Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Vestfold og Telemark Vestfold og Telemark (; ) is a county under disestablishment in Norway. The county is the southernmost one of Eastern Norway and consists of two distinct and separate traditional regions: the former counties of Telemark and (most of) Vestfold. T ...

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

, eastern

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 ...

, located around south-southwest of

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) 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 ...

on the western coast of the

Oslofjord The Oslofjord (, ; en, Oslo Fjord) is an inlet in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the and lighthouses and down to in the south to Oslo in the north. It is part of the Skagerrak strait, connecting the Nor ...

near its mouth onto the

Skagerrak The Skagerrak (, , ) is a strait running between the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, the southeast coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area through the Danish Straits to the Baltic Sea. The ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg. The city is the most populous

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

in the district of

Vestfold Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered th ...

with a population of 52,419 in 2019. The municipality has a population of 56,293 and covers an area of in 2020. Tønsberg also serves as the seat for the County Governor of Vestfold og Telemark. Tønsberg is generally regarded as the oldest city in Norway, founded by

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

s in the 9th century. Tønsberg was established as a municipality on 1 January 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 rural municipality of Sem was merged into the municipality of Tønsberg on 1 January 1988. The neighboring municipality of Re was merged into Tønsberg on 1 January 2020. It is home to

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 ...

on 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, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is 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 of Scandinavia and t ...

form of the name was ''Túnsberg''. 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 can al ...

of ''tún'' ( n), meaning ''fenced area'' or ''garden''. The last element is ''berg'' (n), meaning ''mountain''. The name originally referred to the fortifications on Slottsfjellet. The old spelling has been retained in the name of the

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, pro ...

, Tunsberg bispedømme.

Coat of arms

The

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 latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

is an old city seal from as far back as 1349. The seal shows Tønsberg Fortress surrounded by a ring wall on a mountain with the sea in front. There is also a

longship Longships were a type of specialised Scandinavian warships that 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 the Nors ...

in the water in front of the fortress. Around the seal are the words (in Latin): This is the seal of Tunsberg.

History

Viking age

Tønsberg is the oldest city in Norway, founded by

Harald Fairhair Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagre Modern Icelandic: ( – ) 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 Nor ...

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

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 the ...

, Tønsberg was founded before the

Battle of Hafrsfjord The Battle of Hafrsfjord ( no, Slaget i Hafrsfjord) was a great naval battle fought in Hafrsfjord sometime between 872 and 900 that resulted in the unification of Norway, later known as the Kingdom of Norway. After the battle, the victorious Vikin ...

, which, according to Snorri, took place in 871. What year the battle took place is disputed, however, and most current historians believe the battle took place closer to 900. However, if the battle did in fact take place in 871, this would make Tønsberg one of the oldest present

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

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 resided in the old Royal Court at ''Sæheimr'', today the

Jarlsberg Manor Jarlsberg Hovedgård Jarlsberg Manor (Norwegian: Jarlsberg Hovedgård) is a manor three kilometres northwest of the centre of the town of Tønsberg in Vestfold og Telemark, Norway. It has traditionally been the residence of members of the Wedel-Jar ...

(''Jarlsberg Hovedgård''), 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 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 Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a curren ...

, 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 Norway's second most important place for the proclamation of kings. The site had probably been named after two

Viking Era The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

mounds, which tradition links to two sons of King Harald I,

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 the ...

, who was king in

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

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

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

Eric Bloodaxe Eric Haraldsson ( non, Eiríkr Haraldsson , no, Eirik Haraldsson; died 954), nicknamed Bloodaxe ( non, blóðøx , no, Blodøks) and Brother-Slayer ( la, fratrum interfector), was a 10th-century Norwegian king. He ruled as King of Norway from ...

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 The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

of the 12th century, it was fortified by the

Bagler The Bagli Party or Bagler (Old Norse: ''Baglarr'', Norwegian Bokmål: ''Bagler'', Norwegian Nynorsk: ''Baglar'') was a faction or party during the Norwegian Civil Wars. The Bagler faction was made up principally of the Norwegian aristocracy, clerg ...

s. The

Birkebeiner The Birkebein Party or Birkebeinar (; no, Birkebeinarane (nynorsk) or (bokmål)) was the name for a rebellious party in Norway, formed in 1174 around the pretender to the Norwegian throne, Eystein Meyla. The name has its origins in propagand ...

s besieged it for 20 weeks in the winter of 1201 before the

s surrendered. In the 13th century, King Haakon Haakonson set up a castle in Tønsberg,

. 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 hi ...

