Horten () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

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 ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

Jarlsberg Jarlsberg was a former countship that forms a part of today's Vestfold county in Norway. The name translates as "Earl's Hill". The former countships of Jarlsberg and Larvik were merged into a county in 1821. Jarlsberg and Larvik's County (''Jarl ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of the municipality is the town of Horten. Other population centers in Horten Municipality include the town of

Åsgårdstrand Åsgårdstrand (historically spelled ''Aasgaardstrand'') is a small port List of towns and cities in Norway, town in both Horten Municipality, Horten and Tønsberg Municipality, Tønsberg municipalities in Vestfold county, Norway. The town is loc ...

and the villages of

Nykirke Nykirke () is a village in Horten Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located along the European route E18 highway about to the west of the town of Horten, about to the south of the town of Holmestrand, and about to the ...

Skoppum Skoppum is a village in Horten Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located about to the southwest of the town of Horten, about to the west of the village of Borre, about to the northwest of the town of Åsgårdstrand, ab ...

, and Borre. The municipality is located on a peninsula along the

Ytre Oslofjord Ytre Oslofjord () is part of a fjord in eastern Norway. The Ytre Oslofjord is the outer part of the Oslofjord which is south of point where the Hurumlandet peninsula splits the fjord between the Drøbak Sound (the strait where the fjord narrows ...

. The municipality is the 340th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Horten is the 42nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 27,682. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

is and its population has increased by 4.1% over the previous 10-year period. Borre National Park contains the largest known burial site in

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

. It also has the largest collection of king's graves in Scandinavia. The local

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

in Horten is named , and covers mostly local news. The

Bastøy Prison Bastøy Prison () is a low-security, male-only prison on Bastøy Island, Norway, located in the Horten municipality about 75 km south of Oslo. The prison is on a 2.6 km2 island and hosts 115 inmates making it the largest low-security prison in Nor ...

is located on the island of

Bastøy Bastøy is an island in Horten Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The island is owned by the government and it has no permanent residents, however, Bastøy Prison, a minimum-security prison, is located on the island, so there are always ...

which is located in the

and is part of the municipality of Horten.

General information

The small port town of Horten was established as a municipality on 1 January 1858 after it was separated from

Borre Municipality Borre is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1988. Borre was merged with Horten in 1988, and the new municipality bore the name Borre until after a public referendum reg ...

(because it had been designated a ladested which meant it had to be a separate urban municipality and no longer part of the larger rural municipality). Initially, it had a population of 4,636. On 1 August 1921, an area of

(population: 287) was transferred into the town of Horten. On 1 July 1951, another area of

(population: 308) was transferred into the town of Horten. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee () was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a ...

. On 1 January 1965, the town of

(population: 488) and the Stang area of

Sem Municipality Sem is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1988. The area is now part of Tønsberg Municipality. The administrative centre was the ...

(population: 126) were both merged with

(population: 6,037). On 1 January 1986, an area of

(population: 22) was transferred into the town of Horten. On 1 January 1988, the neighboring

(population: 12,994) was merged with Horten Municipality (population: 9,098). Prior to the merger, Horten Municipality was the same as the town of Horten, but afterwards, the municipality was much larger than the town. The name of the new municipality was somewhat controversial and the government chose ''Borre'' over ''Horten'' for the new name. On 1 June 2002, the name of the municipality was changed (back) to Horten, following a referendum held in conjunction with the 2001 parliamentary election. The referendum was a close call with 6,557 votes for the name Horten and 6,218 votes for Borre.

