Borge is a parish and former municipality in

Østfold Østfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other side o ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. Today it is located in the northeast part of

Fredrikstad Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a city and municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad. The city of Fredrikstad was founded in 15 ...

municipality, near the border with

Sarpsborg Sarpsborg ( or ), historically Borg, is a city and municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg. Sarpsborg is part of the fifth largest urban area in Norway when paired with neigh ...

History

The parish of Borge was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January ...

). The district of

Torsnes Torsnes is a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway. It is the site of Torsnes Church (''Torsnes kirke''). History Torsnes was created by a split from Borge on 1 January 1910. At that time Torsnes had a population of 1,538. On 1 January ...

was separated from Borge as a municipality of its own January 1, 1910. The split left Borge with a population of 6,466. In 1951 a part of Borge with 53 inhabitants was moved to

municipality, and on 1 January 1964 the properties Gansrød and Ulfeng with 30 inhabitants followed the same way whereas the majority of Torsnes was reunited with Borge. After the merger Borge had a population of 9,219. The rest of Borge (together with

Kråkerøy Kråkerøy is an island and a former municipality in Viken county, Norway. The island of Kråkerøy was separated from Glemmen as a municipality of its own January 1, 1908. At that time Kråkerøy had a population of 3,311. The rural municipality ...

Onsøy Onsøy is a peninsula and a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre was Gressvik. History The parish of ''Onsø'' was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). A part of Onsøy ...

and

Rolvsøy Rolvsøy is a village, an island, and a former municipality in Viken county, Norway. It was created by a split from Tune on 1 January 1911. At that time Rolvsøy had a population of 2,381. On 1 January 1994 Rolvsøy was incorporated into the mu ...

) was merged with the city of

January 1, 1994. Prior to the merger Borge had a population of 11,959. Borge Church (''Borge Kirke'') was built in 1861. It was built of stone and has 270 seats. The church was restored during 1950. The first church built on the site was dedicated to St. Olav. Churches at this site have burned several times.''Borge Kirke'' (Borge menighet)
/ref>

The name

The municipality (originally the parish) was named after the farm Borge ( Norse ''Borgar''), since the first church was built on its ground. The name is the plural form of ''borg'' '

hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

'. However, the remains of such a fort is not known in the area.

Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen bega ...

, polar explorer, was born in Borge.

References

Other sources

External links

Churches in Norway
1838 establishments in Norway Populated places established in 1838 Populated places disestablished in 1994 Former municipalities of Norway Fredrikstad {{Østfold-geo-stub