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; as such, she was Queen of Scotland The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...

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 Tønsberg and neighboring

Sandefjord Sandefjord () is a city and the most populous municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838. The municipality of Sandar was merged into Sandefjord on 1 January 1969. On 1 ...

. Tønsberg along with neighboring Sandefjord and

Larvik Larvik () is a List of cities in Norway, town and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold in Vestfold og Telemark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. The municipality ...

were dominant whaling towns in Norway. While whalers from Sandefjord established the first whaling station in the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

, whalers from Tønsberg initiated whaling in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

and the

Hebrides The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebrid ...

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

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

- 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 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...

s. Tønsberg has been called “the cradle of modern whaling. In the 1892 publication “Handbook for Travellers in Norway” by '' John Murray'', Tønsberg is 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, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

was led by engineer

Henrik Henriksen Henrik is a male given name of Germanic origin, primarily used in Scandinavia, Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia. In Poland, the name is spelt Henryk (given name), Henryk but pronounced similarly. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (given name), ...

of Tønsberg.

Henrik Johan Bull Henrik Johan Bull (13 October 18441 June 1930) was a Norwegian businessman and whaler. Henry Bull was one of the pioneers in the exploration of Antarctica. Biography Henrik Johan Bull was born at Stokke in Vestfold County, Norway. He attended sc ...

was another noted whaler from the district, known for his expeditions to Antarctica. Bull traveled from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

to Tønsberg in order to learn from local whaler

Svend Foyn Svend Foyn (July 9, 1809 – November 30, 1894) was a Norwegian whaling, shipping magnate and philanthropist. He pioneered revolutionary methods for hunting and processing whales. Svend Foyn introduced the modern harpoon cannon and brought ...

, who is recognized as the pioneer of the modern whaling industry. One of the city's most prominent residents,

, 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 long series of English laws that developed, promoted, and regulated English ships, shipping, trade, and commerce between other countries and with its own colonies. The ...

. 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 major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

, and therefore turned to

Bottle-nosed whale ''Hyperoodon'' (or ''Hyperoödon'') is a genus of beaked whale, containing just two species: the Northern and Southern bottlenose whales. While not in the genus ''Hyperoodon'', Longman's beaked whale The tropical bottlenose whale (''Indopac ...

s during the 1870s. Norway maintained a

monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...

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 south of Tønsberg, later became known as the world's whaling capital.

World War II

During the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the

Berg concentration camp Berg interneringsleir (Berg internment camp) was a concentration camp near Tønsberg in Norway that served as an internment and transit center for political prisoners and Jews during the Nazi occupation of Norway. Establishment The camp at Berg ...

was constructed near Tønsberg. In 1948, Tønsberg became the

cathedral city Cathedral city is a city status in the United Kingdom. Cathedral city may also refer to: * Cathedral City, California, a city in Southern California, United States * Cathedral City Cheddar, a brand of Cheddar cheese * Cathedral City High Schoo ...

of the

Diocese of Tunsberg Tunsberg is a diocese of the Church of Norway. It includes parishes located within the counties of Vestfold and Buskerud, with the cathedral located in Tønsberg. The Diocese of Tunsberg consists of the cathedral deanery and 9 rural deaneries. Hi ...

(''Tunsberg bispedømme''), created when the counties of

Buskerud Buskerud () is a former county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardan ...

and

were separated from the

Diocese of Oslo Oslo bishopric is the Church of Norway's 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 in 1068. It ...

Geography

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

. Tønsberg lies north of

Færder Færder is a municipality in Vestfold in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Borgheim. The municipality was established in 2018 by the unification of the former municipalities of T ...

, south of

Horten is a town and municipality in Vestfold in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the town of Åsgårdstrand an ...

, and north-east of

. It is the ninth-largest city in Norway (by population). The city center lies just north from Nøtterøy Island. Besides Tønsberg proper, the municipality is also home to the villages of Barkåker and Sem. The village of

Åsgårdstrand Åsgårdstrand is a small port town in Horten municipality, Vestfold, Norway. It is also the name of a former independent municipality and a center of trade. The town is situated 10 km south of Horten, 10 km north of Tønsberg and 100&n ...

is partly in Tønsberg, although most of the village is in Horten municipality. Tønsberg Station 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 Nøtterøy is an island and a former municipality in the present-day municipality of Færder in Vestfold and Telemark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Borgheim. The parish of ''Nøtterø'' was estab ...

and

Tjøme Tjøme () is an island in Færder, and a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Tjøme. The parish of ''Tjømø'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see f ...

