Eidsfoss is a village in
Holmestrand Municipality
is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Jarlsberg. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Holmestrand (town), town of Ho ...
in
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 ...
county,
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 ...
. The village is located at the southern end of the lake
Eikeren, about north of the village of
Hof and about southeast of the village of
Vestfossen (in
Øvre Eiker Municipality). The village itself is mostly located on a small
isthmus
An isthmus (; : isthmuses or isthmi) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea count ...
of land between two lakes, with a river connecting them.
History
The village was the site of the
Eidsfos Iron Works () which was first built in 1697. The
ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''.
Ironworks succeeded bloome ...
was closed in 1873. The village is also the location of the historic Eidsfos Manor () where the owners and manager of the ironworks maintained residence for over 250 years. The manor house, which reflects both
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
and
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...
, dates from approximately 1750.
Historical timeline
*1697:
Caspar Herman Hausmann enters into an agreement with Baron Gustav Wilhelm von Wedel (1641-1717), owner of Jarlsberg County, and oversees the founding of Eidsfos Jernverk.
*1698: The first furnace plate is cast, depicting the nine buildings of the ironworks and
King Christian V
Christian V (15 April 1646 – 25 August 1699) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699.
Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the de ...
riding a horse.
*1795:
Peder von Cappelen takes over Eidsfos Jernverk.
*1901:
Tønsberg-Eidsfoss railway line (''Tønsberg–Eidsfossbanen'') between Eidsfos and
Tønsberg
Tønsberg (), historically Tunsberg, is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located about south-southwest of the capital city of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near ...
is opened. This was shut down in 1938.
*1903: The steamer S/S Stadshauptmand Schwartz begins to operate on regular routes on the nearby lake
Eikeren.
*1904:
Eidsfoss Church
Eidsfoss Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Holmestrand Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the village of Eidsfoss. It is one of the churches for the "Hof, Vassås og Eidsfoss" parish which is part of ...
is inaugurated by Bishop A. Chr. Bang (1840-1913).
*1915: The first power station is commissioned.
*1977: Authorities grant permission for the demolition of the workers’ houses on Bråtagata.
*1979: The Old Eidsfos Foundation (''Stiftelsen Gamle Eidsfos'') is established, aiming to preserve and restore the old ironworks community. The houses are saved.
References
External links
Gamle EidsfosEidsfos Hovedgård
*https://visiteidsfoss.no/en/
{{Authority control
Villages in Vestfold
Holmestrand