thor Hals
| mayor_party        = [[Høyre|H]]
| mayor_as_of        = 2011
| area_rank          = 409
| area_total_km2     = 69
| area_land_km2      = 66
| area_water_percent = 0.02
| population_as_of   = 30. June 2014
| population_rank    = 71
| population_total   = 15511<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.askim.kommune.no/fakta-om-askim.215527.no.html |title=Kraftsenteret Askim - Askim kommune |access-date=2013-12-23 |archive-date=2013-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224105705/http://www.askim.kommune.no/fakta-om-askim.215527.no.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| populationpercent  = 0.31
| population_density_km2 = 225
| population_increase    = 9.0
| coordinates        = {{coord|59|35|10|N|11|10|12|E|region:NO|display=inline,title}}
| utm_zone = 32V | utm_northing = 6607336 | utm_easting = 0622544 | geo_cat = adm2nd
}}

'''Askim''' ({{audio|Askim.ogg|<small>pronunciation</small>|help=no}}) is a [[List of towns and cities in Norway|town]] and a former [[List of municipalities of Norway|municipality]] in (from January 1, 2020) [[Indre Østfold (municipality)|Indre Østfold]] municipality in the [[Counties of Norway|county]] of [[Østfold]], [[Norway]]. 

The administrative centre of the Askim municipality was the town of Askim. Askim was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see [[formannskapsdistrikt]]).

Askim is the largest population centre in the [[Indre Østfold]] region, with 15,315 inhabitants as of 2012, and serves as a regional center for nine municipalities in the [[Indre Østfold]] region. It lies next to the longest river in Norway, [[Glomma]], which forms the border with the former [[Spydeberg]] municipality to the north and west, and [[Skiptvet]] municipality to the south. Askim also borders to the former [[Trøgstad]] municipality to the northeast and the former [[Eidsberg]] municipality to the southeast.

Askim produces large amounts of [[hydroelectricity]] at three [[dam]]s / [[hydroelectric]] [[power plant]]s in the river [[Glomma]]. From upstream to downstream: [[Solbergfoss]], [[Kykkelsrud]], then [[Vamma Hydroelectric Power Station|Vamma]].

There was [[nickel]] [[mining]] at [[Kykkelsrud]] at the turn of the 20th century. These mines are also one of the few places where "[[Spheroidal Norite]]" ("Potato Stone") is found.

Askim has been an industrial city for most of the 20th century. The main employer, [[Viking Gummi]] (producing rubber products like boots and tyres etc.), shut down their [[Natural rubber|rubber]] product production in 1991 after being taken over by the [[Continental Tyres]] owned Swedish [[Gislaved]] Tyres.

[[Glava]] was the main employer by the 2010s, making [[glass cotton]] insulation etc.

==History==
Askim has always been a strategic point in wars due to its relative easy crossing of the river.  The last battle between Norway and [[Sweden]] was fought at the crossing over Glomma on 9 August 1814. There is a yearly historical reenactment, as well as a stone monument at Langnes to commemorate this event.

During the [[Norwegian campaign]] of [[World War II]], a battle occurred at [[Fossum Bridge]] when the [[Norwegian Army]] defended the crossing against invading [[Nazi Germany|Germans]] in April 1940.

===Name===
The municipality (originally the [[parish]]) is named after the old ''Askim'' farm ([[Old Norse]]: ''Askheimr''), since the first church was built here. The first element is ''askr'' which means "[[Fraxinus|ash tree]]" and the last element is ''heimr'' which means "[[home]]", "[[Homestead (buildings)|homestead]]", or "[[farm]]".

===Coat-of-arms===
The [[Coat of arms|coat-of-arms]] is from modern times.  They were granted on 1 November 1963.  The arms symbolize the three large [[waterfall]]s in the municipality, the Solbergfoss, Kykkelsrudfoss, and Vammafoss. The [[river]]s and waterfalls are also partially harnessed for hydroelectric power.<ref>{{cite web|author=Norske Kommunevåpen|year=1990|title=Nye kommunevåbener i Norden|url=http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/a/askim.htm|access-date=2008-12-13}}</ref>

==Transportation==
[[European route E18]] used to go through the city centre, however, since the upgrade to four-lane [[highway]] in 2005, its route now runs outside the centre. [[Vy]]'s [[Eastern Østfold Line]] serves the municipality with stops at [[Langnes Station]] and [[Askim Næringspark Station|Næringsparken]] and [[Askim Station]] in between.