, which are tourist destinations. The highest point in Tønsberg is Undrumsåsen at 145 meters (476 ft.). The villages of

Vear Vear is a village in Vestfold, Norway, located in the municipality of Tønsberg. It had a population of 3,520 in 2005. Vear lies near the border between Stokke (Sandefjord) and Tønsberg. It lies along Norwegian County Road 303 between Sandefjor ...

and Hognes/Bjelland were merged into Tønsberg on January 1, 2017. The neighboring municipality of Re will be merged into Tønsberg on or before January 1, 2020. Tønsbergfjorden_in_Tønsberg

Nature preserves

Tønsberg is home to five nature preserves: Presteroedkilen_Toensberg_Vestfold_panorama_2014-06-18

* Akersvannet (

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

), shared 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, aft ...

) * Ilene (wetland) * Presterødkilen (wetland) It is also a plant preserve at Karlsvika where the goal is the preservation of the threatened species fineleaf waterdropwort (''

Oenanthe aquatica ''Oenanthe aquatica'', fine-leaved water-dropwort, is an aquatic flowering plant in the carrot family. It is widely distributed from the Atlantic coast of Europe to central Asia. Description Fine-leaved water-dropwort is a hairless, annual to ...

''), a rare species in Norway.

Demographics

Tønsberg proper plus the nearby urban area makes Tønsberg the 9th most populous city in Norway, and the second-most populous city in Vestold County (after

). City of Tønsberg is home to 51,061 residents as of 2016, whereas 17,073 residents were living on the

side of the border. Smaller communities in the municipality includes the villages of Barkåker (2016 pop. 1,696) and Sem (2,392).

on the

border lies in-between Horten- and Tønsberg municipalities. The village of Åsgårdstrand therefore has 176 residents living on the Tønsberg side of the border, despite a large majority of village residents residing in nearby Horten municipality. The city experienced a 20.8% population growth between 2000 and 2015, compared to 14.0% for Vestfold County as a whole. Furthermore, Tønsberg Municipality has the highest

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from 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. It is predominantly t ...

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 Lithuanians (1.11%), Polish (1.68%), Iraqis (1.06%), Swedes (0.75%), and Syrians (0.64%).

Population stats

On 1 January 2009, the population of Tønsberg municipality was 38,914. The population of the urban area, Norway's tenth most populous, was 46,091. 30,061 lived in Tønsberg municipality, while 16,030 lived in

municipality. The urban area extends from Eik in the north, to Tolvsrød,

Vallø Vallø was a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in the former Roskilde County on the east coast of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in East Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 84 km2, and had a total population of 10,337 (200 ...

and Ringshaug in the east and

Borgheim Borgheim is the administrative centre of the municipality of Færder in Vestfold, Norway. The village is located in the middle of the island of Nøtterøy. Before 2018, Borgheim was the administrative centre of the municipality of Nøtterøy be ...

on Nøtterøy in the south. Tønsberg municipality contains five additional urban areas: Sem, with 2,147 inhabitants of which 2,100 live in Tønsberg and 47 live in

Stokke Stokke is a town in Sandefjord municipality in Vestfold County, Norway. It lies in-between Sandefjord and Tønsberg, two of Vestfold's largest cities. It was a municipality from 1838 to 2016. The administrative centre of the municipality was the ...

; Barkåker, with 1,292 inhabitants;

, with 2,847 inhabitants of which 2,794 in

and 53 in Tønsberg;

, with a population of 3,502 of which 2,263 live in Stokke and 1,239 live in Tønsberg, and

Revetal Revetal was the administrative centre of Re municipality, Norway, until the municipality was merged into Tønsberg. Together with the nearby housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a grou ...

, with 2,399 inhabitants all of which live in Tønsberg.

Sports

FK Tønsberg FK Tønsberg was a football club from Tønsberg, Norway, founded on 10 October 2001 as a cooperation project between 20 local clubs. The new team replaced Eik-Tønsberg in the Norwegian Second Division beginning in the 2002 season. The first ...

is the premier football team in Tønsberg, currently playing in the

2. divisjon The Norwegian Second Division, also called 2. divisjon and often referred to as PostNord-ligaen for sponsorship reasons, is the third-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. There are 28 teams divided into two groups, and at the ...

as of 2017.

