The Hidden Story of “Baku” – A Norwegian Bus Stop Named After Azerbaijan’s Capital
BAKU – a bus stop in Nærsnes, Norway
In the small coastal town of Nærsnes, in Asker Municipality, near Oslo, there is a quiet bus stop with an extraordinary name: BAKU.
Few people know that this little stop on bus route 250 carries with it a story that connects Norway and Azerbaijan, dating back nearly a century, a story of oil, industry, and cultural ties that transcended borders long before globalization became a word.
Photo credit: CAN
One Name. One Story. One Connection.
In the small coastal town of Nærsnes, in Asker Municipality, near Oslo, there is a quiet bus stop with an extraordinary name: BAKU.
The bus stop owes its name to a remarkable story that connects Nærsnes with the oil capital of Baku in Azerbaijan.
During the 1930s, the demand for fuel in Norway increased significantly. In 1933, the brothers Hartvig and Alf Monrad Pettersen founded AS Bakubensin, a company based on the import of oil and petrol from the oil capital of Baku in what was then the Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan.
Photo credit: Røyken Historielag
Chauffeurs of AS Bakubensin’s tankers at Nærsnes, 1934.
The picture has been restored.
The fuel was transported by rail from Baku, Azerbaijan to Batumi, Georgia. From there, it was shipped by larger oil tankers to Northern Europe, where the cargo was transferred to smaller tankers, some of which called at AS Bakubensin’s tank facility at Nærsnes.
The company initially leased the property on which the facility was built. A deep-water quay and three storage tanks with a combined capacity of 2,600 m³ were constructed by the shoreline. The house on the property was converted into offices, and the fuel was pumped up to a loading and garage facility by the main road.
Photo credit: Widerøes Flyveselskap AS / The National Library of Norway
Aerial photograph of AS Bakubensin’s tank facility at Nærsnes, 1936.
In 1934, AS Bakubensin operated four tanker trucks with drivers who distributed fuel throughout much of Eastern Norway. After the company purchased the property in 1935, an additional storage tank with a capacity of 3,600 m³ was constructed. Among the first tankers to call at the facility were MT Borgny of 4,000 tons and, later, MT Attila of 12,300 tons.
The import of fuel from Baku ceased in 1938 when AS Norske Shell took over the supply of fuel to the tank facility. For the local community, however, the name Baku remained the designation of the area, regardless of which oil company supplied the fuel. Preserved through generations, the name is still used for this part of Nærsnes today. The bus stop bearing the same name is therefore firmly rooted in local history.
Photo credit: Røyken Historielag
Original receipt and label from AS Bakubensin, 1936.
A Forgotten Connection Rediscovered
The story came to light when Shervin Najafpour, Chairwoman of CAN – The Cultural Bridge Building Organization, discovered the “Baku” bus stop and began researching its origins. With support from local historians Rune Hartvig Pettersen and Arne Murvang, she and Azertac correspondent Nargiz Jafarli uncovered forgotten archives, photos, and documents linking Nærsnes directly to Baku’s oil fields.
During her visit, Shervin brought a Karabakh carpet by Azerbaijani artist Elnara Rasulova and brewed traditional Azerbaijani tea — marking the place as a living symbol of shared heritage and friendship.
Photo credit: CAN
