Østfold is a traditional region, a former

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

and a current electoral district in southeastern

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (

Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County ( sv, Västra Götalands län) is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden. The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1 ...

and

Värmland Värmland () also known as Wermeland, is a '' landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are '' ...

), while

Buskerud Buskerud () is a former county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Ha ...

and

Vestfold Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered t ...

are on the other side of Oslofjord. The county's administrative seat was

Sarpsborg Sarpsborg ( or ), historically Borg, is a city and municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg. Sarpsborg is part of the fifth largest urban area in Norway when paired with neigh ...

. The county controversially became part of the newly established Viken County on 1 January 2020. Many manufacturing facilities are situated here, such as the world's most advanced

biorefinery A biorefinery is a refinery that converts biomass to energy and other beneficial byproducts (such as chemicals). The International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 42 defined biorefining as "the sustainable processing of biomass into a spectrum of bio ...

, Borregaard in

. Fredrikstad has shipyards. There are granite mines in Østfold and stone from these were used by Gustav Vigeland. The county slogan is "The heartland of Scandinavia". The local dialects are characterized by their geographical proximity to Sweden.

The name

The old name of the Oslofjord was ''Fold''; ''Østfold'' means 'the region east of the Fold' (see also

). The name was first recorded in 1543; in the Middle Ages the name of the county was ''Borgarsysla'' 'the county/sýsla of the city Borg (now

)'. Later, when Norway was under Danish rule, the Danish king divided the area into many baronies. These were merged into one county ( amt) in 1662 - and it was then named ''Smaalenenes Amt'' 'the amt consisting of small len'. The name was changed back to ''Østfold'' in 1919.

History

Østfold is among the nation's oldest inhabited regions, with petroglyphs (rock drawings) and burial mounds throughout the area. In the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

, the area was part of

Vingulmark Vingulmark (Old Norse ''Vingulmörk'') is the old name for the area in Norway which today makes up the counties of Østfold, western parts of Akershus (excluding Romerike), and eastern parts of Buskerud (Hurum and Røyken municipalities), and inclu ...

, which in turn was part of

Viken Viken may refer to: *Viken, Scandinavia, a historical region *Viken (county), a Norwegian county established in 2020 *Viken, Sweden, a bimunicipal locality in Skåne County, Sweden *Viken (lake), a lake in Sweden, part of the part of the Göta cana ...

and included Båhuslen (which is now the Swedish province called ''Bohuslän''). It was partly under Danish rule until the time of

Harald Fairhair Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagre Modern Icelandic: ( – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from 872 to 930 and was the first King of Nor ...

. Later, when Norway was under Danish rule, the Danish king divided the area into many baronies. The barony of ''Heggen og Frøland'', consisting of the municipalities

Askim Askim () is a town and a former municipality in (from January 1, 2020) Indre Østfold Kommune in the former county of Østfold county (from January 1, 2020 a part of Viken county), Norway. The administrative centre of the Askim municipality wa ...

, Eidsberg and Trøgstad, originally belonged to Akershus - but it was transferred to Østfold in 1768. In October 2018, Norwegian archaeologists headed by the archaeologist Lars Gustavsen announced the discovery of a buried long Gjellestad Viking ship. An ancient well-preserved Viking cemetery for more than 1000 years was discovered using ground-penetrating radar. Archaeologists also revealed at least seven other previously unknown burial mounds and the remnants of five longhouses with the help of the radar survey.

Geography

Østfold sits between the

Oslo Fjord The Oslofjord (, ; en, Oslo Fjord) is an inlet in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the and lighthouses and down to in the south to Oslo in the north. It is part of the Skagerrak strait, connecting the Nor ...

and Sweden. It is dominated by flat landscape with a lot of woodland in the north and along the Swedish border, a major lake system in the central part, and densely populated lowland area along the coast, with a relatively large

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...

’s longest river, the Glomma, flows through the county and out into the Oslo Fjord in Fredrikstad.

Demography

Most of the county's population is located in the coastal area. The cities of Moss,

, Fredrikstad, and Halden are situated here, along with some relatively highly populated rural municipalities. Including these coastal cities, Østfold also has another two cities,

and

Mysen Mysen is the administrative center of the municipality of Eidsberg in the county of Østfold in Norway. The town is named after the old farm of Mysen ( Norse ''Mysin'', from ''*Mosvin''), since the town is built on its ground. The first element i ...