Tønsberg Vikings Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative ce ...

is the local hockey team. The club played in the

GET-ligaen Eliteserien, known as Fjordkraftligaen due to sponsorship, 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 tw ...

until 2014. Tønsberg hosted a round of the UIM F2 World Championship from 2014 - 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

(''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 process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry ...

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 1918–21. 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

was born in 1809. *Ruins of St. Olav's Church (''Olavskirken'') – Former monastery founded in 1191, located near the current Tønsberg Library. *Ruins of St Michael's Church (''Mikaelskirken'') are still visible on top of Castle Mountain by

. 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 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 Exchange ...

(''Sem kirke'') – Vestfold's oldest stone church built before 1100 in the Romanesque style, located near the Jarlsberg Estate *

Tønsberg Cathedral Tønsberg Cathedral ( no, Tønsberg Domkirke) is a Lutheran church located in Tønsberg, Norway. It is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Tunsberg within the Church of Norway. Originally a parish church, it was elevated to cathedral status in 19 ...

(''Tønsberg domkirke'') – 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 The Viking Ship Museum ( no, Vikingskipshuset på Bygdøy) is located on the Bygdøy peninsula in Oslo, Norway. It will be temporarily closed from September 2021 until 2025/2026. It is part of the Museum of Cultural History of the University of ...

. 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 6-meter high Oseberg Mound.

Economy

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

silverware Silverware may refer to: * Household silver including **Tableware **Cutlery **Candlesticks *The work of a silversmith * Silverware is also a slang term for a collection of trophies A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achieveme ...

Transport

The city is served by the railway line

Vestfoldbanen The Vestfold Line ( no, Vestfoldbanen) is a railway line which runs between Drammen and Eidanger in Norway. The line connects to the Drammen Line at the northern terminus at Drammen Station and continues as the Bratsberg Line past Skien Station. ...

, which runs in a loop through the city before reaching

Tønsberg Station Tønsberg Station on the Vestfold Line, is the main railway station in the town of Tønsberg in Vestfold, Norway. The station is located in the downtown area, to the east of the hill Slottsfjellet. It is located at an altitude of above mean sea l ...

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 a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

(MCU). It is first mentioned in the 2010 film ''

Iron Man 2 ''Iron Man 2'' is a 2010 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it is the sequel to ''Iron Man (2008 film), Iron Man'' (2008) and List of Marve ...

'' as a location under surveillance by

S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often deals ...

In the 2011 film ''

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent 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 groves ...

'', it is established that centuries ago, Tønsberg was the invasion point of the

Frost Giants Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...

of Jotunheim, who sought to conquer Earth before they were defeated by

Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...

and the forces of

Asgard In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr'' ; "enclosure of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in a multitude of Old Norse sagas and mythological texts. It is described as the fortified home of the Æsir ...

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

Red Skull The Red Skull is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and its predecessor Timely Comics. The first version, George Maxon, appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 and #4. The main ...

acquires the

Tesseract In geometry, a tesseract is the four-dimensional analogue of the cube; the tesseract is to the cube as the cube is to the square. Just as the surface of the cube consists of six square faces, the hypersurface of the tesseract consists of eig ...

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 ''

Infinity War ''Avengers: Infinity War'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to '' The Avengers'' ( ...

'', with

Valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ("chooser of the slain") 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 (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"Orchard (1997:36) ...

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 residents

Johan Sverdrup (engraving by H P Hansen)

Royalty

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 ...

(died ca.930) King of

, founded Tønsberg *

Magnus VI of Norway Magnus Haakonsson ( non, Magnús Hákonarson, no, Magnus Håkonsson, label=Modern Norwegian; 1 (or 3) May 1238 – 9 May 1280) was King of Norway (as Magnus VI) from 1263 to 1280 (junior king from 1257). One of his greatest achievements was the m ...

(1238–1280) King of Norway (as Magnus VI) 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 inaugurated, her status as monarch is uncertain and has been debated by historian ...

(1283–1290) Queen-designate of Scotland from 1286 *

Else Werring Else Werring, née Wilhelmsen (29 April 1905 – 23 November 1989) was a Norwegian Norwegian Royal Family, royal hostess. Personal life She was born in Tønsberg as a daughter of shipowner Halfdan Wilhelmsen (1864–1923) and Ragnhild Oppen (1869� ...