Name

The municipality (originally the town) is named after the old ''Horten'' farm (spelled "Hortan" in 1552) since the town was built on the old farm site. The name has an uncertain meaning. The name may come from a local dialect word which means the "outer, knotty bark on older trees" which likely derives from the

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

word which means "something uneven" or "wrinkled". Another option could be that it is derived from the

word or which means "rocky ground", "shelter", or "place of refuge". yet another option is that it could be the definite form of ''hort'' which can mean "bulge" (). Several hills and mountains in Norway have the name ''Horten'' or ''Horta'' and here it could be referring to the Brårudåsen hill lying in the middle of the town. From 1 January 1988 until 1 June 2002, this municipality was named ''Borre''. See Borre Municipality#Name.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was granted on 19 November 1907, just after Horten was designated as a

kjøpstad A (historically ''kjøbstad'', ''kjöbstad'', or ''kaupstad'', from ) is an old Scandinavian term for a "market town" in Denmark–Norway for several hundred years. Kjøpstads were places of trade and exporting materials (e.g. timber, flour, iron ...

, giving it

town privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

. The

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

is ''"Per bend azure a fortress and boat on water and argent a rose"''. This means the arms are divided with a diagonal line. The

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

(background) below the line shows a naval fort with a boat on the water. Above the line, there is a red rose and the field has a tincture of

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms use the old "English"-style of shield with a

mural crown A mural crown () is a Crown (headgear), crown or headpiece representing city walls, fortified tower, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the ancient Rome, Romans ...

sits on top signifying that the municipality contains a city. The design shows the importance of the

Karljohansvern Karjohansvern (''Karljohansvern Orlogsstasjon, KJV'') at Horten was the main base for the Royal Norwegian Navy from 1850 to 1963. Background In 1818, it was decided to establish a naval base in Horten. It was first called ''Hortens verft'', ...

naval base A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usu ...

and the gardens of the city. The arms were designed by

Andreas Bloch Andreas Bloch (29 July 1860 – 11 May 1917) was a Norwegian painter, illustrator and costume designer. Biography Andreas Schroeter Schelver Bloch was born on the Hellerud farm in Skedsmo, in Akershus county, Norway, as the son of Jens ...

. The municipal flag is white with the coat of arms in the centre.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

has four parishes () within the municipality of Horten. It is part of the

Nord-Jarlsberg prosti This list of churches in Tunsberg is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Tunsberg in Norway. It includes all of the parishes in Buskerud and Vestfold counties. The diocese is based at the Tønsberg Cathedral in the city of T� ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

) in the

Diocese of Tunsberg Tunsberg is a diocese of the Church of Norway. It includes all of the parishes located within the counties of Vestfold and Buskerud, with the cathedral located in the city of Tønsberg. The Diocese of Tunsberg consists of the cathedral deanery and ...

Geography

Horten Municipality is located on the western shore of the

in Vestfold County. It borders

Tønsberg Municipality Tønsberg () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Jarlsberg. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Tønsberg, ...

to the south and west and

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 ...

to the north. Other nearby towns include

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 ...

to the south and the much smaller

Holmestrand is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Holmestrand Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of the municipality. It is located along the shore of the Ytre Oslofjord, about northwest of the Horten ...

to the north. About half of the municipality's total area is made up of forests, while slightly less than a third is agricultural land. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten, along the coast. The smaller town of

is located in the southern part of the municipality, along the coast. The inland villages of

, Borre, and

are all located in the rural areas of the municipality.

Nature preserves

Nature preserves include Vealøs, Adalstjern, Frebergsvik, and Falkensten. Additional nature preserves are found by the lake Borrevannet and the islands of Løvøya and

. There is a preserve in

as well. Falkenstendammen is a

wildlife preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

, home to various nationally threatened species. Reverompa Plant Reserve was established in 2006 due to presence of the nationally endangered crested cow-wheat. Tordenskjoldeika is a protected 700-year-old

oak tree An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the Fagaceae, beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northe ...

by the harbor. Borre National Park is located along the coast, but this is primarily a historic park.

Government

Horten Municipality is responsible for

primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

services,

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

economic development In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...

