Vestfold
Encyclopedia
is a county
in Norway
, bordering Buskerud
and Telemark
. The county administration is in Tønsberg
.
Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord
, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik
, Sandefjord
, Tønsberg
and Horten
. The river Numedalslågen
runs through the district. Many islands are located at the coast. Vestfold is mostly dominated by lowland and is among the best agricultural areas of Norway. Winters last about three months, while pleasant summer temperatures last from May to September, with a July average of 17°C (Tønsberg climate).
Vestfold is known for shipping and sailing. Formerly a headquarters for whaling fleets, the coastal towns of Vestfold now engage in fishing and shipbuilding. Some lumbering is carried on in the interior. The district also includes some of the best farmland in Norway. Vestfold is the only county in which all municipalities have declared Bokmål
to be their official written form
of the Norwegian language
.
, a town from the Viking Age
is believed to be the first town in Norway, although Tønsberg
is the oldest town in Norway still existing. Kaupang is mentioned under the name of Skiringssal (Kaupangen i Skiringssal) in Ohthere from Hålogaland's tales which date from the 9th century.
By the 10th century the local kings had established themselves as the first dynasty to begin the unification of Norway. The king or his ombudsman resided in the old Royal Court at Sæheimr, today the Jarlsberg Estate (Jarlsberg Hovedgård) in Tønsberg
. The farm Haugar became the seat for Haugathing, the Thing
for Vestfold and one of Norway's most important place for the proclamation of kings.
The family of Harald Fairhair
, who was most likely the first king of the whole Norway, is said to have come from this area. At that time Vestfold, including Lier
and Eiker
, was a petty kingdom
.
, and the meaning of the name Vestfold is 'the region west of the Fold' (see also Østfold
). Before 1919 the county was called Jarlsberg og Larvik Amt. The amt
was created in 1821, consisting of the two old counties of Jarlsberg
and Larvik
.
runs through the county roughly parallel to the railway.
There are two international ferry connections, both operated by Color Line. Larvik
is connected to the Danish town Hirtshals
, the other route is between Sandefjord
and Strømstad in Sweden. In addition there is a domestic route connecting Horten
and Moss
Sandefjord Airport, Torp serves both domestic and international destinations. It is regional hub for Norwegian carrier Widerøe
, low cost carriers Ryanair
and WizzAir also operate from the airport.
Vestfold County has a total of 14 municipalities:
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, bordering Buskerud
Buskerud
is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:...
and Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
. The county administration is in Tønsberg
Tønsberg
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, southern Norway, located around north-east of Sandefjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg....
.
Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord
Oslofjord
The Oslofjord is a bay in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the Torbjørnskjær and Færder lighthouses and down to Langesund in the south to Oslo in the north....
, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik
Larvik
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. Larvik kommune - has about 41 364 inhabitants and covers 530 km2....
, Sandefjord
Sandefjord
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sandefjord. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838...
, Tønsberg
Tønsberg
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, southern Norway, located around north-east of Sandefjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg....
and Horten
Horten
is a town and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the villages of Borre, Åsgårdstrand, Skoppum, and Nykirke....
. The river Numedalslågen
Numedalslågen
-Location:Numedalslågen stretches for over 250 kilometres through the counties of Vestfold and Buskerud, beginning at the Hardangervidda plateau and meeting the ocean at Larvik in Vestfold. Numedalslågen is one of Norway's longest rivers. The rivers runs through the municipalities Larvik, Lardal,...
runs through the district. Many islands are located at the coast. Vestfold is mostly dominated by lowland and is among the best agricultural areas of Norway. Winters last about three months, while pleasant summer temperatures last from May to September, with a July average of 17°C (Tønsberg climate).
Vestfold is known for shipping and sailing. Formerly a headquarters for whaling fleets, the coastal towns of Vestfold now engage in fishing and shipbuilding. Some lumbering is carried on in the interior. The district also includes some of the best farmland in Norway. Vestfold is the only county in which all municipalities have declared Bokmål
Bokmål
Bokmål is one of two official Norwegian written standard languages, the other being Nynorsk. Bokmål is used by 85–90% of the population in Norway, and is the standard most commonly taught to foreign students of the Norwegian language....
to be their official written form
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
of the Norwegian language
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
.