(1905–1989) a Norwegian royal hostess and

Chief Court Mistress Court Mistress ( da, hofmesterinde; nl, hofmeesteres; german: Hofmeisterin; no, hoffmesterinne; sv, hovmästarinna) or Chief Court Mistress ( da, Overhofmesterinde; ('grand mistress'); ; no, overhoffmesterinne; sv, överhovmästarinna; russia ...

from 1958

Public Service & Business

Cecilie Christine Schøller Cecilie Christine Schøller, born Sidsel Kirstine Frølich (16 March 1720 – 19 April 1786), was a Norwegian socialite, land owner and businessperson. She was builder and owner of Stiftsgården, now the royal residence in Trondheim, Norway. ...

(1720–1786) socialite, built

Stiftsgården Stiftsgården is the royal residence in Trondheim, Norway. It is centrally situated on the city’s most important thoroughfare, Munkegaten. At 140 rooms constituting 4000 m² (43000 ft²), it is possibly the largest wooden building in N ...

, a royal residence *

Carl Peter Stoltenberg Carl Peter Stoltenberg (28 January 1770 – 13 November 1830) was a Norwegian merchant, ship owner and politician. He was a representative at the Norwegian Constituent Assembly in Eidsvoll during 1814. Biography Carl Peter Stoltenberg was bo ...

(1770–1830) merchant and rep. at

Norwegian Constituent Assembly The Norwegian Constituent Assembly (in Norwegian ''Grunnlovsforsamlingen'', also known as ''Riksforsamlingen'') is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway, that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised th ...

Adrian Benjamin Bentzon Adrian Benjamin Bentzon (22 April 1777 – 15 January 1827) was Governor of the Danish West Indies from 1816 to 1820. Biography He was born in Tønsberg, Norway. He was the son of Hans Jacob Bentzon (1739–1810) and Sophia Hedvig Købke ( ...

(1777–1827) Governor of the

Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies ( da, Dansk Vestindien) or Danish Antilles or Danish Virgin Islands were a Danish colonization of the Americas, Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saint Thomas ...

, 1816 to 1820 *

Gregers Winther Wulfsberg Gregers Winther Wulfsberg (26 October 1780 – 23 September 1846) was a Norwegian jurist and politician, and a member of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll that wrote the Constitution of Norway on 17 May 1814. Personal life Wulfsb ...

(1780–1846) jurist and rep. at

(1809–1894), a shipping and whaling

magnate The magnate term, 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 ...

, introduced sealing to Vestfold *

Johan Henrik Dietrichs Johan Henrik Dietrichs (2 June 1809–4 August 1886) was a Norwegian merchant and politician. Dietrichs was a merchant in Tønsberg, where he also served as mayor and as a member of City Council. He was elected to the Storting, Norwegian Parliam ...

(1809-1886), merchant and mayor of the town *

Johan Sverdrup Johan Sverdrup (30 July 1816 – 17 February 1892) was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party. He was the first prime minister of Norway after the introduction of parliamentarism and served as the 4th prime minister of Norway. Sverdrup was ...

(1816–1892), liberal politician,

prime minister of Norway The prime minister of Norway ( no, statsminister, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government department ...

from 1884 to 1889 *

Wilhelm Wilhelmsen (1839–1910) Morten Wilhelm Wilhelmsen, known as Wilh. Wilhelmsen (12 July 1839 – 16 November 1910), was a Norwegian shipping magnate. Wilhelm Wilhelmsen was born at Tønsberg in Vestfold, Norway. He was apprenticed with Fritz Heinrich Frølich (1807–187 ...

, a shipping

, founder of the Wilh. Wilhelmsen Shipping Company *

(1844–1930) a whaler and pioneer Antarctic explorer * brothers

Peter Christophersen Peter "Don Pedro" Christophersen (May 28, 1845 – August 19, 1930) was a Norwegian businessman, landowner, and diplomat in Argentina. Early life and family Christophersen was born in Tønsberg, the son of the customs official Ole Christophersen ...

(1845–1930) & Søren Andreas Christophersen (1849–1933) diplomats in Argentina * Niels Johan Føyn (1860–1945), 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 wo ...

(1863–1922),

Norwegian American Norwegian Americans ( nb, Norskamerikanere, nn, Norskamerikanarar) are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the ...

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, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

Ditlef Hvistendahl Christiansen Ditlef Hvistendahl Christiansen (29 March 1865 – 1 July 1944) was a Norwegian Supreme Court Justice. He was born in Tønsberg as a son of Mathilde Georgine Hvistendahl (1834-1911) and ship-owner Johan Henrik Christiansen (1823-1904). He was a ...

(1865–1944) Norwegian

Supreme Court Justice The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the chief justice of the United States and eight Associate Justice of the Supreme ...