, and municipal

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and utilities. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

of directly elected representatives. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

indirectly elected An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the o ...

by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the

Vestfold District Court Vestfold District Court () is a district court located in Vestfold county, Norway. This court is based in Tønsberg. The court is subordinate to the Agder Court of Appeal. The court serves all six municipalities in Vestfold county (Færder, Holme ...

and the

Agder Court of Appeal The Agder Court of Appeal () is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the town of Skien. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Vestfold og Telemark and Agder (except for Sirdal Municipality which ...

Municipal council

The

of Horten is made up of 41 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...

Mayors

The

mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

() of Horten: * 1858–1859:

Honoratus Halling Honoratus Halling (14 November 1819 – 9 April 1886) was a Norwegian priest, magazine editor and non-fiction writer. He was born at Nord-Odal, Odalen (now Nord-Odal) in Hedmark, Norway. He was the son of parish priest Peter Herman Halling ...

* 1859–1865: Christian Torber Hegge Geelmuyden * 1866–1867: Paul Lemvig Thrane * 1868–1868: Johan Koren * 1869–1869: Jacob Lerche Johansen * 1870–1873: Christopher Gundersen * 1874–1875: Einar Torkel Christian Tambeskjelver Rosenquist * 1876–1876: Christian Torber Hegge Geelmuyden * 1876–1876: Henrik Jakob Müller * 1877–1877: Einar Torkel Christian Tambeskjelver Rosenquist * 1878–1878: Christian Wilhelm Wisbech * 1879–1879: Einar Torkel Christian Tambeskjelver Rosenquist * 1880–1881: Christian Wilhelm Wisbech * 1882–1889:

Christian Magnus Falsen Christian Magnus Falsen (14 September 1782 – 13 January 1830) was a Norwegian statesman, jurist and historian. He was a member of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly and was one of the writers of the constitution of Norway. Falsen has been name ...

( H) * 1890–1892: Jonas Severin Rasmussen ( H) * 1892–1893: Gabriel Cappelen Mørch ( H) * 1894–1898: Oskar Storm ( V) * 1899–1901: John Utheim ( V) * 1902–1904: Aasmund Frisak ( H) * 1905–1906: Hagbart Henriksen * 1907–1910: Otto Georg Enger ( V) * 1910–1913: Harald Pedersen ( V) * 1914–1915: Karl Johan Knudsen ( Ap) * 1916–1916: Otto Georg Enger ( V) * 1917–1918: Karl Johan Knudsen ( Ap) * 1919–1940:

Hans Johan Sollie Hans Johan Sollie (13 June 1885 – 12 February 1973) was a Norwegian bookseller and member of parliament for the Conservative Party. Biography He was born in Aalesund in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. He was a son of headmaster Paul Sollie (1852� ...

( H) * 1940–1941: Herman Haug ( H) * 1942–1944: Erling Winje ( NS) * 1944–1945: Vagn Knudsen ( H/ NS) * 1945–1945:

( H) * 1945–1967: Paul Bentsen ( Ap) * 1968–1975: Ragnar Heitun ( Ap) * 1976–1977: Finn Harder Johannesen ( H) * 1978–1979: Johannes Synnes ( KrF) * 1980–1983: Ragnar Heitun ( Ap) * 1984–1985:

Jørgen Hårek Kosmo Jørgen is a Danish, Norwegian, and Faroese masculine given name cognate to George People with the given name Jørgen * Jørgen Aall (1771–1833), Norwegian ship-owner and politician * Jørgen Andersen (1886–1973), Norwegian gymnast * Jørgen ...

