Every design for Jessheim

Ever wondered why a fast-growing town just south-east of Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, carries such an old-sounding name? Jessheim comes from the Norse Jasseimr or Jesseímr: the second part means home, and the first may refer to an earl. The name first belonged to Hovin parish, and the town itself grew up around a station on Hovedbanen, Norway's first railway. That station had a muddled start. It was called Trøgstad, then Jessum, which military recruits joked sounded like Jesus, especially after passing through Bøn, a name that sounds like the Norwegian word for prayer. The local priests complained to the bishop, and the spelling was changed.

Raknehaugen, the old royal burial mound just west of town, is a reminder of how far back this place goes. Modern Jessheim is something else entirely: the centre for shopping and services on Øvre Romerike, with Jessheim Storsenter, one of the biggest malls in Norway, right in the middle of town, and Ullensaker Kulturhus with its library and cinema. The Keplerstjernen artwork and the quiet water of Ljøgodttjern naturreservat add their own marks to the map.

Whether you came up on the train from Oslo or grew up watching the town spread across the fields, Jessheim is the stop where you get off.