, 1911/1936 *

Ole O. Lian Ole Olsen Lian (10 November 1868 – 20 February 1925) was a Norwegian trade unionist and politician for the Labour Party (Norway), Labour Party. He was born in Tønsberg. In April 1891 in Oslo, Kristiania he married Elida Josefine Karoline ...

(1868–1925), politician, leader of the

Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions ( no, Landsorganisasjonen i Norge, LO) is a national trade union center, decidedly the largest and probably the most influential umbrella organization of labour unions in Norway. The 21 national 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 ship's ri ...

(1884–1952),

architect *

Ole Aanderud Larsen Ole Aanderud Larsen (18 December 1884 – 6 October 1964) was a ship designer and businessman from Norway. Larsen was born in Tønsberg and died in Sandefjord, in the county of Vestfold. Larsen is best known for designing the ''Endurance,'' ...

(1884–1964) a ship designer, designed the ''

Endurance Endurance (also related to sufferance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from a ...

'' *

Eugène Olaussen Ansgar Eugène Olaussen (27 December 1887 – 22 January 1962) was a Norwegian newspaper editor, educated as a typographer, and politician. As a politician he started in Young Communist League of Norway (, and notably edited ''Klassekampen'' fro ...

(1887–1962) a newspaper editor and politician; from

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

* Arnold Rørholt (1909–1986) a Norwegian jurist and refugee worker *

Ebba Lodden Ebba Lodden, née Sjuve (9 November 1913 – 14 January 1997) was a Norwegian civil servant and politician for the Labour Party. She was the first female County Governor in Norway. Early life and career She was born in Tønsberg as a daughter o ...

(1913–1997) civil servant and politician, first female County Governor *

Jan Mehlum Jan Mehlum (born 1 January 1945) is a Norwegian crime fiction writer and sociologist. He was awarded the Riverton Prize in 1998 for the crime novel ''Kalde hender''. Personal life and early career Mehlum was born in Tønsberg on 1 January 1945. ...

(born 1945), author and academic, comes from Tønsberg *

Laila Riksaasen Dahl Laila Riksaasen Dahl (born 7 March 1947, in Oslo) is a Norwegian theologian who served as bishop of the Diocese of Tunsberg in the Church of Norway from 2002 to 2014. Dahl is a graduate from both the University of Oslo (1970, cand.mag. degree) a ...

(born 1947) theologian, bishop of the

2002/2014 *

Jan Otto Myrseth Jan Otto Myrseth (born 2 July 1957) is a Norwegian prelate who is the current Bishop of Tunsberg. Biography Myrseth completed his theological studies in 1988 and was ordained in the summer of 1989. After serving as vicar in the Diocese of Tunsbe ...

(born 1957) a prelate, the current Bishop of Tunsberg *

Per Arne Olsen Per Arne Lodding Olsen (21 February 1961 – 18 November 2022) was a Norwegian politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Progress Party, where he held the position as second deputy leader. He served as the Governor of Vestfold from ...

(born 1961) a politician, Mayor of Tønsberg 2003 to 2009 *

Reidar Hjermann Reidar Kvaal Hjermann (born 17 February 1969) is a Norwegian psychologist and former Children's Ombudsman of Norway. The son of Ingvar Hjermann, Reidar started working as a psychologist in 1998. In 2004 he was appointed Ombudsman for Children in ...

(born 1969) psychologist and former Children's Ombudsman of Norway *

Joshua French Joshua Olav Daniel Hodne French (born 7 April 1982) is a Norwegian-British man who was convicted of murder in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He worked as a security contractor with his friend Tjostolv Moland when they were arrested in M ...

(born 1982) a Norwegian-British murderer convicted in the

Congo Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa: * Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...

, grew up in Re

The Arts

Mathias Stoltenberg Mathias Stoltenberg (21 July 1799 – 2 November 1871) was a Norwegian painter. He earned his living mostly as a travelling portrait painter and furniture restorer. His paintings were later rediscovered and presented at the 1914 Jubilee Exhibi ...

(1799–1871) a portrait painter and furniture restorer *

Clara Tschudi Clara Tschudi (9 September 1856 – 10 November 1945) was a Norwegian writer. She was born in Tønsberg. She is best known for her biographies of contemporary and historical women. Among her publications are the book ''Kvindebevægelsen, den ...