Transport and infrastructure

Østfold is located strategically between Oslo and Sweden. The main highway E6 between Oslo and Gothenburg runs as a motorway through the county from the southern border with Sweden and the border with Akershus county. The main highway E18 between Oslo and Stockholm goes through the county from the Swedish border in a southeast-northwest direction. The railway from Oslo to Gothenburg runs roughly parallel with E6, and there is also a railway between Ski and Sarpsborg that covers the inner part. There is no public airport in the county. Moss Airport was one but is now closed. The main airport for Østfold is the

Oslo Airport, Gardermoen Oslo Airport ( no, Oslo lufthavn; ), alternatively referred to as Oslo Gardermoen Airport or simply Gardermoen, is the international airport serving Oslo, Norway, the capital and most populous city in the country. A hub for Flyr, Norse Atl ...

, with a population of more than 2 million people within two hours distance.

Health care

Aimed at covering general medical needs of Østfold County and estby MunicipalityØstfold Hospital provides medical services, diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation to the population of the area. Hospitals, clinics or health stations are located in all municipalities of the county.

Municipalities

Østfold had 18 municipalities:

Districts

* Kala * Skjeberg

Cities

* Fredrikstad * Halden * Moss *

Parishes

* Aremark * Asak * Askim * Berg * Borge * Båstad * Degernes * Domkirken i Borge, see Vestre Fredrikstad * Eidsberg * Enningdal * Fredrikshald, see Halden * Fredrikstad * Glemmen * Gressvik * Hafslund * Halden * Heli * Hobøl * Hovin * Hvaler * Hærland * Idd * Ingedal * Kråkerøy * Moss * Onsøy * Os * Rakkestad * Rokke * Rolvsøy * Rygge * Rødenes * Rømskog * Råde * Sarpsborg * Skiptvet * Skjeberg * Skjebergdalen * Spjærøy (Dypedal) * Spydeberg * St. Peter's * Svinndal * Tom * Tomter * Torsnes * Trøgstad * Trømborg * Tune * Ullerøy (Ullerø) * Varteig * Vestre Fredrikstad * Våler * Østre Fredrikstad * Øymark * Fredrikstad Branch (LDS, 1852–1925) * Fredrikstad (Kristi Menighet, 1893–1914) * Vestre Fredrikstad (Kristi Menighet, 1904–1933) * Halden Branch (LDS, 1854–1949) * Moss Branch (LDS, 1905–1949) * Sarpsborg Branch (LDS, 1931–1949) * Sarpsborg (Metodistkirken, 1840–1923)

Villages

Alshus Alshus is a village in the municipality of Fredrikstad, Norway, situated on the island and former municipality of Kråkerøy. Its population ( SSB 2005) is 1,019. Alshus is placed at the eastern coast of Kråkerøy (directly translated to Crow Isla ...

* Borgenhaugen *

Degernes Degernes is a village and parish in Rakkestad municipality in Østfold county, Norway. History Rakkestad was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). It was divided into the parishes of Rakkestad, Degernes, an ...

* Elvestad * Engalsvik * Fosby * Fuglevik * Glosli * Gressvik *

Greåker Greåker is a borough in the city of Sarpsborg, Norway, located 7 km west of the city centre. Before 1992 Greåker was a part of Tune municipality. It is situated at the river Glomma between Sarpsborg and Fredrikstad. The borough of Greåke ...

Grimstad Grimstad () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the Grimstad (tow ...

* Hafslund * Hamnås * Hasle * Hauge * Heiås *

Herføl Herføl is a sparsely populated, wooded island in the municipality of Hvaler in Østfold, Norway. The island has an area of 1,9 km² and is designated with postal code 1690. See also *Ytre Hvaler National Park Ytre Hvaler National Par ...

* Hærland * Høysand * Ise * Isebakke * Jelsnes * Kambo * Karlshus * Kirkebygden * Knapstad * Kornsjø * Korshavn * Kykkelsrud * Larkollen * Lervik * Missingmyr * Mørkfoss * Prestebakke * Ringvoll * Rostadneset *

Rygge Rygge was a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It was merged into Moss, Norway, Moss municipality on January 1, 2020. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rygge. Ryg ...