( Ap) * 1985–1987: Ove Bjørkavåg ( Ap) * 1988–1999: Jon Edvard Brække ( H) * 1999–2011: Nils Henning Hontvedt ( Ap) * 2011–2015: Børre Tommy Jacobsen ( H) * 2015–2015: Finn-Øyvind Langfjell ( H) * 2015–2023: Are Karlsen ( Ap) * 2023–2027: Christina Maria Bratli ( Ap)

Economy

Horten's employment sector is made up of

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

(21.7% as of 2014), health and social services (18.1%), education (12.1%), and commerce and auto-repair (12.7%). The

Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy () is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for navy, naval operations of Norway, including those of the Norwegian Coast Guard. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 i ...

was traditionally an important industry, but the city experienced an economic change when the Navy moved its main base to

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

during the mid-20th century and Horten Verft went bankrupt in 1987. Currently, one of the most important industries is electrical engineering, represented by companies such as ''

Kongsberg Maritime Kongsberg Maritime (KM) is a Norwegian technology enterprise within the Kongsberg Gruppen (KOG). Kongsberg Maritime deliver systems for positioning, surveying, navigation, and automation to merchant vessels and offshore installations. Their most ...

'', ''Kongsberg Norcontrol'', ''Simrad Horten'', ''GE Vingmed Ultrasound'', and others.

Culture

has been a vacation and bathing destination since 1920. It had already become an artists' colony by then, attracting painters such as

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( ; ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His 1893 work ''The Scream'' has become one of Western art's most acclaimed images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dread of inher ...

and Fritz Thaulow. Edvard Munch spent a total of seven summers at his vacation home in Åsgårdstrand, known as ''Munchs Lille Hus'' ("Munch's Little House"). The house is now a museum, located on Munch's Street (''Munchsgate 25'').

Borre mounds

''Borrehaugene'' (from Borre, the name of a local village and "haugene" from the

word ''haugr'' meaning mound) was the first national park to be founded in Norway. Borre National Park is situated between the towns of

Horten Horten () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Jarlsberg. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Horten (town) ...

and

. The park provides important historical knowledge, and can be seen as evidence that there was a center of power here 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 excavations also uncovered an unusually good selection of craft work, much of which is on display in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

at the Viking Ship Museum. This style has become known as "Borre style" and is, today, known for its animal and knot ornaments, which were often used for decorating harnesses. The finds also confirm that there was a Viking ship buried at Borrehaugene.

Borre mound cemetery Borre mound cemetery (Norwegian: ''Borrehaugene'' from the ''Old Norse'' words ''borró'' and ''haugr'' meaning mound) forms part of the Borre National Park at Horten in Vestfold, Norway. It is home to seven large and 21 smaller burial mounds ...

at Borre National Park contains

graves A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

of kings dating back to the

Migration Period The Migration Period ( 300 to 600 AD), also known as the Barbarian Invasions, was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories ...

. The park covers and has the largest collection of kings' graves in

. These burial mounds may represent North Europe's most extensive collection of graves of the old Scandinavian

Yngling The Ynglings were a dynasty of kings, first in Sweden and later in Norway, primarily attested through the poem ''Ynglingatal''. The dynasty also appears as Scylfings (, ) in ''Beowulf''. When ''Beowulf'' and ''Ynglingatal'' were composed sometime ...

dynasty. From 1989 to 1991, new excavations were undertaken both in and around the

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

Transportation

Being located out on a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

, most major transportation arteries go to the west of the town of Horten and secondary roads connect the town to these routes. The Moss–Horten Ferry (also known as the Bastø Ferry) crosses the

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 ...

, connecting to the town of Moss in

Østfold Østfold () is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Østfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other ...

county. The ferry departs 1–4 times per hour, and the journey takes about 30 minutes. The ferry transports annually about 1.8 million vehicles and 3.5 million passengers. The railway line

Vestfoldbanen The Vestfold Line () is a railway line which runs between Drammen and Eidanger in Norway. The line connects to the Drammen Line at the northern terminus at Drammen Station and continues as the Bratsberg Line past Skien Station. The line is e ...

passes through the Horten municipality, but not through the main city center. The main train station in Horten is in the village of

Skoppum Station Skoppum Station () is a railway station on the Vestfold Line in the village of Skoppum, in Horten, Norway. Situated from Oslo Central Station, it serves an hourly regional service operated by Vy. The station has two platforms and is itself locat ...

is located southwest of the town centre, although many commuters prefer to use

Holmestrand Station The new Holmestrand Station is a railway station on the Vestfold Line located in the town of Holmestrand in Vestfold, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Pen ...

due to better road access. Skoppum is 1 hour and 10 minutes by train from

Oslo Central Station Oslo Central Station (, abbreviated ) is the main railway station in Oslo, and the largest railway station within the entire Norwegian railway system. It connects with Jernbanetorget station, which is served by trams and the Oslo Metro. It's ...

