Jeløya is an island located in the municipality of

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta ('' sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and ...

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), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other sid ...

County,

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 t ...

History

Jeløya was actually a peninsula in the

Oslofjord 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 ...

, but was divided from the mainland in 1855 by the Moss canal (''Mossekanalen'') a 20-meter broad canal that was built through the low

isthmus An isthmus (; ; ) 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 counterpart of an isthm ...

. The Canal Bridge (''Kanalbrua'') is the link between Jeløya and the mainland at

. This was at first a low, sliding bridge, and since 1957 a simple-leaf

Bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...

, but dating from the early 1990s has been locked and unable to open. Part of the city of Moss lies on the south-eastern part of Jeløya. At 19 km², Jeløya is the largest island in the Oslofjord. Geologically, Jeløya is largely made up of a young lava rock-type from the

Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Pale ...

period. Other islands in the Oslofjord formed during that same time period include Revlingen, Eldøya, Missingene and the Søsterøyene. Ringerike sandstone is found in some parts of Jeløya, and fossil cephalaspids have been found. The largest Norwegian moraine from the

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

crosses Jeløya, goes to the east of Moss and Rygge and continues through Sweden to

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...

. Until the 1990s, two of Moss' largest industrial zones were on the southern part of Jeløya -

Moss Glassverk Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta ('' sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and ho ...

and Moss Verft. Moss Glassverk produced glass containers from 1898 until 1999. Moss Verft was a shipyard formed in 1870 which was active in shipbuilding until 1987 and was historically one of the biggest employers in the municipality. These areas are now turning into costly apartments and post-industrial businesses. Jeløya is today best known for its beaches, its scenery, a swarming harbor with boats, and Refsnes Gods, a hotel with a renowned cuisine. Jeløya is the site of a number of country manor houses on farms including Grønli gård and Kubberød gård. Torderød gård is now owned by Moss Municipality which hosts tours during the summer. Grimsrød gård housed

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

for a number of years. Roed gård has been established as a combined Arts and Cultural Center. Alby gård is the site of one of

's most widely known art galleries, ''Galleri F 15''.

Gallery

File:Interiør i Jeløy kirke.jpg, Jeløy Church File:Jeløya natural reserve2.JPG, Jeløya Natural Reserve File:Refsnes.JPG, Refsnes beach File:Røed Hovedbygning.JPG, Røed gård File:Torderød gård på Jeløy.jpg, Torderød gård File:Hovedbygningen på Grønli gård, søndre Jeløy.jpg, Grønli gård File:Alby gård på Jeløy fra vest.jpg, Alby gård File:Hotell Refsnes Gods.jpg, Refsnes Gods

References

External links

Jeløy, Jeløya, Moss travel guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeloya Islands of Viken (county)