Kamper Bas is a hill and a neighborhood at
Gokstad
The Gokstad Mound (Norwegian: Gokstadhaugen) is a large burial mound at Gokstad Farm in Sandefjord (formerly Sandar municipality) in Vestfold County, Norway. It is also known as the King's Mound (''Kongshaugen'') and is where the 9th century Go ...
in
Sandefjord, Norway. The residential area is located 10–15 minutes walking from the city center. It is located east of Sandefjord city center. Kamper Bas borders Østerøyveien, Hegnaveien, Breiliveien and Gokstadryggen, which is a neighboring residential community. It was formerly known as Kampen Bas
and was also known by the name Hjalmarskogen before construction began. It was an undeveloped and forested area used for recreation prior to development. From Kamper Bas are views of Gokstadveien,
Unneberg
Unneberg is a residential- and statistical area (''grunnkrets'') in Sandefjord municipality, Norway. The statistical area Unneberg, which also can include the peripheral parts of the village as well as the surrounding countryside, has a population ...
and Kråkås in the north, Freberg and Gjekstad in the east, and Breiliveien, Hegnaveien and Kamfjord in the south.
The origin of the name is unknown, but may be of
Old Norse,
Dutch or
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
origin.
Kamper Bas was formerly a part of the agricultural Øvre Gokstad farms. Kamper Bas now lies adjacent to Upper Gokstad Farm (“Øvre Gokstad Gård”), which has been in the Bettum family’s possessions since the 1800s.
Fjellmot (49 m., 160 ft.) is the highest peak on Kamper Bas. Fjellmot is a mountain situated in-between Gokstadryggen and Kamper Bas. Kamper Bas may be reached from neighboring Gokstadryggen, Hegnabakken or by a path at the end of Mikkelsbakken leading to Heimdalsveien by the
Gokstad ship burial mound.
Etymology
The name’s origin is not known although there are many theories. It has been claimed to be of Old Norse, Dutch, French, and English origin. Local historian Lars Os claimed the name referred to
Norse mythology
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...
where Bas translates into
Baldr
Baldr (also Balder, Baldur) is a god in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, Baldr (Old Norse: ) is a son of the god Odin and the goddess Frigg, and has numerous brothers, such as Thor and Váli. In wider Germanic mythology, the god was kno ...
while Kamper means mountain (“fjellkolle”), meaning the name derived from Balder's mountain. Several nearby hills have names derived from Norse mythology, including Dronninga at Freberg, which derives from
Freyja's mountain. In the Old Norse language, the word “kamp” has had several meanings, including “fight” and “mountain.” The word “camp” appears in several languages, and in
Latin, the word “campus” translates to camp. The Latin word “basis” appears in several languages and may translate to "foundation" or "pedestal." Professor Kristian Strømøy has argued that the name may derive from French and translate to “lower camp” or “lower field.” Captain Halbert Mikkelsen, who along with Lars Os lived in the Kamper Bas area, claimed the name was English and derived from “the camping base.” He believed the area had been a place where
Vikings camped while their ships were rigged. As Sandefjord was visited by Dutch ships in the Middle Ages, others have claimed the name to be of Dutch origin.
History
Despite local opposition, Kamper Bas was sold to investors in 1968 with the purpose of building a new residential community. Most construction here took place in the 1980s.
In the early 1960s, Kamper Bas was one of several alternative sites considered for the Gokstad Elementary School. Sverre Jensen suggested building the new Gokstad Elementary School on Kamper Bas in 1961, which was approved unanimously. Sandar Helseråd later advised the municipality to not construct the school here, due to its hilly geography and difficult traffic conditions. The decision was later reversed in 1962, and the new school was instead constructed at Uranienborgveien.
[{{dead link, date=June 2020]
See also
*
Sandar
References
Sandefjord