. By car, Horten is reached by following

European route E18 European route E18 runs between Craigavon, County Armagh, Craigavon in Northern Ireland and Saint Petersburg in Russia, passing through Scotland, England, Norway, Sweden and Finland. It is about in length. Although the designation implies the ...

south, and is approximately from Oslo. The nearest airport is

Sandefjord Airport Torp Sandefjord Airport, Torp (; ) is a minor international airport located northeast of Sandefjord and south of Oslo in Norway. The airport features a runway aligned 18/36. Torp partially serves as a regional airport for Vestfold and in part as a ...

which is located about 30 minutes by train south of Skoppum.

Sports

Horten has several

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

clubs. The most successful and well known is

FK Ørn-Horten FK or fk may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Flyer Killer, fictional automated robots in the ''Terminator'' film franchise * Fox Kids, a former American children's television programming block * Funky Kong, a video game character Place * F ...

, which currently plays in the Norwegian 2nd Division. Another Horten team, Falk, plays in the

Norwegian Third Division The Norwegian Third Division, also called Norsk Tipping-Ligaen, is the fourth highest division of the men's football league in Norway. Like the rest of the Norwegian football league system, the season runs from spring to autumn, running approxima ...

, while

Borre IF Borre Idrettsforening is a Norwegian multi-sports club from Borre, Horten, Vestfold. It has sections for association football, team handball and gymnastics. The men's football team plays in the 4. divisjon, the fifth tier of Norwegian football ...

and Holtankammeratene plays further down in the leagues.

Education

The

University of South-Eastern Norway The University of South-Eastern Norway (), commonly known as USN, is a Norwegian state university. It has campuses in Bø, Telemark, Bø in Telemark, Porsgrunn, Notodden, Rauland, Drammen, Hønefoss, Kongsberg and Horten. USN is a continuation ...

has a campus in Horten, commonly referred to as ''Bakkenteigen'', which offers a wide range of subjects from sociology, history and language thru mathematics, nature science and maritime studies. Bakkenteigen has over 4,000 students and aims to be a resource for research and development in the region.

Attractions

* Borre National Park, the first national park in Norway. It is home to

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other ge ...

's largest collection of royal grave mounds, and it is the largest grave mound site in Northern Europe. *

Royal Norwegian Navy Museum The Royal Norwegian Navy Museum (Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''Marinemuseet'') is a museum documenting the history of the Royal Norwegian Navy. It is located at the former main naval base of Karljohansvern in Horten. The museum was founded by C ...

(), the oldest existing museum of its kind in the world, founded in 1853. At the Royal Norwegian Navy Museum you can find many ships, including , the world's first

torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...

from 1873. * Preus Fotomuseum, the Norwegian Museum of

Photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

, is a unique museum located in the same building as the naval museum. *

, the former

in Horten. Activity there in the recent years have been decreasing and parts of the area have now been opened to the public, including some nice

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

es. Both the museum of photography and the navy museum are located close to the naval base. *

Band, a

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

ranked among the best in Europe has its home base in Karljohansvern in Horten. * Horten Bilmuseum, the

classic car A classic car is typically described as an automobile 25 years or older, although a car's age is not the only requirement it must meet before being considered a "classic." However, a standard criteria for recognizing cars as classics does not ex ...

museum, houses a variety of classic cars ranging from 1900 to the 1970s. One of Norway's largest

model railway Railway modelling (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are Model building, modelled at a reduced Scale (ratio), scale. The scale models include locomotives ...

s is also on display in the museum. It is open every day during summer, Sundays only from the middle of August to the middle of June. *

Borre Golfbane Borre Golf Club is a golf club situated by the Oslofjord in Horten, north of Tønsberg in the south east of Norway. The club was founded in 1990 and the same year established its golf course with nine holes. The following year another nine holes ...

