Tønsberg (), historically Tunsberg, is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in Tønsberg Municipality 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 ...

. It is located about south-southwest of the capital city of

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 ...

on the western coast of 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 ...

near its mouth onto the

Skagerrak The Skagerrak (; , , ) is a strait running between the North Jutlandic Island of Denmark, the east coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea. The Skagerrak contains some of the busiest shipping ...

. The city is the most populous

metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

in Vestfold county. Tønsberg also serves as 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 ...

for Vestfold county and the seat of the County Governor of Vestfold og Telemark. Tønsberg is generally regarded as the oldest city in Norway, founded in the 9th century.

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...

mentions the town in Harald Hårfagre's saga (written around 1220) before the battle at Hafrsfjord, which historians have traditionally dated to the year 872, therefore the town was in existence by 871 at the latest. This dating is again based on Are Frode's book, Íslendingabók. Using this information, Tønsberg celebrated its one-thousandth anniversary in 1871 and its 1100th anniversary in 1971. Archaeological findings confirm that there was a farm settlement in Tønsberg at the end of the 8th century, which likely developed into a town during the early 9th century. The city has a population (2023) of 55,387 and a

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 ...

of . The city has actually grown to the south onto the island of Nøtterøy, so of the city and 17,979 residents are actually located in Færder Municipality. The city of Tønsberg was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () was the name of a Norwegian self-governing municipality. The name was used from the establishment these municipalities in 1838 until the name fell out of use in 1863. The municipalities had their legal basis from two laws enacted on 14 Jan ...

law). The rural Sem Municipality was merged with the city of Tønsberg on 1 January 1988, creating a much larger Tønsberg Municipality. The neighboring Re Municipality was merged into Tønsberg on 1 January 2020. The city is home to Tønsberg Fortress on Slottsfjellet ("Castle Mountain"), which includes ruins from ''Castrum Tunsbergis'', Norway's largest castle in the 13th century. An outdoor music festival is held at Tønsberg Fortress every July. Tønsberg is also home of Oseberg Mound, where the 9th-century '' Oseberg Ship'' was excavated.

General information

Name

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 ...

name of the town was . The first element is the

genitive case In grammar, the genitive case ( abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive ca ...

of ( n) which means "fenced area", "garden", or "field around a dwelling". The last element is ( n) which means "mountain" or "rock". The name originally referred to the fortifications on Slottsfjellet. The old spelling of the name has been retained in the name of the local

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

, Tunsberg bispedømme.

Coat of arms

For a long time, the city did not have a formal

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 ...

, but instead an old medieval seal dating back to 1349 was used in its place. The blue and white circular seal shows the Tønsberg Fortress surrounded by a ring wall on a mountain with the sea in front. There is also a

longship Longships, a type of specialised Viking ship, Scandinavian warships, have a long history in Scandinavia, with their existence being archaeologically proven and documented from at least the fourth century BC. Originally invented and used by th ...

in the water in front of the fortress. Around the seal are the Latin words which means "This is the seal of Tunsberg". The seal was also used for Tønsberg Municipality until 2020.

History

Viking Age

Tønsberg is the oldest city in Norway, founded by

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 ...

in the 9th century. It was also an ancient capital of Norway. The first time the town was mentioned by a contemporary writer was in 1130. According to

, Tønsberg was founded before the

Battle of Hafrsfjord The Battle of Hafrsfjord () was a naval battle fought in Hafrsfjord sometime between 872 and 900 that resulted in the unification of Norway, later known as the Kingdom of Norway (872–1397), Kingdom of Norway. After the battle, the victorious Vi ...

, which, according to Snorri, took place in 871. The year of the battle is disputed and most current historians believe it was closer to 900. If it took place in 871, this makes Tønsberg one of the oldest present

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 ...

n cities. It was based upon this that the city's 1000 years jubilee was celebrated in 1871, and 1100 years jubilee in 1971. The archaeological excavations conducted in 1987–88 underneath the monastery ruins revealed several Viking graves which have served to confirm the earlier age of the original settlement. The King or his

ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

resided in the old Royal Court at ''Sæheimr'', today the Jarlsberg Manor (), and on the farm ''Haugar'', (from the

word ''haugr'' meaning hill or burial mound), which can be assumed to have been Tønsberg's birthplace. Haugar became the seat for the Haugating, the Thing for Vestfold and Norway's second most important place for the proclamation of kings. The site had probably been named after two

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 ...

mounds, which tradition links to two sons of King Harald I, Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf, who was king in

