Sørkedalen
Sørkedalen is a valley located northwest of Oslo, Norway.
The valley stretches from the township of Røa to Skansebakken. The valley is frequently used as an entry point to Marka, the large wilderness recreational area for the metropolitan Oslo population.
Sørkedalen is an agricultural valley with several small farms, and stables for recreational horse riding. The valley is a popular destination for outdoor activities like skiing and riding for the population west of Oslo. Sørkedalen Church is a stone church from 1865 which was built of brick and has 250 seats. The church is in neo-Gothic style. [1]
In the southern part of this valley is the old manor of Bogstad, which was owned by Peder Anker. On the manor grounds there are the lake Bogstadvannet and the Oslo Golf Club (Oslo Golfklubb) which was the first golf club to be established in Norway. The Sørkedalselva river runs through the valley and into the Bogstadvannet.
The name
The Norse form of the name was Surkudalr. The first element is the genitive of the rivername Surka (now Sørkedalselva), the last element is dalr m 'dale, valley'. The meaning of the river's name is unknown (maybe 'the dark one').