* Rød * Saltnes * Sandbakken * Sandum * Sellebakk * Skantebygda * Skiptvet * Skjeberg * Skjærhalden * Skjærvika *

Skjønhaug Skjønhaug is a village in the municipality of Trøgstad, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost p ...

* Slevik * Slitu * Solbergfoss * Sponvika * Stikkaåsen * Strømsfoss * Svinesund * Svinndal *

Tistedalen Tistedalen is a part of Halden in Østfold Østfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden ( Västra Götaland County and Värmland), wh ...

* Tomter * Tosebygda * Trømborg *

Ullerøy Ullerøy is a peninsula and urban area in the municipality of Sarpsborg in Østfold, Norway. As of 2009, the population was 363. Before 1992 Ullerøy was a part of Skjeberg municipality. Ullerøy Church Ullerøy Church (''Ullerøy kirke'') was fi ...

* Utgård * Varteig * Våk * Yven * Ørje *

Ørmen Ørmen is a village in the municipality of Fredrikstad, Norway. In the past, the village was also a train station on the Østfold Line. The station was opened on 1 October 1914 although passenger service ended 1 April 1957. The station then func ...

* Øyenkilen * Årum

Former Municipalities

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states * Berg (state), county and duchy of the Hol ...

* Borge *

* Glemmen *

Idd Idd is a parish and former municipality in Halden, Østfold county, Norway. The parish of ''Id'' was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The rural municipality was (together with Berg) merged with the ci ...

Jeløy Jeløy (until 1920 named ''Moss herred'' - ''Moss rural district'') was a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway. Jeløy was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). It was merged with the urban municipali ...

* Kråkerøy *

* Onsøy * Rolvsøy * Rødenes * Skjeberg *

Torsnes Torsnes is a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway. It is the site of Torsnes Church (''Torsnes kirke''). History Torsnes was created by a split from Borge on 1 January 1910. At that time Torsnes had a population of 1,538. On 1 January ...

* Tune * Varteig *

Øymark Øymark is a former municipality now located in Marker municipality in Østfold county, Norway. Øymark was originally a part of Aremark formannskapsdistrikt () is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally ena ...

Coat of arms

The coat of arms is from modern times (1958). The lines represent sunrays at

sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology A ...

in the

east East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

. (See above under the name.) They also represent the worship of the

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

in the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

(depicted in several rock carvings found in the county).

Notable people

Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen beg ...

(1872–1928) - Explorer of polar regions * Berit Ås - Politician, professor and feminist. * Thea Foss (1857–1927) - founder of Foss Maritime *

Hans Nielsen Hauge Hans Nielsen Hauge (3 April 1771 – 29 March 1824) was a 19th-century Norwegian Lutheran lay minister, spiritual leader, business entrepreneur, social reformer and author. He led a noted Pietism revival known as the Haugean movement. Hauge is als ...

- (3 April 1771 – 29 March 1824) - Lay preacher * Peder Christian Hjorth - (1792-1855) - Norwegian politician *

Egil Olsen Egil Roger Olsen (born 22 April 1942), nicknamed Drillo, is a Norwegian football manager and former footballer. He is best known as a highly successful manager of the Norway national football team. He has since been manager of the Iraq national ...

- Norwegian Football coach. * Karl Ouren (1882–1943) - Norwegian-American artist * Petter Solberg - Rally driver * Nils Otto Tank (1800–1864) -

Moravian Church , image = AgnusDeiWindow.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , caption = Church emblem featuring the Agnus Dei.Stained glass at the Rights Chapel of Trinity Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States , main_classification = Proto-Prot ...

religious leader *

Harald Zwart Harald Zwart (born 1 July 1965) is a Dutch- Norwegian film director. Life and career Although born in the Netherlands, Zwart was raised in Fredrikstad, Norway. By age eight, he had started making short films. He attended the Dutch Film Academy ...

- Movie director and producer

External links

Østfold fylke website (in Norwegian and English)

Statistics and basic interpretation regarding Østfold (in Norwegian)

Excavation of longhouse from the Roman Iron Age

References

;Notes {{DEFAULTSORT:Ostfold Former counties of Norway 2020 disestablishments in Norway Populated places disestablished in 2020 States and territories disestablished in 2020