(1856–1945) a writer of biographies of contemporary and historical women * Elisabeth Meyer (1899–1968) a Norwegian photographer and journalist *

Thomas Thomassen Thomas Thomassen (19 November 1878 – 7 January 1962) was a Norwegian actor, director and theater manager. Biography Thomassen was born in Tønsberg, Norway. He was the son of Thomas Marthinius Thomassen (1845–1925) and Laura Christine Tho ...

(1878–1962) a Norwegian actor, director and theater manager *

Per Gjersøe Per Gjersøe (13 October 1908 – 6 November 1980) was a Norwegian actor, stage instructor and film director. He was born in Tønsberg. He made his stage debut at Nationaltheatret in 1938. From 1945 to 1950 he was assigned at Studioteatret, ...

(1908–1980) a Norwegian actor and film director *

Kåre Holt Kåre Holt (10 October 1916 – 15 March 1997) was a Norwegian author. He wrote plays, poetry and about forty books. Biography Holt was born in the village of Våle in Vestfold, Norway. His parents were Peder Anton Kristiansen (1870-1958) and M ...

(1916–1997) a Norwegian author from

Våle Våle is a village in Tønsberg municipality, and former municipality, in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. Våle is a rural, agricultural area, with Kirkevoll/ Brekkeåsen, Rånerudåsen, Svinevoll, Sørby and Gretteåsen as more dense housing ...

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

(1928–1996) a Norwegian pianist, singer, composer and actor *

Kjell Heggelund Kjell Heggelund (16 December 1932 – 8 February 2017) was a Norwegian literary researcher, lecturer, editor, manager, poet, translator and literary critic. Personal life Heggelund was born in Hamar. His parents were Kristian Heggelund and Ka ...

(1932–2017) a literary researcher, lecturer, editor, poet and literary critic *

Wenche Blomberg Wenche Blomberg (born 23 June 1943 in Tønsberg) is a Norwegian author. She has worked as a journalist, librarian, criminology, criminologist and government scholar. Blomberg has written many children's books, such as ''Appelsinenes land'' (1980) ...

(born 1943) an author, journalist, librarian and criminologist *

Bjørn Floberg Bjørn Floberg (born 12 September 1947) is a Norwegian actor of film, television and theatre. He is particularly noted for playing unsympathetic authority figures, but he has also had success playing other types of roles. Career Theatre Flob ...

(born 1947) a Norwegian actor of film, TV and theatre *

Jahn Teigen Jahn Teigen (27 September 1949 – 24 February 2020) was a Norwegian singer, musician and comedian. He represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest three times, in 1978, 1982 and 1983, His given name was Jan; he added the silent H later. F ...

(1949-2020) singer and comedian, 3 times in the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

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 literat ...

(born 1962), author and poet, grew up in Tønsberg * twins

Egil Nyhus Egil Nyhus (born 23 January 1962) is a Norwegian illustrator. He was born in Tønsberg as the twin brother of illustrator/writer Svein Nyhus. He took his education at the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry from 1981 to 1985, wo ...

& Svein Nyhus (born 1962) Norwegian illustrators * Sturla Berg-Johansen (born 1967), stand-up comedian, comes from Tønsberg * Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1971) Latvian filmmaker, lives in Tønsberg *

Lene Nystrøm Lene Grawford Nystrøm (born 2 October 1973) is a Norwegian musician and singer-songwriter who is the female lead vocalist of the Danish-Norwegian Eurodance group Aqua. Life and career 1973–1994: Early life Nystrøm was born in Tønsberg ...

(born 1973), lead vocalist of the Danish-Norwegian dance group

Aqua Aqua is the Latin word for water. It is used in many words which relate to water, such as aquatic life. In English, it may also refer to: Arts * Aqua (color), a greenish-blue color Business * Aqua (skyscraper), an 82-story residential skysc ...

* siblings

Line Horntveth Line Horntveth (born 26 November 1974 in Tønsberg, Norway) is a Norwegian musician (tuba, flute percussion, and vocals), the sister of the musicians Martin and Lars Horntveth, married to the upright bassist Bjørn Holm, and known from a series ...

(born 1974) &

Martin Horntveth Martin Horntveth (born 20 September 1977) is a Norwegian musician (primarily drummer), composer and electronica artist. He was born in Tønsberg, and is the younger brother of tubaist Line Horntveth, but is best known as the drummer and key me ...

(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 the ...

(born 1980) Norwegian jazz musicians *

Frøy Aagre Frøy Aagre (born 8 June 1977 in Tønsberg, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz saxophonist. Career Aagre is one of the leading saxophonists of Norway, playing tenor and soprano saxophone with an individual sound that builds on inspirations by such s ...