History
KaupangKaupang
Kaupang was in Old-Norwegian a word that means a market-place. It is today used as a name of the first urban market-place in the area that today is Norway, also named Kaupang in Skiringssal...
, a town from the Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
is believed to be the first town in Norway, although Tønsberg
Tønsberg
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, southern Norway, located around north-east of Sandefjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg....
is the oldest town in Norway still existing. Kaupang is mentioned under the name of Skiringssal (Kaupangen i Skiringssal) in Ohthere from Hålogaland's tales which date from the 9th century.
By the 10th century the local kings had established themselves as the first dynasty to begin the unification of Norway. The king or his ombudsman resided in the old Royal Court at Sæheimr, today the Jarlsberg Estate (Jarlsberg Hovedgård) in Tønsberg
Tønsberg
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, southern Norway, located around north-east of Sandefjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg....
. The farm Haugar became the seat for Haugathing, the Thing
Thing (assembly)
A thing was the governing assembly in Germanic and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead...
for Vestfold and one of Norway's most important place for the proclamation of kings.
The family of Harald Fairhair
Harald I of Norway
Harald Fairhair or Harald Finehair , , son of Halfdan the Black, was the first king of Norway.-Background:Little is known of the historical Harald...
, who was most likely the first king of the whole Norway, is said to have come from this area. At that time Vestfold, including Lier
Lier, Norway
Lier is an affluent municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lier. The municipality of Lier was established on 1 January 1838...
and Eiker
Eiker
Eiker is a traditional district in the county of Buskerud, Norway.-History:Eiker consists of the municipalities of Nedre Eiker and Øvre Eiker . The area is located in the southern part of Buskerud county....
, was a petty kingdom
Petty kingdom
A petty kingdom is one of a number of small kingdoms, described as minor or "petty" by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it...
.
Kings of Vestfold
- Erik Agnarsson
- Halfdan HvitbeinnHalfdan HvitbeinnHalfdan Whiteshanks was a mythical petty king in Norway, described in the Ynglinga saga. The following description is based on the account in Ynglinga saga, written in the 1220s by Snorri Sturluson. The historicity of the kings described in that saga is generally not accepted by modern...
(part of Vestfold) - Eystein HalfdanssonEystein HalfdanssonEystein Halfdansson was the son of Halfdan Hvitbeinn of the House of Yngling according to Heimskringla. He inherited the throne of Romerike. He was known by his nickname Eysteinn Fart, an Old Norse name, possibly meaning "the swift".His wife was Hild, the daughter of the king of Vestfold, Erik...
- Halfdan the MildHalfdan the MildHalfdan the Mild was the son of king Eystein Halfdansson, of the House of Yngling and he succeeded his father as king, according to Heimskringla. He was king of Romerike and Vestfold....
- Gudrød the HunterGudrød the HunterGudrød the Hunter was a semi-legendary king in Vingulmark in south-east Norway, during the early Viking Age from 804 until 810...
- Halfdan the BlackHalfdan the BlackHalfdan the Black was a ninth-century king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway.-Biography:...
, together with his brother, Olaf Gudrødsson - Ragnvald the Mountain-HighRagnvald the Mountain-HighRagnvald "the Mountain-High" Olafsson was a petty king of Vestfold in what is today Norway. He was the son of Olaf Geirstad-Alf, a cousin of Harald Fairhair and the father of Åsa Ragnvaldsdatter , who married Eystein Ivarsson.His greatest contribution to posterity was that he asked the skald...
, Cousin of Harold Fairhair - Harald Fairhair
- Bjørn FarmannBjørn FarmannBjørn Farmann was the king of Vestfold. Bjørn was one of the sons of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway...
- Olaf Haraldsson GeirstadalfOlaf Haraldsson GeirstadalfOlaf Haraldsson , was a reputed son of King Harald Fairhair of Norway with Svanhild Øysteinsdotter, daughter of Øystein Jarl.The saga Heimskringla, written in Iceland in the thirteenth century by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson, gives the ninth century Norwegian founder king Harald Fairhair...