, a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

has hosted two

Challenge Tour The Challenge Tour, currently titled as the HotelPlanner Tour for sponsorship reasons and also sometimes referred to as the European Challenge Tour, is the second-tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European To ...

events (1994 and 1998) and was in 2005 extended to 27 holes of full length (par 72 + par 36). The first Challenge Tour event in 1994 was the first professional golf tournament on Norwegian soil. The 18-hole course runs along lake Borrevannet and some of the holes have views over the lake. * Borrevannet, a lake that is home to a national

bird sanctuary An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and to be protected for the rest of their lives. In addition, sanctuaries are an experimental staging ground for transformative human–animal relations. There are five types of ...

where 255 different bird species have been observed (2003 numbers). 110 species have been confirmed using the lake as their nesting place. * L'Esprit d'

, the northernmost

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

of the world, operating in Horten. *

, a town in the southern part of the municipality, is a sight of its own. It is a small, white-painted ocean town that is best known for its great painters (like the aforementioned Edvard Munch) and its beaches.

Notable people

Public Service

Mathias Sigwardt Mathias Sigwardt (20 October 1770–8 October 1840) was priest and Bishop of the Church of Norway. Sigwardt was born in Borre in Vestfold county, Norway. He was the son of vicar Søren Sigwardt (1729–1792) and his first wife Ulrikke Leono ...

(1770 in Borre – 1840), a priest and Bishop of Christianssand * Christian Torber Hegge Geelmuyden (1816–1885), a naval officer and mayor of Horten from 1857-1864 *

Francis Hagerup George Francis Hagerup (22 January 1853 – 8 February 1921) was a Norwegian law professor, diplomat, politician for the Conservative Party and women's rights advocate. He was the prime minister of Norway from 1895 to 1898 and from 1903 t ...

(1853–1921), a Norwegian law professor, diplomat, and

Prime Minister of Norway The prime minister of Norway (, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet of Norway, Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government departme ...

from 1895 to 1898 and from 1903 to 1905 who grew up in Horten *

Kristine Munch Kristine Munch (10 July 1873 – 11 October 1959) was a Norwegian physician. She was among the first female physicians in Norway. She was born in Horten as a daughter of priest Johan Storm Munch (1827–1908) and Kaja Michaeline Falch (1830–189 ...

(1873 in Horten – 1959), an early female Norwegian physician * Thorstein H. H. Thoresen (1885 in Horten – 1956), the

Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota The lieutenant governor of North Dakota is a political office in North Dakota. The lieutenant governor's duty is to preside as President of the Senate, and is responsible for legislative relations, the state budget and agribusiness development. I ...

* Jan B. Jansen (1898 in Horton – 1984), a physician, anatomist, brain researcherin, and member of the WWII

Norwegian resistance The Norwegian resistance ( Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled governm ...

Finn Ronne Finn Ronne (December 20, 1899 – January 12, 1980) was a Norwegian-born U.S. citizen and Antarctic explorer. Background Finn Ronne was born in Horten, in Vestfold county, Norway. His father, Martin Rønne (1861–1932), was a polar explorer ...

(1899 in Horten – 1980), a U.S. citizen and Antarctic explorer * Arne Skaug (1906 in Horten – 1974), an economist, civil servant, diplomat, and politician *

Gunnar Syverstad Gunnar Bryde Syverstad, BEM (6 February 1910 – 11 March 1945) was a Norwegian resistance member. He is known for his assistance in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage.Norwegian heavy water sabotage The Norwegian heavy water sabotage (; ) was a series of Allied-led efforts to halt German heavy water (deuterium) production via hydroelectric plants in Nazi Germany-occupied Norway during World War II, involving both Norwegian commandos and Al ...

