Bragernes

Bragernes grew on the northern bank of the Drammen River, opposite Strømsø. Timber from the forests upstream gave the settlements at the river mouth a trade reaching beyond Norway. Sawmills along the river turned logs into boards for export, and merchants at Bragernes invested in the trade and its mills. In 1662 Bragernes and Strømsø were separated from the surrounding countryside and joined as one trading place. By the eighteenth century, merchants from the two riverbank communities had taken a leading role in the timber business. In 1811 they were united as the town of Drammen.