, and his half-brother, Sigrød Haraldsson, King of

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

. Both are presumed to have fallen in battle at Haugar against their half-brother

Eric Bloodaxe Eric Haraldsson ( , ; c.930−954), nicknamed Bloodaxe ( , ) and Brother-Slayer (), was a Norwegians#Viking Age, Norwegian king. He ruled as List of Norwegian monarchs, King of Norway from 932 to 934, and twice as List of monarchs of Northumbr ...

and to have been buried on the same spot. Slottsfjellet (''Castle Mountain''), north of the city centre, made for a near impregnable natural fortress. During the civil war era of the 12th century, it was fortified by the Baglers. The Birkebeiners besieged it for 20 weeks in the winter of 1201 before the Baglers surrendered. In the 13th century, King Haakon Haakonson set up a castle in Tønsberg, Tønsberg Fortress. The town was destroyed by fire in 1536, but Tønsberg remained one of the most important harbour towns in Norway.

James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

stopped in Tønsberg on his way to meet

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

in Oslo, and David Lindsay gave a sermon on 16 November 1589. The event was recorded by a painted inscription in the church, which survives in the museum.

Whaling epoch

The center of the world's modern whaling industry was concentrated in the cities of Tønsberg and neighboring

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

and

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

, all of which were the dominant whaling towns in Norway. While whalers from Sandefjord established the first whaling station in the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

, whalers from Tønsberg initiated whaling in

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 ...

and the

Hebrides The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...

. During the 1850s, Tønsberg turned into a base of operation and source of expertise for whalers in the

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

and

Antarctic Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean, generally taken to be south of 60th parallel south, 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is the seco ...

s. Tønsberg has been called "the cradle of modern whaling". In the 1892 publication "Handbook for Travellers in Norway" by John Murray, Tønsberg was described as "the centre of the Norwegian whaling and sealing industries in the Arctic Ocean." The first whaling ventures to

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

was led by engineer Henrik Henriksen of Tønsberg. Henrik Johan Bull was another noted whaler from the city, known for his expeditions to Antarctica. Bull traveled from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

to Tønsberg in order to learn from local whaler Svend Foyn, who is recognized as the pioneer of the modern whaling industry. One of the city's most prominent residents, Svend Foyn, was a pioneer who embarked on an 1847 expedition to the

, which led to a catch of 6,000 seals. Soon Tønsberg Harbor was home to a large fleet of sealing vessels, and the sealing industry grew further after the 1849 repeal of Britain's

Navigation Acts The Navigation Acts, or more broadly the Acts of Trade and Navigation, were a series of English laws that developed, promoted, and regulated English ships, shipping, trade, and commerce with other countries and with its own colonies. The laws al ...

. The hunters turned the seals to near extinction in the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...

, and therefore turned to Bottle-nosed whales during the 1870s. Norway maintained a

monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek and ) is a market in which one person or company is the only supplier of a particular good or service. A monopoly is characterized by a lack of economic Competition (economics), competition to produce ...

on European whaling until 1883, first and foremost due to Svend Foyn's patent rights to whaling techniques and inventions. Over-hunting in the Arctic eventually drove the whalers to Antarctica. By the beginning of the 20th century, Tønsberg had lost its preeminence in the whaling industry to the neighboring city of

. Sandefjord, which lies just southwest of Tønsberg, later became known as the world's whaling capital.

World War II

During the German occupation of Norway in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Berg concentration camp was constructed near Tønsberg. In 1948, Tønsberg became the

cathedral city City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the the Crown, monarch of the United Kingdom to specific centres of population, which might or might not meet the generally accepted definition of city, cities. , there are List of cities in the Un ...

of 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 ...

(), based at the Tønsberg Cathedral. The diocese was created when the counties of

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

were separated from the

Diocese of Oslo The Diocese of Oslo is the Church of Norway's Diocese, bishopric for the municipalities of Oslo, Asker and Bærum. It is one of Norway's five traditional bishoprics and was founded around the year 1070. History Oslo was established as a diocese ...

Geography

Tønsberg is a city southeastern in Vestfold County, on the western shore of the

. Tønsberg lies north of Færder, south 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 north-east of

. It is the ninth-largest city in Norway (by population). The city center lies just north of Nøtterøy Island.

Tønsberg Station Tønsberg Station on the Vestfold Line, is the main railway station in the town of Tønsberg in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The station is located in the downtown area, to the east of the hill Slottsfjellet. It is located ...

is 5–10 minutes walking from the main square in the city centre, known as ''Torvet''. From the main square is a few hundred meters along Rådhusgaten to the waterfront Tønsberg Wharf ("Tønsberg Brygge"), where most cafes, bars and restaurants are located. Just south of Tønsberg are the islands of Nøtterøy and

Tjøme Tjøme () is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The island municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2018. The area is now part of Færder Municipality. The administrative ce ...

, which are tourist destinations. The highest point in the city of Tønsberg is the tall Frodeåsen hill on the north side of the city.

Nature preserves

Tønsberg and its immediate surroundings is home to five nature preserves: * Akersvannet (

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

), on the border with

* Bliksekilen (wetland) * Gullkronene (

deciduous forest In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, after flo ...

) * Ilene (wetland) * Presterødkilen (wetland) There is also a plant preserve at Karlsvika where the goal is the preservation of the threatened species fineleaf waterdropwort ('' Oenanthe aquatica''), a rare species in Norway.

Government

From 1838 until 1988, the city of Tønsberg was a self-governing city within Norway. Since 1988, the city has been part of a much larger Tønsberg Municipality. The city/urban area is no longer self-governing, but rather the entire municipality is governed by a mayor and municipal council.

Demographics

The whole urban area of the city of Tønsberg is the 9th most populous city/urban area in Norway and the largest city in Vestold County. The city has a population (2023) of 55,387 and a

of . The city has actually grown to the south onto the island of Nøtterøy, so of the city and 17,979 residents are actually located in Færder Municipality. The urban area of the city of Tønsberg extends from Eik in the north, to Tolvsrød, Vallø and Ringshaug in the east and Borgheim on Nøtterøy in the south. The city experienced a 20.8% population growth between 2000 and 2015, compared to 14.0% for Vestfold County as a whole. Furthermore, Tønsberg has the highest

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...

rate in Vestfold. While 94.6 percent of residents in Tønsberg Municipality are residing in cities, the equivalent number for Vestfold County is 84.8 percent. As of 2018, the largest minority groups were Polish (1.68%), Lithuanians (1.11%), Iraqis (1.06%), Swedes (0.75%), and Syrians (0.64%).

Sport

FK Tønsberg is the premier football team in Tønsberg, currently playing in the 2. divisjon as of 2017. Tønsberg Vikings is the local hockey team, who play at the Tønsberg Ishall. The club played in the

GET-ligaen EliteHockey Ligaen (EHL) is the premier Norwegian ice hockey league, organised by the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association. It comprises 10 clubs and works on the premise of promotion and relegation, in which the two teams who placed last must play ...

until 2014. The Maier Arena Tønsberg is an outdoor ice skating arena on the same site as the Tønsberg Ishall and is used for

speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long-track speed skating, short-track speed skating, and marathon speed skat ...

. It once hosted

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

, being the venue for the 1950 Norwegian Championship. Tønsberg hosted a round of the powerboating UIM F2 World Championship from 2014 to 2018.

Tourist sites

Perhaps the most important landmark in the town is '' Slottsfjellet'', the tower standing on the hill. It was erected in 1888 as a memorial to Tønsberg Fortress (''Tunsberg festning''), the old fortress, of which just fragmentary ruins remain today. Below the mountain there is a museum dedicated to "Slottsfjellet" and Tønsberg. There are several exhibitions here about

whaling Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...

and the fortress, Tønsberg Fortress. Several streets in the town are named after old kings of Norway. Castrum Tunsbergis church ruins

Other notable tourist sites include: *Haugar Art Museum (''Haugar Vestfold Kunstmuseum''), located in the former Seamen's School in the middle of Tønsberg, the brick building was built 1918–1921. The museum was established in 1993 as a foundation created by Vestfold county and municipality of Tønsberg. The museum is a division of Vestfold Museum (''Vestfoldmuseene''). Haugar Vestfold Art Museum is located in the parkland between the site of the ancient assembly of Haugating and the two Viking era mounds. *Foynegården, the city's best-preserved merchant's yard. Foynegården is the site of a patrician houses from the 1700s where Svend Foyn was born in 1809. *Ruins of St. Olav's Church (''Olavskirken''), a former monastery founded in 1191, located near the current Tønsberg Library. *Ruins of St Michael's Church (''Mikaelskirken''), ruins that are still visible on top of Castle Mountain by Tønsberg Fortress. The church was mentioned among the royal chapels. It is believed to have been destroyed in 1503 when Swedish soldiers razed fortifications. * Sem Church (''Sem kirke''), Vestfold's oldest stone church built before 1100 in the Romanesque style, located near the Jarlsberg Estate, just west of the city of Tønsberg * Tønsberg Cathedral (''Tønsberg domkirke''), a brick church from 1858 with pulpit from 1621 and an altarpiece from 1764. *Slottsfjell festival, one of the biggest happenings in Tønsberg through the year. People all over the country come to Tønsberg to participate, this festival is one of Tønsberg newly landmarks.

Oseberg Mound

Tønsberg is the site of Oseberg Mound, a Viking era burial mound. The Oseberg Ship was found in the Oseberg burial mound in 1904. This Viking era

is now in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. Archaeological excavations in 1904 uncovered history's largest and richest example of craftsmanship from the Viking Age. In addition to the Oseberg Ship, Oseberghaugen contained the Oseberg carriage, five intricately carved bed-posts shaped like animal heads, four sledges, beds, chests, weaving-frames, household utensils and much more. Scientific examinations in 1992 now date the burial to 834 AD, and indicate a probability that it was Queen Alvhild, the first wife of King Gudrød, who was buried here. When unearthed, the ship was buried in blue clay and covered with stones beneath the high Oseberg Mound.

Economy

Tønsberg is mostly a shopping town and an administrative centre. It is also noted especially for its silverware.

Transport

The city is served by the railway line Vestfoldbanen, which runs in a loop through the city before reaching

In popular culture

Tønsberg has been featured as a location in several films, most notably those set in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

(MCU). It is first mentioned in the 2010 film '' Iron Man 2'' as a location under surveillance by S.H.I.E.L.D. In the 2011 film ''

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

'', it is established that centuries ago, Tønsberg was the invasion point of the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, who sought to conquer Earth before they were defeated by

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

and the forces of

Asgard In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr''; "Garden of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in several Old Norse sagas and mythological texts, including the Eddas, however it has also been suggested to be refe ...

. It is then seen in '' Captain America: The First Avenger'', where the Red Skull acquires the

Tesseract In geometry, a tesseract or 4-cube is a four-dimensional hypercube, analogous to a two-dimensional square and a three-dimensional cube. Just as the perimeter of the square consists of four edges and the surface of the cube consists of six ...

from a church. In the 2017 film '' Thor: Ragnarok'', Odin chooses the town as the site of his death. In '' Avengers: Endgame'', the town is renamed "New Asgard" and serves as a refuge for the Asgardians who survived Thanos's attack during the events of '' Avengers: Infinity War'', with

Valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...

as its leader. In '' Thor: Love and Thunder'', New Asgard has become a tourist attraction but suffers political turmoil as a result of the discrimination of Earth's governments against otherworldly beings. The Tønsberg raid by Hydra is also recreated in the first episode of '' What If...?'', albeit it occurs much later than in ''Captain America: The First Avenger''. Tønsberg is also featured in the 2010 game '' Mount and Blade: Warband''s Viking Conquest expansion as the capital of the Kingdom of Northvegr.

Notable people

Royalty

* Bjørn Farmann (died ), the King of

who founded Tønsberg * Magnus VI of Norway (1238–1280), the King of Norway (as Magnus VI) from 1263 to 1280 *

Margaret, Maid of Norway Margaret (, ; March or April 1283 – September 1290), known as the Maid of Norway, was the queen-designate of Scotland from 1286 until her death. As she was never crowned, her status as monarch is uncertain and has been debated by historia ...

(1283–1290), the Queen-designate of Scotland from 1286 * Else Werring (1905–1989), a Norwegian royal hostess and Chief Court Mistress from 1958

Public Service & Business

* Cecilie Christine Schøller (1720–1786), a socialite who built Stiftsgården, a royal residence * Carl Peter Stoltenberg (1770–1830), a merchant and representative at Norwegian Constituent Assembly * Adrian Benjamin Bentzon (1777–1827), the Governor of the Danish West Indies from 1816 to 1820 * Gregers Winther Wulfsberg (1780–1846), a jurist and representative at the Norwegian Constituent Assembly * Svend Foyn (1809–1894), a shipping and whaling

magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

who introduced sealing to Vestfold * Johan Henrik Dietrichs (1809–1886), a merchant and mayor of the town * Johan Sverdrup (1816–1892), a liberal politician 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 1884 to 1889 * Wilhelm Wilhelmsen (1839–1910), a shipping

and founder of the Wilh. Wilhelmsen Shipping Company * Henrik Johan Bull (1844–1930), a whaler and pioneering Antarctic explorer * brothers Peter Christophersen (1845–1930) & Søren Andreas Christophersen (1849–1933), diplomats in Argentina * Niels Johan Føyn (1860–1945), a meteorologist *

Axel Thue Axel Thue (; 19 February 1863 – 7 March 1922) was a Norwegian mathematician, known for his original work in diophantine approximation and combinatorics. Work Thue published his first important paper in 1909. He stated in 1914 the so-called w ...

(1863–1922), a Norwegian American

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

* Ditlef Hvistendahl Christiansen (1865–1944), a Norwegian Supreme Court Justice from 1911–1936 * Ole O. Lian (1868–1925), a politician and leader of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions *

Halfdan M. Hanson Halfdan Marinius Hanson (November 30, 1884 – September 12, 1952) was a Norwegian-born American architect. He was born in Tønsberg in Vestfold, Norway. He emigrated as an infant to Gloucester, Massachusetts, where his father was a Rigging, shi ...

(1884–1952), a Norwegian American architect * Ole Aanderud Larsen (1884–1964), a ship designer who designed the ''

Endurance Endurance (also related to sufferance, forbearance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, persistence, tenacity, steadfastness, perseverance, stamina, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a ...

'' * Eugène Olaussen (1887–1962), a newspaper editor and politician (from

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

) * Arnold Rørholt (1909–1986), a jurist and refugee worker * Ebba Lodden (1913–1997), a civil servant, politician, and first female County Governor * Jan Mehlum (born 1945), an author and academic who comes from Tønsberg * Laila Riksaasen Dahl (born 1947), a theologian and bishop of the

from 2002-2014 * Jan Otto Myrseth (born 1957) a prelate and current Bishop of Tunsberg * Per Arne Olsen (born 1961), a politician and Mayor of Tønsberg from 2003 to 2009 * Reidar Hjermann (born 1969), a psychologist and former Children's Ombudsman of Norway * Joshua French (born 1982), a Norwegian-British murderer convicted in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

The Arts

* Mathias Stoltenberg (1799–1871), a portrait painter and furniture restorer * Clara Tschudi (1856–1945), a writer of biographies of contemporary and historical women * Elisabeth Meyer (1899–1968), a photographer and journalist * Thomas Thomassen (1878–1962), an actor, director, and theater manager * Per Gjersøe (1908–1980), an actor and film director * Kåre Holt (1916–1997), an author from Våle *

Per Asplin Per Asplin (10 August 1928 – 9 October 1996) was a Norwegian-Danish pianist, singer, composer and actor, born in Tønsberg. He co-starred in a handful of films as well as participating in Melodi Grand Prix five times in the 1960s. He is still p ...

(1928–1996), a pianist, singer, composer, and actor * Kjell Heggelund (1932–2017), a literary researcher, lecturer, editor, poet, and literary critic * Wenche Blomberg (born 1943), an author, journalist, librarian, and criminologist * Bjørn Floberg (born 1947), an actor of film, TV, and theatre * Jahn Teigen (1949–2020), a singer, comedian, and three-time competitor in the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

Gro Dahle Gro Dahle (born 15 May 1962) is a Norwegian poet and writer. Early life Dahle was born in Oslo, and is the daughter of businessman Øystein Dahle. She grew up in Tønsberg, Aruba and New Jersey. She began studying psychology and English lite ...

(born 1962), an author and poet who grew up in Tønsberg * Egil Nyhus & Svein Nyhus (born 1962), twin brothers who are both illustrators * Sturla Berg-Johansen (born 1967), a stand-up comedian who comes from Tønsberg * Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1971), a Latvian filmmaker who lives in Tønsberg * Lene Nystrøm (born 1973), the lead vocalist of the Danish-Norwegian dance group Aqua * Line Horntveth (born 1974) & Martin Horntveth (born 1977) &

Lars Horntveth Lars Horntveth (born 10 March 1980 in Tønsberg, Norway) is a Norwegian musician (saxophones, clarinet, percussion and guitar), band leader, and composer. He is the younger brother of tubaist Line Horntveth, but best known as a key member of t ...

(born 1980), siblings were all jazz musicians * Frøy Aagre (born 1977), a jazz tenor and soprano saxophone player * Jonas Bendiksen (born 1977), a photographer and member of

Magnum Photos Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices in Paris, New York City, London and Tokyo. It was founded in 1947 in Paris by photographers Robert Capa, David Seymour (photographer), Davi ...

* Monica Hansen (born 1982), a model, television host, and swimwear designer * Seigmen (formed 1989), an alternative rock band that comes from Tønsberg * Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll (born 1991) known as Kygo, a DJ, songwriter, and record producer * Adelén (born 1996), a singer * Emma Ellingsen (born 2001), a transgender model and YouTuber

Sport

* Hjalmar Andersen (1923–2013), a speed skater who won three gold medals at the 1952 Winter Olympics * Ronny Johnsen (born 1969), a former footballer with

Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. They compete in the Premier League, t ...

who has 384 club caps and 62 with

, lives in Tønsberg * Linda Cerup-Simonsen (born 1969), a sailor and team gold medallist at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

Anders Aukland Anders Aukland (born 12 September 1972 in Tønsberg) is a retired professional Norwegian cross-country skier who won both Olympic and World Championship gold medals. He lives in Oslo. He competed in the last race of his career on April 2, 2023. ...

(born 1972), a cross-country skier and team gold medallist,

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...

* Rune Monstad (born 1973) known as ''The Viking Biker'', a Norwegian cyclist who cycled around the world on a 27-speed Gekko mountain bike from 2005 to 2010 * Morten Hagen (born 1974), a professional golfer * Kristine Duvholt Havnås (born 1974), a former Norwegian team handballer, team silver medallist at the

, and team bronze medallist at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

* Tonje Larsen (born 1975), a retired Norwegian Olympic team champion handballer * Olaf Tufte (born 1976), a rower, firefighter, and farmer who won four Olympic medals * John Arne Riise (born 1980), a former footballer with

Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founded in ...

who has 546 club caps and 110 with

, lives in Tønsberg * Espen Bugge Pettersen (born 1980), a former football goalkeeper with 440 club caps * Lisa-Marie Woods (born 1984), a professional football midfielder * Kjetil Borch (born 1990), a world rowing champion and two-time Olympic medallist *

Magnus Carlsen Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (born 30 November 1990) is a Norwegian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion, five-time World Rapid Chess Championship, World Rapid Chess Champio ...

(born 1990), a chess grandmaster and former

World Chess Champion The World Chess Championship is played to determine the world champion in chess. The current world champion is Gukesh Dommaraju, who defeated the previous champion Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship 2024, 2024 World Chess Championship. ...

* Anine Rabe (born 1992), a former figure skater * Ali Srour (born 1994), a Lebanese professional boxer

Gallery

File:Tønsberg_Møllegaten.jpg, Møllers Gaten File:Tønsberg,_Norway_(5251970851).jpg, Tønsberg during winter File:Tønsberg_Torvgaten_002.jpg, Torvgaten in the city centre File:Kunstmuseum_Tønsberg_Norway_june_2014_minnebauta.jpg, Haugar Art Museum File:Tønsberg_tønne.jpg, Tønsberg Barrel on East Island in

File:Part_of_panorama_photo_of_Tønsberg,_Vestfold_-_Riksantikvaren-T084_01_0527_from_1908_-_Slottsfjellet,_Slottsfjellstårnet,_Slottsfjellmuseet,_Slottsfjellskolen,_Nordbyen,_Tønsberg_domkirke,_Tønsberg_gamle_stasjon,_hotell,_båter,_T.jpg, Tønsberg in January 1908 File:Osebergshögen_Tønsberg.jpg, Oseberg Mound, where the 9th century 22-metre '' Oseberg Ship'' was discovered

Twin towns – sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Tønsberg: * Covarrubias, Spain *

Évora Évora ( , ), officially the Very Noble and Ever Loyal City of Évora (), is a city and a municipalities of Portugal, municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of . It is the historic capital of the Alentejo reg ...

, Portugal *

Ísafjörður Ísafjörður (pronounced , meaning ''ice fjord'', literally ''fjord of ices'') is a town in the northwest of Iceland. The oldest part of Ísafjörður with the town centre is located on a spit of sand, or ''eyri'', in Skutulsfjörður, a fjord ...

, Iceland *

Joensuu Joensuu (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Karelia. It is located in the eastern interior of the country and in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Joensuu is approximately , while the sub-region has a population ...

, Finland * Lamia, Greece *

Linköping Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...

, Sweden *

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

, Italy *

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

, Ireland

References

External links

* *
Tønsberg NavigasjonsskoleHaugar Art Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tonsberg Cities and towns in Norway Populated places in Vestfold 9th-century establishments in Norway Populated places established in the 9th century Port cities and towns in Norway Port cities and towns of the North Sea