Hokksund, Norway

Hokksund has been a place for thousands of years, and many finds have been discovered from the Viking Age. At the Eiker Farm, a silver treasure was found along with 20 graves and 13 individual finds. In 2014, a Viking farm was found not far from the centre of Hokksund. Many weapons have been found in the graves. The most recent excavation was in the spring and summer of 2023 and traces of. Alarge house were found, along with 30-40 cooking pits which are believed to date from AD 300-500.

Interestingly, Hokksund used to be called Haugsund – which is similar to Haugesund. In 1920s, it was decided to change the name from Haugsund to Hokksund as it was too confusing for the post office. There were strong protests in the community, though, who wanted the name Eiker after the municipality instead.

Hokksund is a historic trade and travel down, with the old road from Hallingdal and Numedal passing through Hokksund on the way to Oslo. When silver was discovered in nearby Kongsberg in 1623, the King decided that a road should be built between Kongsberg and Hokksund. It is regarded as the first road to be built in Norway.

The railway came to Hokksund in the 19th century and was important for the development of the community. Several companies laid railway tracks onto the site. The river was also used to float timber down towards Drammen, where further shipping took place.