Grethe Rytter Hasle Grethe Berit Rytter Hasle (3 January 1920 – 9 November 2013) was a Norwegian planktologist. Among the first female professors of natural science at the University of Oslo, she specialized in the study of phytoplankton. Personal life Hasle was ...

(1920 in Borre – 2013), a planktologist *

Arnoldus Schytte Blix Arnoldus Schytte Blix (born 4 October 1946) is a Norwegian zoologist and Arctic explorer. He was born in Borre to farmer Erik Gerhard Schytte Blix and nurse Marie Helle. Schytte Blix was appointed professor at the University of Tromsø from 198 ...

(born 1946 in Borre), a zoologist and Arctic explorer * Nils Henning Hontvedt (born 1952), a politician and mayor of Horten from 2001 to 2011

The Arts

Lagertha Broch Lagertha Olea Sofie Broch (27 January 18642 May 1952) was a Norwegian illustrator, children's writer, and proponent for women's rights. Personal life Broch was born in Horten, a daughter of merchant and brewery owner Johan Anthony Zincke Broc ...

(1864 in Horten – 1952), an illustrator, children's writer, and proponent for women's rights * William Ivarson (1867 in Horton – 1934), a theatre actor *

Eidé Norena Karoline "Kaja" Eide Hansen, known professionally as Eidé Norena (April 26, 1884 – November 13, 1968) was a Norwegian soprano. Born in Horten, Norena studied in Oslo, Weimar, London, and Paris; her teachers included Ellen Gulbranson and Raim ...

(1884 in Horten – 1968), a soprano and actress * Per Krohg (1889 in Åsgårdstrand – 1965), an artist of the mural for the

UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

* Bjorn Egeli (1900 in Horten – 1984), an American portrait painter and maritime artist * Paul Lorck Eidem (1909 in Horten – 1992), a writer and illustrator who grew up on

Astrid Hjertenæs Andersen Astrid Hjertenæs Andersen (5 September 1915 – 21 April 1985) was a Norwegian poet and travel-writer. She is a recipient of the Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature (''Kritikerprisen''), Riksmål Society Literature Prize (''Riksmålsprisen''), ...

(1915 in Horten – 1985), a poet and travel-writer *

Eva Gustavson Eva Gustavson (18 February 1917 – 10 February 2009), sometimes known as Eva Gustafson, was a Norwegian-American contralto who had an active international performance career in operas and concerts during the 1940s and 1950s. She later embarked o ...

(1917 at Oslofjord — 2009), a Norwegian-American contralto in operas *

Leif Preus Leif Preus (18 February 1928 – 5 May 2013) was a Norwegian photographer and museum founder. He was born in Horten as a son of Sverre Preus (1897–1988) and Marian Christoffersen (1901–1972). He was married from 1951. After eight years in th ...

(1928 in Horten – 2013), a photographer who founded the

Preus Museum Preus Museum is the national museum for photography located in Horten, Norway. Preus Museum was founded in 1976 by Leif Preus and the members of the Preus family as a private museum. The collection was acquired by the Norwegian government in 199 ...

in 1976 *

Joachim Calmeyer Kåre Joachim Calmeyer (23 June 1931 – 26 December 2016) was a Norwegian actor. He was born in Oslo, and grew up in Horten and Tromsø. He was the brother of jazz musician Ola and journalist Bengt Calmeyer. He made his stage debut at Rogaland ...

(1931 in Horten – 2016), an actor who grew up in Horten *

Sigurd Jansen Sigurd Jansen (born 4 March 1932) is a Norwegian composer, pianist and conductor. Biography Sigurd Alf Jansen was born in Horten, in Vestfold county, Norway. He studied classical music at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. He was a teacher of ...