, brother of Bjørn - Harald Gudrødsson Grenske, 976-987
Etymology
Vestfold is the old name of the region - revived in modern times. Fold was the old name of the OslofjordOslofjord
The Oslofjord is a bay in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the Torbjørnskjær and Færder lighthouses and down to Langesund in the south to Oslo in the north....
, and the meaning of the name Vestfold is 'the region west of the Fold' (see also Østfold
Østfold
is a county in southeastern Norway, bordering Akershus and southwestern Sweden , while Buskerud and Vestfold is on the other side of the bay. The seat of the county administration is Sarpsborg, and Fredrikstad is the largest city.Many manufacturing facilities are situated here. Moss and...
). Before 1919 the county was called Jarlsberg og Larvik Amt. The amt
Amt (subnational entity)
Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only found in Germany, but formerly also common in northern European countries. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to a U.S...
was created in 1821, consisting of the two old counties of Jarlsberg
Jarlsberg
Jarlsberg was a former county which forms part of Vestfold county in Norway. The former counties of Jarlsberg and Larvik were merged in 1821...
and Larvik
Larvik
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. Larvik kommune - has about 41 364 inhabitants and covers 530 km2....
.
Transportation
The Vestfold Line is a railway line that runs from Drammen, through a number of towns in Vestfold and ending in the town of Skien in Telemark. European route E18European route E18
European route E18 runs from Craigavon in the United Kingdom to Saint Petersburg in Russia, passing through Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It is about 1,890 km in length.-United Kingdom:...
runs through the county roughly parallel to the railway.
There are two international ferry connections, both operated by Color Line. Larvik
Larvik
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. Larvik kommune - has about 41 364 inhabitants and covers 530 km2....
is connected to the Danish town Hirtshals
Hirtshals
Hirtshals is a town in Hjørring municipality in Region Nordjylland on the north coast of the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark, Europe.-The town of Hirtshals:...
, the other route is between Sandefjord
Sandefjord
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sandefjord. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838...
and Strømstad in Sweden. In addition there is a domestic route connecting Horten
Horten
is a town and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the villages of Borre, Åsgårdstrand, Skoppum, and Nykirke....
and Moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
Sandefjord Airport, Torp serves both domestic and international destinations. It is regional hub for Norwegian carrier Widerøe
Widerøe
Widerøe's Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a regional airline in Norway and part of the SAS Group. It operates a fleet of 34 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft , serving 41 domestic and 6 international destinations...
, low cost carriers Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
and WizzAir also operate from the airport.
Municipalities
- AndebuAndebuAndebu is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Andebu. The parish of Andebo was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 ....
- Hof
- HolmestrandHolmestrandis a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Holmestrad. The city was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . The neighboring rural municipality of Botne was merged into the municipality of Holmestrand on 1 January...
- HortenHortenis a town and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the villages of Borre, Åsgårdstrand, Skoppum, and Nykirke....
- LardalLardalLardal is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Svarstad. The parish of Laurdal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . The municipality is divided into the parishes of Svarstad, Styrvoll, and Hem.-Name:The Old...
- LarvikLarvikis a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. Larvik kommune - has about 41 364 inhabitants and covers 530 km2....
- NøtterøyNøtterøyNøtterøy is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Borgheim.The parish of Nøtterø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
- ReRe, NorwayRe is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Revetal. The municipality was established in 2002 by the unification of the former municipalities of Ramnes and Våle. It includes the villages of Ramnes, Våle, Undrumsdal, Fon, Vivestad...
- SandeSande, VestfoldSande is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of "Sande i Vestfold". The municipality of Sande was established on 1 January 1838 ....
- SandefjordSandefjordis a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sandefjord. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838...
- StokkeStokkeStokke is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Stokke.-Background:The municipality of Stokke was established on 1 January 1838...
- SvelvikSvelvikis a town and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Svelvik.The town of Svelvik was separated from the rural municipality of Strømm to become a municipality of its own in 1845. The two municipalities were merged back together on 1...
- TjømeTjømeTjøme is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tjøme. The parish of Tjømø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 .-Name:...
- TønsbergTønsbergis a city and municipality in Vestfold county, southern Norway, located around north-east of Sandefjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg....