Vestfold () is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

and a current

electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

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 ...

. Located on the western shore 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 ...

, it borders

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

Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...

counties. The county administration is located in

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 ...

, Norway's oldest city, and the largest city is

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 ...

. With the exception of the city-county 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 ...

, Vestfold is the smallest county in Norway by area. Vestfold is located west of the

, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as

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 ...

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) ...

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 ...

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) ...

and

Stavern Stavern is a town in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The town is located at the mouth of the Larviksfjorden along the Skagerrak coast, about south of the town of Larvik. Historically, Stavern was a self-governing municipality ...

; these towns run from Oslo in an almost constant belt of urban areas along the coast, ending in

Grenland Grenland is a traditional district in Telemark county, in the south-east of Norway. "Grenland" has referred to varying locations throughout history. In modern times, Grenland refers to the areas of the municipalities of Skien, Porsgrunn, Bamble, ...

in neighbouring county Telemark. The river

Numedalslågen Numedalslågen is a river in Norway. It is considered to be the second longest river in Southern Norway. It is located in the Numedal valley which runs through the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud and Vestland. At long, it is of the longest rivers ...

runs through the county. Many islands are located at the coast. Vestfold is mostly dominated by lowland and is among the best agricultural areas of Norway. Winters last about three months, while pleasant summer temperatures last from May to September, with a July average high of 17 °C (63 °F). Vestfold is traditionally known for shipping and sailing.

was formerly a headquarters for the Norwegian whaling fleet, and

used to be Norway's main naval port. The coastal towns of Vestfold now engage in fishing and shipbuilding. Some lumbering is carried on in the interior. The area also includes some of the best farmland in Norway. Vestfold was until 2019 the only county in which all municipalities had declared

Bokmål Bokmål () (, ; ) is one of the official written standards for the Norwegian language, alongside Nynorsk. Bokmål is by far the most used written form of Norwegian today, as it is adopted by 85% to 90% of the population in Norway. There is no cou ...

to be their sole official written form of the

Norwegian language Norwegian ( ) is a North Germanic language from the Indo-European language family spoken mainly in Norway, where it is an official language. Along with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a dialect continuum of more or less mutually intelli ...

. From its re-establishment in 2024, Vestfold is the only county in Norway to have Bokmål as the official written form. Vestfold merged with neighboring Telemark County on 1 January 2020 as part of a nationwide municipal reform. The new county name was

Vestfold og Telemark Vestfold og Telemark (; ) was a county in Norway, which existed from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023. The county was the southernmost one of Eastern Norway and consisted of two distinct and separate traditional regions: the former counties of ...

. Vestfold county was re-established on 1 January 2024, following a vote of the county council of Vestfold og Telemark on 15 February 2022 to split the newly established county into its respective counties that existed before the merger took place; Telemark and Vestfold.

Etymology

''Vestfold'' is the old name of the region which was revived in modern times. ''Fold'' was the old name of the

, and the meaning of the name ''Vestfold'' is the region west of the Fold (see also

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 ...

). Before 1919, the county was called Jarlsberg og Larvik Amt. The

amt Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...

was created in 1821, consisting of the two old counties 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 ...

and

. In the Viking Age, Vestfold also referred to

Eiker Eiker is a traditional district in the county of Buskerud, Norway. History Eiker consists of the municipalities of Nedre Eiker and Øvre Eiker. The area is located in the southern part of Buskerud county. Eiker is an agricultural area with a ...

Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such ...

Kongsberg Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. Kongsberg has been a centre of silver mining, arms production and fo ...

, Lier, now in

.Vol. XIII: ''A History Of Norway'' And ''The Passion And Miracles of the Blessed Óláfr''
Anthony Faulkes and Richard Perkins (Viking Society for Northern Research), p. 128)

Vestfold Hills The Vestfold Hills are rounded, rocky, coastal hills, in extent, on the north side of Sorsdal Glacier on the Ingrid Christensen Coast of Princess Elizabeth Land, Antarctica. The hills are subdivided by three west-trending peninsulas bounded by n ...

on Antarctica's Sørsdal Glacier is named after the county.

History

Viking history

''Vestfold'' is mentioned for the first time in a written source in 813, when Danish kings were in Vestfold to quell an uprising amongst the

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German language, German word for a ruler as well as a princely title. ' were, starting in the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ...

s . There may have been as many as six political centers in Vestfold. At that time Kaupang, which was located in

Tjølling Tjølling is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1988. The area is now part of Larvik Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Tjøllingvollen. Other vi ...

near Larvik, had been functioning for decades and had a chieftain.

Kaupang Kaupang was a Viking Age village that is generally considered to be the first town/marketplace in Norway. It is located near the present-day village of Tjøllingvollen in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village of ''Kaupang'' ...

, which dates from 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 ...

, is believed to be the first town in Norway, although

(which dates from ca. 900) is the oldest town in Norway still in existence. At Borre, there was a site for another chieftain. That site held chieftains for more than one hundred years prior to 813. The stone mounds at

Mølen Mølen is a coastal geopark in the Brunlanes area of Larvik Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The park is Norway's largest beach made up of rolling stones. It is a part of Vestfoldraet, the terrain left behind after the end of the most re ...

have been dated to the

. The mounds at Haugar in present-day

's town centre have been dated to the Viking period. At Farmannshaugen in

Sem SEM or Sem can refer to: Computing * Search engine marketing, promoting websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results * Security event manager, a security log tool used on data networks Economics and management * Stock Ex ...

there seems to have been activity at the time, while activity at Oseberghaugen and Gokstadhaugen dates from a few decades later. An English source from around 890 retells the voyage of Ottar (''Ottar fra Hålogaland'') "from the farthest North, along ''Norvegr'' via Kaupang and

Hedeby Hedeby (, Old Norse: ''Heiðabýr'', German: ''Haithabu'') was an important Danish Viking Age (8th to the 11th centuries) trading settlement near the southern end of the Jutland Peninsula, now in the Schleswig-Flensburg district of Schleswig ...

to England", where Ottar places Kaupang in the land of the

Dane Dane or Danes may refer to: People Pertaining to Denmark * Dane, somebody from Denmark * Danes, an ethnic group native to Denmark * Danes (tribe), an ancient North Germanic tribe Other people * Dane (name), a surname and a given name (and a lis ...

- ''danenes land''. Bjørn Brandlien says that "To the degree that

Harald Hårfagre 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 King of Norway. Supposedly, two of his sons, Eric Bl ...

gathered a kingdom after 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 ...

at the end of the 9th century - that especially is connected to

Avaldsnes Avaldsnes is a village in Karmøy municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located on the northeastern part of the island of Karmøy (island), Karmøy, along the Karmsundet strait, just south of the town of Haugesund (town), Hauge ...

- it does not seem to have made such a great impression on Ottar". Kaupang is mentioned under the name of

Skiringssal Skiringssal () was the name of a Viking Age hall which stood at a site now known as Huseby, about southwest of the village of Tjøllingvollen in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in what was the old Viking village ...

(''Kaupangen i Skiringssal'') in Ottar's tales. By the 10th century, the local kings had established themselves. The king or his ombudsman resided in the old Royal Court at ''Sæheim i Sem'', today the Jarlsberg Estate (''Jarlsberg Hovedgård'') in

. The farm Haugar (from

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 ...

''haugr'' meaning hill or mound) became the seat for

Haugating Haugating was a Thing in medieval Norway. Haugating served as an assembly for the regions around Vestfold and the area west of Oslofjord. It was located at Tønsberg in Vestfold, Norway. Background Although it was not as recognized nationall ...

, the

Thing Thing or The Thing may refer to: Philosophy * An object * Broadly, an entity * Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant * Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuses ...

for Vestfold and one of Norway's most important place for the proclamation of kings. The family of

Harald Fairhair Harald Fairhair (; – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from 872 to 930 and was the first Monarchy of Norway, King of Norway. Supposedly, two ...

, who was most likely the first king of Norway, is said to have come from this area. The Danish kings seem to have been weak in Vestfold from around the middle of the 9th century until the middle of the 10th century, but their rule was strengthened there at the end of the 10th century. The Danish kings seem to have tried to control the region until the 13th century.

Kings ruling some or all of Vestfold

Halvdan Svartes saga-Tittelfrise-Gerhard Munthe

* Erik Agnarsson *

Halfdan Hvitbeinn Halfdan Whiteshanks (Old Norse: ''Hálfdan hvítbeinn'') was a semi-historical petty king in Norway, described in the ''Ynglinga saga''. The following description is based on the account in Ynglinga saga, written in the 1220s by Snorri Sturluson. ...

(part of Vestfold) *

Eystein Halfdansson King Eystein is knocked off his ship. Illustration by Gerhard Munthe (1899) Eystein Halfdansson (Old Norse: ''Eysteinn Hálfdansson'') was the son of Halfdan Hvitbeinn of the House of Yngling according to Norse tradition. He inherited the thro ...

Halfdan the Mild Halfdan (, , Medieval : "half Dane") was a late 5th and early 6th century legendary Danish king of the Scylding (Skjöldung) lineage, the son of king named Fróði in many accounts, noted mainly as the father to the two kings who succeeded hi ...

Gudrød the Hunter Gudrød the Hunter (Old Norse: ''Guðrøðr veiðikonungr'', Norwegian: ''Gudrød Veidekonge'', literally ''Gudrod Hunter-king''; died 820 AD), also known as Gudrød the Magnificent (Old Norse: ''enn gǫfugláti'', Norwegian: ''den gjeve''), is ...

Halfdan the Black Halfdan the Black (Old Norse: ''Halfdanr Svarti''; ) was a king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of a unified Norway. In sagas According to ''Heimskringla'' and ''Fagrskinna ...

, together with his brother, Olaf Gudrødsson *

Ragnvald the Mountain-High Ragnvald, Rögnvald or Rognvald or Rægnald is an Old Norse name (Old Norse ''Rǫgnvaldr'', modern Icelandic ''Rögnvaldur''; in Old English ''Regenweald'' and in Old Irish, Middle Irish ''Ragnall''). Notable people with the name include: * Ragnval ...

, Cousin of Harold Fairhair *

Bjørn Farmann Bjørn Farmann ("Bjørn the Tradesman", also called Bjørn Haraldsson, Farmand and Kaupman, died between 930 and 934) was a king of Vestfold. Bjørn was one of the sons of King Harald Fairhair of Norway. In late tradition, Bjørn Farmann was made ...

Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf Olaf Haraldssøn Geirstadalf Digerbein (Agder, c. 877 - Tønsberg, c. 934), was a reputed son of King Harald Fairhair of Norway with Svanhild Øysteinsdatter, daughter of Øystein Jarl. Biography The saga ''Heimskringla'', written in Iceland in th ...

, brother of Bjørn * Harald Gudrødsson Grenske, 976–987

Whaling

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 ...

was an important 19th century industry in coastal cities such as

, and

, which was the world centre for the world's modern whaling industry. Not only did men from Vestfold County make up practically all the crew on the Norwegian whaling fleet, but many were also involved in the whaling industry in other nations.Tønnessen, Johan Nicolay and Arne Odd Johnsen (1982). ''The History of Modern Whaling''. University of California Press. Page 25. . As an example, the first phase of modern Australian whaling was almost entirely based on workers from Larvik. While 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 ...

was established by Sandefjordians, Larvik played a similar role for the

Shetland Islands Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the Uni ...

. Tønsberg initiated much of the whaling industry 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 ...

. The largest settlement in

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) is a British Overseas Territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia and a chain of smaller islands known as the ...

, ''

Grytviken Grytviken ( ) is a Hamlet (place), hamlet on South Georgia in the South Atlantic. Formerly a whaling station, it was the largest settlement on the island. Grytviken is located at the head of King Edward Cove within the larger Cumberland East Bay, ...

'', was established by

Carl Anton Larsen Carl Anton Larsen (7 August 1860 – 8 December 1924) was a Norwegian-born whaler and Antarctic explorer who made important contributions to the exploration of Antarctica, the most significant being the first discovery of fossils for which h ...

of Sandefjord on 16 November 1904. Sandefjordian

Nils Larsen Nils Larsen (19 June 1900 – 29 September 1976) was a Norwegian sea captain. Larsen is perhaps most associated with the Norvegia expeditions of Antarctica. Larsen was born in Sandar, and became a noted whaler, captaining a number of whalin ...

's expeditions 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. ...

in the early 20th century led to the Norwegian annexation of

Bouvet Island Bouvet Island ( ; ) is an uninhabited subantarctic volcanic island and dependency of Norway. It is a protected nature reserve, and situated in the South Atlantic Ocean at the southern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, it is the world's most extre ...

(1927) and

Peter I Island Peter I Island () is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Bellingshausen Sea, from continental Antarctica. It is territorial claims in Antarctica, claimed as a Dependent territory, dependency of Norway and, along with Bouvet Island and Queen Ma ...

(1929). A cove on Peter I Island is named Sandefjord Cove in honor of Nils Larsen's hometown. Sandefjord Harbor is now home to ''

Southern Actor ''Southern Actor'' is a former whale catcher, currently a museum ship based in Sandefjord, Norway and owned by Sandefjord Museum. It is the only whale catcher from the Modern Whaling Epoch still to be in its original working order. Over 100,000 h ...

'', the only whale-catcher from the Modern Whaling Epoch still to be in its original order. The museum ship is owned by Sandefjord Whaling Museum, Europe's only museum dedicated to whaling.Philpott, Don (1991). ''Visitor's Guide: Norway''. Moorland. Page 76. . Sandefjord has been named the centre of the Modern Whaling Epoch, and has been nicknamed "the whaling capital of the world."

Geography

Vestfold is Norway's smallest county, with the exception of the city-county of

. It lies on the western shore of the

. Vestfold borders with Buskerud County in the north and with Telemark County in the west. It is bordered by

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 ...

in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

to both the south and east. The county has a total area of and has a coastline.

Vestfjellet Vestfjellet is a mountain in Holmestrand Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The tall mountain is the highest point in Vestfold county. The mountain is located about west of the village of Eidsfoss and about to the northwest of the villag ...

at is the tallest peak in the county. It is also home to 1,407 islands.

Nøtterøy Nøtterøy is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The island municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution on 1 January 2018. The area is now part of Færder Municipality. The admini ...

() is the largest island in Vestfold, while

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 ...

() is the second-largest island.Bertelsen, Hans Kristian (1998). ''Bli kjent med Vestfold / Become acquainted with Vestfold''. Stavanger Offset AS. Page 191. . There is a total of 634 freshwater lakes in Vestfold, with a total area of 79 square kilometers. Large lakes include

Farris Farris is a lake on the border of Telemark and Vestfold counties in Norway. The long freshwater moraine-dammed lake is located mostly in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold, but the northwestern part of the lake is located in Siljan Municipality an ...

Eikeren Eikeren or Eikern is a long, deep lake in eastern Norway. The lake is located on the border of Øvre Eiker Municipality in Buskerud county and Holmestrand Municipality in Vestfold county (the majority of the lake is in Buskerud). It is the larg ...

Goksjø Goksjø is a lake on the border of Larvik Municipality and Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The lake is located about to the northwest of the Sandefjord (town), town of Sandefjord and about to the south of the village of Kod ...

, Hallevannet, Akersvannet, and others. Vestfold makes up 0.7 percent of Norway's total land area. Ten Norwegian municipalities are larger in size than Vestfold County. As an example,

Kautokeino Municipality Kautokeino (; ; ; ) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Finnmark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Kautokeino (village), village of Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino. Other villag ...

Finnmark Finnmark (; ; ; ; ) is a counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland's Lapland (Finland), Lapland region to the south, and Russia's Murmansk Oblast to the east, and by water, the Norweg ...

County is over four times larger than Vestfold County. Finnmark county is 22 times larger than Vestfold county.

Geology

The county's soft soil is composed of varieties of moraine and sedimentary soils. 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 g ...

left large parts of Vestfold below sea level, and the most cultivated soil can be found on the marine terraces. Marine clay and sand cover most of the lower lying country in the south-west and north. The Vestfold moraine, a continuation of the Østfold moraine at Moss, is an ice-formed formation which stretches as a cohesive gravel ridge through the county, from

in the east to

in the south.

Preserved areas

Færder National Park was the county's first national park when the decision was formalized by

King Harald V Harald V (, ; born 21 February 1937) has been King of Norway since 1991. A member of the House of Glücksburg, Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the line of succ ...

on 23 August 2013. The visitor center is at World's End, and was officially opened by

Queen Sonja Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen; 4 July 1937) is Queen of Norway as the wife of King Harald V. Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years prior to their marriage in 1968. They had kept their relationship a secret due to the ...

on 26 June 2015. The national park lies in

- and

municipalities, and is made up of of ocean and of land. It stretches from Ormøy in the north to

Færder Lighthouse Færder Lighthouse () is a coastal lighthouse in the municipality of Færder in Vestfold county, Norway. The lighthouse is located on the archipelago Tristein, three small islands in the outer Oslofjord. It was first lit in 1857 as a replacement ...

in the south. It is one of two marine national parks in Norway, and is made up of coast, skerries, islands and sea bed.

is home to Norway's largest stone beach and is an ancient burial site consisting of 230 cairns, some exceeding in diameter. Excavations have dated the rock piles to about 250 A.D. It was the first

UNESCO Global Geopark UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) are geoparks certified by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council as meeting all the requirements for belonging to the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). The GGN is both a network of geoparks and the agency of the United Nati ...

in the Nordics when established in 2008. Mølen is one of Larvik's most popular tourist attractions. It is home to over a hundred species of rock, including Norway's national stone, ''

Larvikite Larvikite is an igneous rock, specifically a variety of monzonite, notable for the presence of thumbnail-sized crystals of feldspar. These feldspars are known as ''ternary'' because they contain significant components of all three endmember fe ...

'', which is named from the area. It is a crucially important seabird habitat, where over 316 species of bird have been recorded. Kommuner i Vestfold

Municipalities

Vestfold has experienced a large reduction in number of municipalities. As of 1949, the county was home to 19 rural municipalities and 7 city municipalities. There were 14 municipalities as of 2016, but the number decreased to 6 as of 2024. Vestfold has the least amount of municipalities of any county in Norway. #

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 ...

Horten Municipality Horten () is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jarlsberg. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. Other population centers in Horten Municipality include the t ...

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, ...

Færder Municipality Færder is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Borgheim. Other villages in the municipality include Årøysund, Bj ...

Sandefjord Municipality 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 ...

Larvik Municipality Larvik () is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. Other main population centres in the municipality include the ...

Towns and cities

Villages

Andebu Andebu is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution on 1 January 2017. The area is now part of Sandefjord Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Andebu. Othe ...

Barkåker Barkåker is a village in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located along the European route E18 highway, about to the northwest of the city of Tønsberg. Sem Church lies about to the south of the village. Th ...

Berger Berger is a surname in both German language, German and French language, French, although there is no etymological connection between the names in the two languages. The French surname is an occupational name for a shepherd, from Old French ''bergi ...

* Bergsåsen * Bjerkøya *

Bjørnevåg Bjørnevåg is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the southern part of the island of Tjøme, about south of the villages of Tjøme, Solvang, and Ormelet. Verdens Ende Verdens Ende ( or ; ...

Borgheim Borgheim is the administrative centre of Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the central part of the island of Nøtterøy. The village lies about west of the village of Nesbrygga, about to the northwest ...

* Borre *

Brekkeåsen Brekkeåsen or Kirkevoll is a village in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located about to the north of the city of Tønsberg. The village of Revetal lies about to the south, the village of Svinevoll lies about ...

Buerstad Buerstad is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the southern coast of the island of Nøtterøy. The village of Buerstad is located about to the east of the village of Strengsdal and about to ...

Duken Duken is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the eastern coast of the island of Nøtterøy. The village lies about south of the village of Nesbrygga Nesbrygga or Nesbryggen is a village in ...

Eidsfoss Eidsfoss is a village in Holmestrand Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located at the southern end of the lake Eikeren, about north of the village of Hof and about southeast of the village of Vestfossen (in Øvre Eiker ...

* Eik *

Eikeberg Eikeberg or Ekeberg is a village in Holmestrand Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located about to the north of the village of Sande i Vestfold and about to the south of the village of Skoger (in Drammen Municipality). The ...

Fevang Fevang is a village in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located about to the north of the centre of the city of Sandefjord and about to the southwest of the village of Stokke. It is located along the European ...

Fokserød Fokserød is a village in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located along the European route E18 highway, just west of the Sandefjord Airport, Torp. The village lies about to the north of the city of Sandefjord. ...

* Fon * Freberg *

Føynland Føynland is an island in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The island lies in between the large island of Nøtterøy and the smaller island of Husøy (in Tønsberg Municipality). The island is connected to the two neighboring ...

Gjone Gjone is a village in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold 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 ...

* Glomstein * Gretteåsen *

Grimestad Grimestad is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the island of Tjøme, about to the northeast of the village of Tjøme, about to the north of the village of Hulebakk, about to the southeast ...

* Gullhaug * Hafallen *

Helgeroa Helgeroa is a village in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located along the Helgerofjorden at the Skaggerak coast in southwestern Vestfold. It is located about to the north of the village of Nevlunghavn and about ...

Hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...

* Hof *

Hulebakk Hulebakk is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the island of Tjøme, about to the northeast of the village of Tjøme, about to the northwest of the village of Ormelet, and about to the so ...

Husvik Husvik is a former whaling station on the north-central coast of South Georgia Island South Georgia is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of Sout ...

* Husøy *

Hvasser Hvasser is a populated island in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The island is located in the Oslofjord right between the island of Tjøme to the west and the small island of Sandø to the east. The island sits about south of ...

Høyjord Høyjord is a village in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located about to the northwest of the village of Andebu and about to the west of the village of Revetal. The village has a population (2022) of 381 an ...

* Hårkollen *

Kjose Kjose is a village in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is on the western shore of the large lake Farris Farris is a lake on the border of Telemark and Vestfold counties in Norway. The long freshwater moraine-dammed ...

Kjøpmannskjær Kjøpmannskjær is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the southern shore of the island of Nøtterøy, about east of the village of Tenvik, about north of the village of Sundene (on Tjøme ...

* Klever *

Kodal Kodal is a village in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located about to the north of the city of Sandefjord and about to the south of the village of Andebu. The village has a population (2022) of 1,059 an ...

* Kvelde *

Lahelle Lahelle is a village in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located at the innermost part of the long Lahellefjorden. It is also located at the northern end of the Østerøya peninsula. The village is about to th ...

* Linnestad *

Melsomvik Melsomvik is a village in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located along the Tønsbergfjorden, about to the east of the village of Stokke. The small village of Storevar lies immediately to the south of Melsom ...

Nesbrygga Nesbrygga or Nesbryggen is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the eastern coast of the island of Nøtterøy. The village lies about to the north of the village of Duken, about to the east o ...

* Nesbygda *

Nevlunghavn Nevlunghavn (sometimes also spelled Nevlunghamn) is a village in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located along the Skaggerak coast in the Brunlanes area of Larvik. It is located about to the south of the village 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 ...

Ormelet Ormelet is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the island of Tjøme, immediately southeast of the village of Solvang, about to the southeast of the village of Tjøme, about to the south of ...

Oterbekk Oterbekk is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the southeastern coast of the island of Nøtterøy. The village is located about to the northwest of the village of Årøysund, about to the no ...

Ramnes Ramnes is a village in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located about to the northwest of the city of Tønsberg, about to the northwest of the village of Linnestad, about to the southwest of the villages of ...

Revetal Revetal is a village in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located about to the northwest of the city of Tønsberg, about to the northwest of the village of Linnestad, about to the south of the village of Bre ...

Rånerudåsen Rånerudåsen is a village in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located about to the north of the city of Tønsberg, about to the northeast of the village of Brekkeåsen, and about to the west of the village ...

Råstad Råstad is a village area in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located just south of Sandefjord Airport, Torp, about south of the village of Stokke, and about northeast of the city of Sandefjord. It is home to ...

* Sande * Selvik *

Skallestad Skallestad is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the eastern coast of the island of Nøtterøy. The village lies about to the northwest of Oterbekk and Hårkollen, about southeast of the vi ...

* Skinmo *

Skjerve Skjerve is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located in the central part of the island of Nøtterøy. Skjerve is located about east of the village of Glomstein, about south of the village of Borghei ...

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 ...

Solløkka Solløkka is a village in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located at the north end of the Lahellefjorden, just across the fjord from the village of Lahelle Lahelle is a village in Sandefjord Municipality in ...

* Solvang *

Stokke Stokke is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution on 1 January 2017. The area is now part of Sandefjord Municipality. The administrative ...

Storevar Storevar is a village in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located along the Tønsbergfjorden, just south of the village of Melsomvik, about to the southeast of the large village of Stokke, and about to the no ...

Strand Strand or The Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * ...

Strengsdal Strengsdal is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the southern coast of the island of Nøtterøy. It lies about east of the village of Kjøpmannskjær Kjøpmannskjær is a village in Færde ...

* Sundbyfoss *

Sundene Sundene is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the island of Tjøme, about to the north of the village of Tjøme, about to the north of the village of Svelvik, and about to the northwest of ...

Svarstad Svarstad is a village in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located along the river Numedalslågen, approximately north of the town of Larvik and about south of the village of Hvittingfoss in Kongsberg Municipal ...

Svelvik is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Drammen Municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The town is located along the west shore of the Drammensfjorden, about to the southeast of the Drammen (town), town of Drammen and about north ...

Svinevoll Svinevoll is a village in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located about to the west of the village of Brekkeåsen, about east of the village of Fon, and about to the north of the village of Revetal. Histor ...

Teie Teie is a village on the island of Nøtterøy in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located within the city of Tønsberg and it straddles the border between Tønsberg Municipality and Færder Municipality. The village area is located at t ...

Tenvik Tenvik is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the coast of the island of Nøtterøy, along the Tønsbergfjorden. It is located about west of the village of Kjøpmannskjær, about to the nort ...

Tjøllingvollen Tjøllingvollen or Viksfjord is a village in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located about to the east of the town of Larvik. The village of Hem lies about to the northeast, the village of Verningen lies about ...

Torød Torød is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located near the southern coast of the island of Nøtterøy. The village lies about to the northeast of the village of Buerstad, about to the southwest of ...

* Ula *

Unneberg Unneberg is a village in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located between the village of Gokstad to the south and the village of Råstad to the north. The villages of Helgerød, Lahelle, and Solløkka are loc ...

* Valberg *

Vassås Vassås is a small village in Bindal Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located along the Tosen arm of the Bindalsfjorden, just north of the Vassås Bridge which connects the village to the larger village of Terråk. The village of � ...

Vear Vear is a village in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located along the border with Sandefjord Municipality and along the Tønsbergfjorden, about to the southwest of the city of Tønsberg and about to the sou ...

Veierland Veierland is a populated, Car-free islands, car-free island in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The island is located in the Tønsbergfjorden, between the mainland (to the west), the island of Tjøme (island), Tjøme (to the east ...

Verdens Ende Verdens Ende ( or ; historic: ''Helgerodtangen'') is located at the southernmost tip of the island of Tjøme in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The point is composed of various islets and rocks and is one of the most popular s ...

Verningen Verningen is a village in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located along the European route E18 highway, about to the northeast of the town of Larvik. The village of Himberg (an exclave of Sandefjord Municipality) ...

Vestskogen Vestskogen is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the northwestern coast of the Nøtterøy (island), island of Nøtterøy. The village area lies about to the southwest of the centre of the Tøn ...

* Vollen *

Årøysund Årøysund is a village in Færder Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located on the southeastern coast of the island of Nøtterøy. The village lies about to the northeast of the village of Torød and about to the southe ...

Parishes

* Andebu * Arnadal (Arendal) * Berg * Borre * Botne * Brunlanes * Fon * Fredricksværn, see Stavern * Hedrum * Hem * Hillestad * Hof * Holmestrand * Horten * Hvarnes * Høyjord * Kjose * Kodal * Konnerud * Kvelde * Langestrand * Lardal * Larvik * Nykirke * Nøtterøy * Ramnes * Sandar * Sande * Sandefjord * Sandeherred, see Sandar * Sankt Laurentii * Sem * Skjee * Skoger * Slagen * Stavern * Stokke * Strømm (Strømmen) * Strømsgodset * Styrvoll * Svarstad * Svelvik * Tanum * Tjølling * Tjøme * Tønsberg * Undrumsdal * Valløy * Vassås * Vivestad * Vor Frue (Maria) * Våle * Åsgårdstrand * Larvik Branch (LDS, early-1927) * Tønsberg Branch (LDS, early-1951) * Larvik (Katolske Apostoliske, 1888–1963)

Former municipalities

Andebu Municipality Andebu is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution on 1 January 2017. The area is now part of Sandefjord Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Andebu. Other ...

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 ...

Botne Municipality Botne is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Holmestrand Municipality in the traditional district of Jarlsberg. The administrative centre w ...

Brunlanes Municipality Brunlanes 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 the southwestern part of Larvik Municipality. The administr ...

Hedrum Municipality Hedrum is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1988. The area is now part of Larvik Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Nanset (from 1978-1988; prio ...

* Hof Municipality *

Lardal Municipality Lardal () is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2018. The area is now part of Larvik Municipality. The administrative centre wa ...

Nøtterøy Municipality Nøtterøy is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The island municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution on 1 January 2018. The area is now part of Færder Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Borgh ...

Ramnes Municipality Ramnes is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2002. The area is now part of Tønsberg Municipality. The administrative centre was ...

Sandar Municipality Sandar (or historically Sandeherred) is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1968. The area is now part of Sandefjord Municipality. The administrative centre was located a ...

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 ...

Skoger Municipality Skoger is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Drammen Municipality in Buskerud county. The administr ...

* Stavern Municipality *

Stokke Municipality Stokke is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution on 1 January 2017. The area is now part of Sandefjord Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Stokke. Othe ...

Strømm Municipality Strømm is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Drammen Municipality in Buskerud county. The administrative centre was the town of Svelvik ( ...

Tjølling Municipality Tjølling is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1988. The area is now part of Larvik Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Tjøllingvollen. Other vi ...

Tjøme Municipality Tjøme () is a 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 centre was the village of Tjøme. Other v ...

Våle Municipality Våle is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2002. The area is now part of Tønsberg Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Kirkevoll (it was at Sø ...

Åsgårdstrand Municipality Åsgårdstrand (historically spelled ''Aasgaardstrand'') is a small port town in both Horten and Tønsberg municipalities in Vestfold county, Norway. The town is located along the shore of the Ytre Oslofjord, about south of the town of Horten, ...

Political strength

Results from parliamentary elections in Vestfold County since 1973: Bold letters represent the alliances (Leftwing Ap+ SV. Centre KrF+ V+ Sp. Rightwing H+ Frp). M = Number of elected parliamentarians.

Demographics

According to

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 ...

, Vestfold County was home to 244,967 residents as of 1 January 2016. Immigrants made up 11.9 percent of the population in 2017. Most immigrants were from Poland (4,287 people), followed by Lithuania (2,794) and Iraq (1,549). Despite its small size, Vestfold had the third-highest

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 ...

in Norway. However, the population density may still have been considered low; as an example, the population density of the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

was four times higher than that of Vestfold County in 1998. Sandefjord was the most populous city of Vestfold County; one in four people from Vestfold were from Sandefjord, or 25.2 percent of the county population.

Economy

Traditional industries in Vestfold have included

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

ship building Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces i ...

. For over 50 years in the 19th century,

and partially

functioned as the world centre for the whaling industry. However, whaling ended in the 1960s and the ship building industry has gradually reduced since the 1980s.

Information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

is currently a growing industry, and the county is home to large web shops such as

Komplett Komplett AS is a Norwegian e-commerce company with nine webshops in 3 countries in Scandinavia. The main part of their product assortment is computers and components, but they have also expanded to include photographic, Hi-Fi, TV, gaming and w ...

, MPX.no and netshop.no. 18.9 percent of the county's total area is used for agriculture, the highest percentage of any county in Norway. 70% of agricultural lands are used for the cultivation of grains. Vestfold's farming area makes up five percent of Norway's cultivated areas. However, by area, Vestfold only makes up 0.7 percent of Norway's land area. Vestfold has Norway's most expensive vacation homes. Sandefjord had Norway's most expensive vacation homes in 2012, while

had the most expensive homes as of 2010. General property values appreciated 28.3 percent between 2010 and 2015.

Tourism

Summer tourism is an important industry in Vestfold, particularly in coastal communities such as

and

. Coastal cities also have large numbers of vacation homes. There were 534,724 hotel stays in 2015, where the purpose was vacationing for 236,895. Most international tourists were from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. There were 781,459 stays at rental cabins or campgrounds in 2015. Consequentially, the population increases drastically during summer months in municipalities such as Sandefjord, Tjøme, and elsewhere. The population at Tjøme goes from 4,500 to around 50,000 each summer. The population of islands such as Tjøme often quadruple during summer, while summer communities as

often sees a doubling or tripling.Evensberget, Snorre (2014). ''DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Norway''. Penguin. Page 129. . Tjøme Island is home to nearly as many vacation homes as residential homes. While Tjøme has the nickname ''Sommerøya'' ("the Summer Island"), Sandefjord is nicknamed ''Badebyen'' ("the Bathing City") due to its many beaches and former spas. Sandefjord is known for its many great beaches, and it is primarily known as a summer resort community. It first became a bathing destination when

sulphur Sulfur (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundance of the chemical ...

was discovered in 1837. The city gained further recognition when Sandefjord Sulfur Spa and Resort (''Kurbadet'') was established in 1837. The bath was one of the most visited in Europe during the late 19th century.Jøranlid, Marianne (1996). ''40 trivelige turer i Sandefjord og omegn''. Vett Viten. Page 36. . Vestfold's most visited tourist attractions include

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 ...

, the largest burial site in

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 ...

, as well as numerous sites along the coast. Architectural sites include the villages of

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'', ...

, and

Fredriksvern Fredriksvern (also called ''Friderichsværn'' (1801), ''Frederiksværn'' (1865), ''Fredriksværen'' (1900) and abbreviated ''Frsværn'') was an important Norwegian naval base, just south of Larvik in Vestfold. It is named after Fredrik V Denmark ...

. Other important attractions are Sandefjord Whaling Museum, Mølen Geopark in

, as well as

Tønsberg Fortress Tønsberg Fortress (''Tunsberghus festning'') was a medieval fortress and castle, located in Tønsberg, Norway which was defended by the fortress for over 300 years. It includes ruins from ''Castrum Tunsbergis'', Norway's largest castle in the 13 ...

(''Slottsfjellet'') in

Largest companies

Largest companies in Vestfold County based on

operating income In accounting and finance, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) is a measure of a firm's profit that includes all incomes and expenses (operating and non-operating) except interest expenses and income tax expenses. Operating income and opera ...

in 2015:

Culture

Vestfold is the county in Norway with the most traces from the

. Examples include the Oseberg- and Gokstad Burial Mounds. While the Oseberg Ship was discovered in

, the

Gokstad Ship The Gokstad ship is a 9th-century Viking ship found in a burial mound at Gokstad in Sandar, Norway, Sandar, Sandefjord, Vestfold, Norway. It is displayed at the Viking Ship Museum (Oslo), Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway. It is the largest pr ...

was discovered in

. The Gokstad Ship is Norway's largest preserved Viking ship. Both ships are now located at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. Additional burial mounds are found at

and

, an

. Borre mound cemetery is home to Northern Europe's largest burial mound site from Viking Age. Vestfold is home to 21 churches dating to

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

times. It is also home to one stave church,

Høyjord Stave Church Høyjord Stave Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the village of Høyjord. It is the church for the Høyjord parish which is part of the Sandefjord prosti ( ...

in Andebu (Sandefjord). Nearby Andebu Church also has Norway's oldest parish register, dating to 1623. The city of Sandefjord proper is home to Europe's only museum dedicated to whaling, Sandefjord Museum in the city centre. This museum also owns ''

'', a whale-catcher turned museum ship. Southern Actor is the only whale-catcher from the Modern Whaling Epoch still to be in its original working order. Also at Sandefjord Harbor is the Harbour Chapel (''Bryggekapellet''), which is the only floating church in Norway and most likely Europe, perhaps the only floating church in the world. The city of

is Norway's oldest city, most likely founded in year 871. Tønsberg is home to

, which is Scandinavia's largest ruin site. It includes ruins from ''Castrum Tunsbergis'', Norway's largest castle in the 13th century. An outdoor music festival is held at Tønsberg Fortress every July. Ruins of a German fortress can be seen at Vesterøya#Folehavna Fort, Folehavna Fort on Vesterøya, West Island, Sandefjord.

Transportation

The Vestfold Line is a railway line that runs from

, through a number of towns in Vestfold and ending in the town of Skien in

. European route E18 runs through the county roughly parallel to the railway. There are two international ferry connections, both operated by Color Line (ferry operator), Color Line.

is connected to the Danish town Hirtshals, the other route is between

and Strømstad in Sweden. Fjord Line is also a ferry operator between Sandefjord and Strømstad. In addition there is a domestic route connecting

and Moss. Sandefjord Airport, Torp, Sandefjord Airport Torp is one of Norway's largest airports. Only Bergen Airport, Flesland, Bergen- and Oslo Airports have more international flights than Torp Airport. Despite being located 74 miles south of Oslo, Torp is sometimes Oslo Airport location controversy#Torp and Rygge, called Oslo Airport Torp. It is reached with a free shuttle bus from Sandefjord Airport Station on Vestfold Line, Vestfoldbanen. Torp is regional hub for low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle, Norwegian, as well as low-cost carriers Ryanair and WizzAir also operate from the airport. Torp offers direct routes to over 30 international and domestic destinations, including daily flights to European cities such as London and Amsterdam.

Points of interest

Larvik

* Bøkeskogen, world's northernmost beech tree forest.Ham, Anthony and Stuart Butler (2015). ''Lonely Planet Norway''. Lonely Planet. Page 91. . *

, home to remains for the oldest Nordic countries, Nordic town yet discovered. The remains are from one of Scandinavia's earliest urban sites, established in year 800 A.D.Skre, Dagfinn (2007). ''Kaupang in Skiringssal''. Aarhus University Press. Page 13. .Doreen, Taylor-Wilkie (2018). ''Insight Guides Norway''. Insight. Page 157. . *

, Scandinavia's first

. *

and

, adjacent coastal villages. * Larvik Museum * Fritzøehus, largest privately owned estate in Norway. *

, small coastal town, home of Citadellet, Citadell Island **

, Norway's main naval base from the mid-1750s until 1864. ** Minnehallen (Hall of Remembrance), largest monument in Vestfold.

Horten

* Borre National Park, largest burial mound site in

. * Løvøy Chapel * Royal Norwegian Navy Museum * Preus Museum * Borre Church, romanesque medieval church constructed in the 1100s. * Tordenskioldeika *

, oceanside resort town. * Borre Golfbane

Tønsberg and Færder

, largest ruin park in the Nordic countries. * Oseberg Ship, Oseberg Mound, site of the discovery of the '' Oseberg Ship'' * Haugar * Tønsberg Cathedral * Sem Church * Slottsfjellmuseet * Nordbyen (Tønsberg), Nordbyen * World's End, southernmost point at

. * Herkelås * Tjøme Church * Færder National Park, first National parks of Norway, National Park in Vestfold.

Sandefjord

* Sandefjord Museum (the Whaling Museum), Europe's only museum dedicated to whaling. **

, only whale-catcher from the Modern Whaling Epoch still to be in its original working order. * Gokstad Mound, site of the discovery of the 9th-century ''

''. * Gaia ship, replica of the ''Gokstad Ship'' docked at Museum's Wharf. * Sandar Church, built on ruins of a 13th-century

stone church. Present church was erected in 1792. * Whaler's Monument, rotating bronze monument erected in honor of pioneering whalers. * Sandefjord Church * Istrehågan, ancient burial ground which dates to the Roman Iron Age (Northern Europe), Roman Iron Age around 1500-500 BCE. * Kurbadet, former resort spa and one of Europe's most visited baths in the late 19th century. * Vesterøya#Folehavna Fort, Folehavna Fort, ruins from a Nazi Germany, German fortress erected in 1941 during the German occupation of Norway. *

, the only stave church left in Vestfold County. * Langeby, popular bathing beach at Vesterøya, West Island. *

, third-largest lake in Vestfold County.

Archaeological sites

Istrehågan

Istrehågan is an ancient burial ground which dates to the Roman Iron Age (Northern Europe), Roman Iron Age around 1500-500 BCE. It is located at Jåberg in

, on the border between

and

. The rock settings at Istrehågan resemble a ship. It is long, and meters broad. Archaeological excavations made in 1959-61 uncovered remains of bones, bear claws, pottery shards, a brooch, and more. At Haugen farm on the Sandefjord side is Vestfold County's largest collection of petroglyphs.

Borre National Park

At Borre mound cemetery, Borrehaugene near Borre, Norway, Borrre there are 9 large mounds and around 30 smaller ones. It is the largest burial mound site in

. Borre mound cemetery most likely contains graves belonging to kings of the Yngling dynasty. It is mentioned in the poem ''Ynglingatal'' as the burial site of one of two kings belonging to the royal dynasty of the Ynglingas.

Kaupang

in Skiringssal (

) is home to remains from the oldest Nordic countries, Nordic town yet discovered. It was a trade centre established around year 800, making it one of Scandinavia's earliest urban sites. The settlement was abandoned in the mid-10th century. It is located in Kaupang Bay in Viksfjord,

. Archeological finds include melting pots, jewelry parts, casting moulds and casting models. Most of Kaupang remains not excavated. There are replicas of Viking homes at Kaupang today, giving insight to how homes were constructed during the

Oseberg Burial Mound

Oseberg Mound is located in

and is where the '' Oseberg Ship'' was discovered. The ship, which dates to 834 A.D., had a length of . Two female skeletons were found in the ship's burial chamber.

Viking burial site at Gulli

Gulli, outside

, was the site of an archaeological excavation during the period from 2003 to 2004, prior to asphalt being laid for constructing the new European route E18, E18 (road). There were 60 graves - 20 of those were preserved to a degree that [authorities decided] permitted examinations. "Perhaps the most spectacular [item] was a ''høvre''" - used with a horse's harness. "There are few of those in Norway - one in Trøndelag and a gilded one found in Borre mound cemetery, Borre". The artifacts are on display at the Midgard Historical Centre in Borre.

Fevang

19th century archeologists were struck by the many burial mounds and artifacts discovered at Fevang near Torp Airport in

. Local farmers had discovered various artifacts in the 19th- and early 20th centuries. Archeologist Nicolay Nicolaysen traveled to Fevang and concluded that Fevang was home to an array of ancient burial mounds. Nicolaysen further discovered that Fevang had been an active graveyard for over 1,000 years - since year 0 A.D. until the first Christian cemeteries were established. Among the artifacts discovered were a gold jewel named ''Berlokk'', which was retrieved in a woman's grave along with two gold beads, two blue glass beads, a hairpin, ceramic, burnt bones, and two clips of bronze. Her tomb is dated to the Old Iron Age, around 0-400 A.D.

Gokstad Mound

Gokstad Mound in Sandefjord was where the ''

'' was excavated by Nicolay Nicolaysen in 1880. The skeleton of a man was found in the ship, long believed to be Olaf Geirstad-Alf, former king of Vestfold and half-brother of

, the father of

, Norway's first king. However, recent discoveries have increased uncertainty and it therefore remains unknown what chieftain was buried at Gokstad. The ship, which is the largest found in Norway, is currently located at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. The ship was buried along with numerous gifts, including weapons, jewels, a gaming board, fish-hooks, 64 shields, six beds, three smaller boats and kitchen utensils. Twelve horses, eight dogs, two goshawks and two peacocks were also discovered in the grave. Interpretive signs have been put up at the mound and ''Gokstad ship#Replicas, Gaia'', an exact replica of the Gokstad Ship, can be seen on Museum's Wharf at Sandefjord Harbor.

Mølen

The Old norse language, Old Norse word ''Mol'' translates to cairns, a site often used by ancient peoples to mark a burial site.

, which is Norway's largest stone beach, is home to 230 cairns, which have been built over ages. Some cairns have been dated to 250 A.D. The isthmus of Mølen is home to stone piles, grave mounds, and stone settings, which are all part of a protected historic site. The last Ice Age pushed large amounts of gravel and stones ahead of it, and deposited it as a moraine through all of Vestfold, known as ''Vestfoldraet''. Raet meets the ocean at Mølen, where the moraine sinks into the sea. Its encounter with the

ocean waves has uncovered and polished the huge round stone floor for centuries.

Bøkeskogen

Besides being the largest beech tree forest in

, and the most northernmost beech tree forest in the world, Bøkeskogen is also an important archeological area. 83-90 burial mounds have been discovered in the forest. Some of these include the largest burial grounds from the Pre-Roman Iron Age in Vestfold County.

Recreation

At least 238 kilometers of coastal hiking trails can be found in Vestfold County, from

in the south to Svelvik in the north. Hiking trails are found throughout the county, including at World's End in Færder National Park. Furthermore, there is a 35 km (22 mi.) marked trail between the towns of

and

, Kjærrafossen and Bøkeskogen are also home to various trails. Østerøya, Tønsberg Barrel, an old beacon dated to ''Sverris saga'' in the Middle Ages, sits at Yxnøy on Sandefjord's Østerøya, East Island. Vesterøya, West Island is home to Folehavna Fort and additional trails. Combined, the trails on Sandefjord's East- and West Islands are 45 km (28 mi.), and a part of the international North Sea Trail. Bøkeskogen in

is home to various trails, varying from 2.6 km (1.6 mi.) to 10 km (6.2 mi.) in length.

Fauna

Vestfold's fauna includes species such as the White-tailed eagle, Roe deer, Moose, European hedgehog, Eurasian eagle-owl, Mountain hare, European badger, European pine marten, and Norway lemming. Rare observations of Gray wolf, European lynx, and Brown bear do occur. A wolf shot in Lardal in 2013 was the first wolf killed in the county in over 100 years. Between 700 and 800 moose are annually hunted in Vestfold.

has one of the highest numbers of moose in Norway. The Harbor seal is the most commonly observed species of seal in Vestfold, and it was estimated to be at minimum 183 seals in Vestfold as of August 2014. Dolphins are uncommon, however, a Common bottlenose dolphin was observed by

in 2014, and a Striped dolphin was observed the same summer at

. Common European Viper is the only venomous snake found in Norway. There are two non-venomous snake species in Vestfold County: European grass snake and European smooth snake. Vestfold has a rich avifauna: over 130 bird species have been observed in Svelvik, while

has the national record of 320 species.

Wildlife refuge

Saltstein is part of a protected habitat for birds. From 2014 surfing was permitted off Saltstein. Besides being an

is a habitat for a variety of rare bird species. Mølen became a protected sanctuary for birds in 1970. 320 species of birds have been recorded at Mølen, more species than at any other site in Norway. Wildlife preserves include Melsom- and Hemskilen Wildlife Preserves. Hemskilen Wildlife Preserve lies on the

border and is an important habitat for shorebirds, geese, and Passerines. Melsom Plant- and Wildlife Preserve in Sandefjord is home to various older oaks, some of them home to as many as 1,500 different species of insects. Marøyskjæra Bird Preserve consists of two skerries west of Natholmen Island, which have been important nesting areas for Common tern and Common gull since the 1980s. Over 500 seagulls hatched on the islets in the 1990s.

In popular culture

Although not filmed in Vestfold, the City of Tønsberg appears in the films ''Thor (film), Thor'' (2011) and also in ''Captain America: The First Avenger'' (2011), and in Avengers: Endgame Some films shot in Vestfold include: * ''Norway (2018 film), Norway'' (2018), movie based on the 2011 Norway attacks, filmed in

and

. * ''Olsenbanden tar gull'' (1972), filmed in

(

) and Sande, Vestfold, Sande in Vestfold. * ''Baadshah (1999 film), Baadshah'' (1999), Tønsberg * ''Christmas Blood'' ("Juleblod") (2017), Tønsberg and

. * ''Wisting (TV series), Wisting'' (2018– ), Larvik and Sandefjord. * ''Nonni and Manni'' (1988–89), Horten. * ''Hodet over vannet, Head Above Water'' (1993), filmed at Østerøya, East Island in Sandefjord. * ''Deadline Torp'' (2005), movie based on the 1994 Torp hostage crisis, filmed in Sandefjord and Larvik. * ''Valfångare'' (1939), Sandefjord. * ''Den starkaste'' (1929), Sandefjord.

Gallery

Færder.jpg, Færder National Park Borreparken, gravhaug, Horten kommune, Vestfold.jpg, Borre mound cemetery, Borre National Park in Horten Excavation Oseberg ship 1.jpg, The Oseberg Ship was discovered in Tønsberg. Stavern Wasilioff.jpg, Town centre in

Citadellet 1.jpg, Citadellet, 19th-century fortress in

Høyjord stavkirke, MIS.jpg,

, only stave church left in Vestfold Trollfoss.jpg, Trollfoss in

, the tallest waterfall in Vestfold.Schandy, Tom and Tom Helgesen (2012). ''Naturperler i Vestfold''. Forlaget Tom & Tom v/Schandy. Page 192. .

References

External links

Vestfold photo gallery
{{use dmy dates, date=January 2024 Vestfold, Counties of Norway 1821 establishments in Norway 2020 disestablishments in Norway 2024 establishments in Norway Petty kingdoms of Norway