(born 1932 in Horten), a composer, pianist, and conductor *

Vidar Lønn-Arnesen Vidar Lønn-Arnesen (born 22 June 1940) is a Norway, Norwegian singer, radio presenter and television presenter. He was born in Lardal and grew up in Horten. He started his career as a local entertainer and pirate radio personality in the 1950s. F ...

(born 1940 in Horten), a singer and radio and TV presenter *

Grethe Kausland Grethe Kausland ( Nilsen; 3 July 1947 – 16 November 2007) was a Norwegian singer, performer and actress. As a child star she was one of Norway's most popular singers (her debut single “Teddyen min” from 1955, sold more than 100,000 re ...

(1947 in Horten – 2007), a singer, performer, and actress * Geir Langslet (born 1956 in Horten), a jazz pianist and band leader * Marie Ulven Ringheim (born 1999 in Horten) known as ''

Girl in Red Marie Ulven Ringheim (born 16 February 1999) known professionally as girl in red (stylised in all lowercase), is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer. Her first EPs ''Chapter 1'' (2018) and ''Chapter 2'' (2019) were recorded in her ...

'', an indie pop singer-songwriter

Sport

Herman Smith-Johannsen Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith-Johannsen, supercentenarian A supercentenarian, sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian, is a person who is 110 or older. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of significant age-related diseases until short ...

skier who introduced

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

to Canada and North America *

Gil Andersen Gilbert J. Andersen (born Gulbrand, November 27, 1879 – September 20, 1930) was an American racing driver active during the formative years of auto racing. Biography Andersen was born on November 27, 1879, in Horten, Vestfold county, Norwa ...

(1879 in Horten – 1930), a Norwegian-American

racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

Harry Boye Karlsen Harry Boye Karlsen (14 March 1920 – 8 January 1994) was a Norwegian international footballer. He was born in Horten, and played 58 games for Norway, scoring four goals, between 1946 and 1956. He was a member of the Norwegian squad that competed ...

(1920 in Horten – 1994), a footballer with 58 caps for

Per Bredesen Per Bredesen (22 December 1930 – 3 October 2022) was a Norwegian footballer. He played as an inside forward for a number of Italian clubs, and was one of the first Norwegian footballers to achieve success in a foreign league. Club career Bred ...

(born 1930), a footballer with 276 club caps and 18 for

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Horten: *

Hillerød Hillerød () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 36,604 (1 January 2025)Region Hovedstaden The Capital Region of Denmark (, ) is the easternmost administrative region of Denmark, and contains Copenhagen, the national capital. The Capital Region has 29 municipalities and a regional council consisting of 41 elected members. As of 1 ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

Karlskrona Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to ...

Blekinge County Blekinge County () is a county or '' län'' in the south of Sweden. It borders the Counties of Skåne Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden ...

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 ...

Loviisa Loviisa (; ; formerly Degerby) is a town in Finland, located on the southern coast of the country. Loviisa is situated in the eastern part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Loviisa is approximately , while the Loviisa sub-region, sub-regi ...

Southern Finland Southern Finland (, ) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Western Finland and Eastern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Finland and Russia. History On September 1, 1997 the Uusimaa Province, the Ky ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Ólafsfjörður Ólafsfjörður () is a town in the northeast of Iceland located at the mouth of the fjord Eyjafjörður. The town is connected to Dalvík on Eyjafjörður by the 3.5 km one-lane Múli tunnel (the ''Múlagöng'') and to Siglufjörður by the ...

Fjallabyggð Fjallabyggð () is a municipality located in northern Iceland. The former municipalities of Ólafsfjörður and Siglufjörður Siglufjörður () is a small fishing town in a narrow fjord with the same name on the northern coast of Iceland. The p ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway (, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All rele ...

*
Marinemuseet
- the Naval Museum at Horten
Preus Museum of Photography
(
VisitHorten.com

Gjengangeren
- the local newspaper of Horten
Borre golfbane
- the local golf course in Horten {{use dmy dates, date=February 2024 Municipalities of Vestfold 1858 establishments in Norway Populated places established in 1858