==Government==
The municipal council runs the government of Askim. The [[2007 Norwegian local elections|2007 election]] results are as follows:<ref name= "2007 election results">{{cite web|url=http://www.regjeringen.no/krd/html/valg2007/bk2_1_24.html|author= Norwegian Government|title= 2007 Askim election results|access-date=2008-06-04|language=no}}</ref>

{| style="float: right;" class="wikitable"
|+ '''Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Askim by country of origin in 2015'''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ssb.no/statistikkbanken/selectvarval/Define.asp?subjectcode=&ProductId=&MainTable=FolkInnvkatLand&nvl=&PLanguage=1&nyTmpVar=true&CMSSubjectArea=befolkning&KortNavnWeb=innvbef&StatVariant=&checked=true |title=Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by immigration category, country background and percentages of the population |publisher=ssb.no |access-date=29 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702101705/https://www.ssb.no/statistikkbanken/selectvarval/Define.asp?subjectcode=&ProductId=&MainTable=FolkInnvkatLand&nvl=&PLanguage=1&nyTmpVar=true&CMSSubjectArea=befolkning&KortNavnWeb=innvbef&StatVariant=&checked=true |archive-date=2 July 2015 }}</ref>
 
|-
! style="background:#efefef;"|Ancestry
! style="background:#efefef;"|Number
|-
| {{flag|Poland}}||399
|-
| {{flag|Iraq}}||312
|-
| {{flag|Vietnam}}||288
|-
| {{flag|Bosnia-Herzegovina}}||163
|-
| {{flag|Philippines}}||140
|-
| {{flag|Somalia}}||131
|-
| {{flag|Kosovo}}||126
|-
| {{flag|Lithuania}}||123
|-
| {{flag|Syria}}||118
|-
| {{flag|Croatia}}||113
|}

==Attractions==
* [http://www.ostfoldbadet.no/ Østfoldbadet] {{in lang|no}}
* [[Askim Upper Secondary School|Askim videregående skole]]
* [http://www.askimtorget.no/ Askimtorget] {{in lang|no}}
* Askim Golf Course

== Twin towns — sister cities ==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Norway}}The following cities are [[twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with Askim:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.askim.kommune.no/Modules/Theme.aspx?ObjectType=Article&ElementID=1939&Category.ID=21584|title=Askims vennskapskommuner|publisher=Askim kommune|access-date=2008-12-16|language=no|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005232920/http://www.askim.kommune.no/Modules/Theme.aspx?ObjectType=Article&ElementID=1939&Category.ID=21584|archive-date=2011-10-05|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|SWE}} - [[Huddinge Municipality|Huddinge]], [[Stockholm County]], [[Sweden]]
* {{flagicon|DEN}} - [[Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality|Lyngby-Taarbæk Kommune]], [[Capital Region of Denmark|Region Hovedstaden]], [[Denmark]]
* {{flagicon|Greenland}} - [[Nuuk]], [[Nuuk Municipality]], [[Greenland]]
* {{flagicon|EST}} - [[Rapla]], [[Rapla County]], [[Estonia]]
* {{flagicon|ISL}} - [[Seyðisfjörður]], [[Seyðisfjarðarkaupstaður]], [[Iceland]]
* {{flagicon|FIN}} - [[Vantaa]], [[Uusimaa]], [[Finland]]

== Notable people ==
{{See also|Indre_Østfold_municipality#Notable_people}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Askim, Norway|Askim}}
{{wiktionary|Askim}}
{{Wikivoyage|Askim}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071001015926/http://www.ssb.no/english/municipalities/0124 Municipal fact sheet] from [[Statistics Norway]]
* [http://www.askim.kommune.no Municipal website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203211726/https://www.askim.kommune.no/ |date=2020-02-03 }} {{in lang|no}}

{{Østfold}}
{{Most populous urban areas of Norway}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Askim| ]]
[[Category:Indre Østfold Municipality]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Norway]]
[[Category:Populated places in Østfold]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Glomma River]]