Østfold () is a county in

Eastern Norway Eastern Norway (, ) is the geographical region of the south-eastern part of Norway. It consists of the counties Oslo, Akershus, Vestfold, Østfold, Buskerud, Telemark, and Innlandet. Eastern Norway is by far the most populous region of Norw ...

, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Østfold borders

Akershus Akershus () is a county in Norway, with Oslo as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the Middle Ages, and is named after the Akers ...

and southwestern

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

(

Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County () 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 1,616,000 amounts to 17% of S ...

and

Värmland Värmland () is a ''Provinces of Sweden, landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Name Several Latinized version ...

), while

Buskerud Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Innlandet, Vestland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardanger ...

and

Vestfold Vestfold () is a county and a current electoral district in Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the larg ...

are on the other side of

Oslofjord The Oslofjord (, ; ) is an inlet in southeastern Norway. The fjord begins at the small village of Bonn in Frogn, Frogn Municipality and stretching northwards to the city of Oslo, and then curving to the east and then south again. It then flows s ...

. The county's administrative seat is

Sarpsborg Sarpsborg ( or ), historically Borg, is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg. Sarpsbor ...

. The county controversially became part of the newly established Viken County on 1 January 2020. On 1 January 2024, Østfold was re-established as an independent county, however without the former municipality of Rømskog, which was amalgamated with the Akershus municipality Aurskog-Høland in 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 bi ...

, Borregaard in

Fredrikstad Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipal ...

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

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 (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

, the area was part of Vingulmark, which in turn was part of Viken 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 (; – ) 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 Monarchy of Norway, King of Norway. Supposedly, two ...

. 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 municipality in the county of Østfold, Norway. The administrative centre of the Askim municipality was the town of Askim. Askim was established as a municip ...

Eidsberg Eidsberg was a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality was the List of cities in Norway, town of Mysen. In 2020, Eidsberg was absorbed into the Indre Øst ...

and Trøgstad, originally belonged to

- 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 and

. 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. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

's longest river, the

Glomma The Glomma or Glåma is Norway's longest and most voluminous river. With a total length of , it has a drainage basin that covers 13% of Norway's surface area, all in the southern part of the country. Geography At its fullest length, the river r ...

, flows through the county and out into the Oslo Fjord in

Demography

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

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

, and

Halden Halden (), between 1665 and 1928 known as Fredrikshald, is both a List of cities in Norway, town and a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The municipality borders Sarpsborg to the northwest, R ...

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 municipalities of Norway, municipality of Eidsberg in the counties of Norway, county of Østfold in Norway. The town is named after the old farm of Mysen (Old Norse, Norse ''Mysin'', from ''*Mosvin''), si ...

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, 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 is made up of 17 (formerly 18) municipalities: #

Aremark Aremark is a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fosby. Aremark was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The new municipality of Øymar ...

# Hobøl # Hvaler # Marker #

Rakkestad Rakkestad is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rakkestad. It is divided into the parishes of Rakkestad, Degernes, and Os, Øst ...

# Rygge # Rømskog (is no longer a part of Østfold county) # Råde #

# Skiptvet # Spydeberg # Trøgstad # Våler

Districts

* Kala *

Skjeberg Skjeberg is a district of Sarpsborg, Østfold County, Norway. Skjeberg was formerly a municipality in Østfold County. The last administrative centre was at Borgenhaugen. As of 2018, Skjeberg has a population of 1,397. The parish of Skjeberg ...

Cities

Parishes

* Aremark * Asak * Askim * Berg * Borge * Båstad * Degernes * Domkirken i Borge, see Vestre Fredrikstad *

* Enningdal * Fredrikshald, see Halden *

* 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 * Borgenhaugen * Degernes * Elvestad * Engalsvik * Fosby * Fuglevik * Glosli * Gressvik * Greåker *

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 (to ...

* Hafslund * Hamnås * Hasle * Hauge * Heiås * Herføl * Hærland * Høysand * Ise * Isebakke * Jelsnes * Kambo * Karlshus * Kirkebygden * Knapstad * Kornsjø * Korshavn * Kykkelsrud * Larkollen * Lervik * Missingmyr * Mørkfoss * Prestebakke * Ringvoll * Rostadneset * Rygge * Rød * Saltnes * Sandbakken * Sandum * Sellebakk * Skantebygda * Skiptvet *

* Skjærhalden * Skjærvika * Skjønhaug * Slevik * Slitu * Solbergfoss * Sponvika * Stikkaåsen * Strømsfoss * Svinesund * Svinndal * Tistedalen * 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 f ...

* Utgård * Varteig * Våk * Yven * Ørje * Ørmen * Øyenkilen * Årum

Former Municipalities

* Berg * Borge * Degernes * Glemmen * Idd * Jeløy * Kråkerøy *

* Onsøy * Rolvsøy * Rødenes *

* Torsnes * Tune * Varteig * Øymark

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, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...

in the

east East 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 fact that ea ...

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

Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

in the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

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

Notable people

Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegians, 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, Am ...

(1872–1928) - Explorer of polar regions * Berit Ås - Politician, professor and feminist. * Thea Foss (1857–1927) - founder of Foss Maritime * Hans Nielsen Hauge - (3 April 1771 – 29 March 1824) - Lay preacher * Peder Christian Hjorth - (1792-1855) - Norwegian politician * Egil Olsen - Norwegian Football coach. * Karl Ouren (1882–1943) - Norwegian-American artist *

Petter Solberg Petter Solberg (born 18 November 1974), nicknamed "Mr. Hollywood" is a Norwegian former professional rallying, rally and rallycross driver. Solberg debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford World Rally Team, For ...

- Rally driver * Nils Otto Tank (1800–1864) -

Moravian Church The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren ( or ), formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the original ...

religious leader *

Harald Zwart Harald Zwart (born 1 July 1965) is a Dutch-Norwegian Film director, director, writer and producer. Early life Although born in the Netherlands, Zwart was raised in Fredrikstad, Fredrikstad, Norway. By age eight, he had started making short films ...

- 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 Counties of Norway 2020 disestablishments in Norway Populated places disestablished in 2020 States and territories disestablished in 2020