(born 1977) a Norwegian jazz tenor and soprano saxophone player *

Seigmen Seigmen (formed in 1989 in Tønsberg, Vestfold, Norway) is a Norwegian alternative rock band who came into prominence in the early 1990s. The band's name is derived from Norwegian sweets brand Laban Seigmenn. The band went from a hard-edged grung ...

(formed 1989) an alternative rock band, comes from Tønsberg * Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll (born 1991) known as ''

Kygo Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll (born 11 September 1991), known professionally as Kygo (), is a Norwegian DJ and music producer. He garnered international attention with his December 2013 remix of the track "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran and his December 201 ...

'', a DJ, songwriter and record producer *

Adelén Adelén Rusillo Steen (born 4 November 1996), known professionally as Adelén, is a Spanish-Norwegian singer. Career 2013–present: Melodi Grand Prix and debut Adelén participated in the Norwegian national selection for the Eurovision So ...

(born 1996), singer *

Emma Ellingsen Emma Ellingsen (born 9 September 2001) is a Norwegian model and YouTuber. Her YouTube channel features make up tutorials, video vlogs, and travel vlogs. Ellingsen is signed with the Oslo-based modeling agency Team Models. Early life Ellingsen ...

(born 2001) a Norwegian transgender model and YouTuber Hjalmar Andersen, Norwegian speed skater

Sport

Hjalmar Andersen Hjalmar "Hjallis" Johan Andersen (12 March 1923 – 27 March 2013) was a speed skater from Norway who won three gold medals at the 1952 Winter Olympic Games of Oslo, Norway. He was the only triple gold medalist at the 1952 Winter Olympics, and ...

(1923–2013) speed skater, three gold medals at the

1952 Winter Olympics The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 6. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 6. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Oslo 1952, was a winter multi-sport event held from 14 to 25 February 195 ...

Ronny Johnsen Jean Ronny Johnsen (born 10 June 1969) is a Norwegian former footballer who played as a centre-back or defensive midfielder. Johnsen played club football in Norway, Turkey, and England for Sem, Stokke, Eik-Tønsberg, Lyn, Lillestrøm, Beşik ...

(born 1969) 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. The club competes in the Premier League, ...

has 384 club caps and 62 with

, lives in Tønsberg *

Linda Cerup-Simonsen Linda Cerup-Simonsen (born as Linda Andersen on 15 June 1969) is a Norwegian sailor. She was born in Tønsberg. She competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where she won gold medal in the ''Europe Class''.

(born 1969) a sailor, team gold medallist at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

Anders Aukland Anders Aukland (born 12 September 1972 in Tønsberg) is a professional Norwegian cross-country skier who has won both Olympic and World Championship gold medals. He lives in Oslo. Aukland also used to compete in athletics, and is a former nation ...

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

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...

* 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 Morten Hagen (born 6 August 1974) is a Norwegian professional golfer. His home club is Vestfold Golfklubb. Hagen has spent most of his career playing in events on the various Scandinavian tours, where he has collected several victories and finish ...

(born 1974) a Norwegian professional golfer *

Kristine Duvholt Havnås Kristine Duvholt Havnås (born 31 January 1974) is a former Norwegian team handball player and World Champion. She was born in Tønsberg. She received a silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

(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 and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

Tonje Larsen Tonje Larsen (born 26 January 1975, in Tønsberg) is a retired Norwegian handballer who played for the Norwegian national team. She is Olympic champion, World champion and three times European champion. As a club player she is several times Norw ...

(born 1975) a retired Norwegian Olympic team champion handballer *

Olaf Tufte Olaf Karl Tufte (born 27 April 1976 in Tønsberg) is a Norwegian representative rower, firefighter and farmer. He is a seven time Olympian, and as a single sculler he was twice the Olympic champion and twice the world champion. He's been consiste ...

(born 1976) a rower, firefighter and farmer; has four Olympic medals *

John Arne Riise John Arne Semundseth Riise (born 24 September 1980) is a Norwegian professional football manager and former player who played as a left back and a left midfielder. He is currently the manager of Toppserien club Avaldsnes. With 110 caps, Riise is ...

(born 1980) former footballer with

Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...

has 546 club caps and 110 with

, lives in Tønsberg *

Espen Bugge Pettersen Espen Bugge Pettersen (born 10 May 1980) is a Norwegian people, Norwegian former association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He was cap (sport), capped seven times for the Norway national footba ...

(born 1980) a former football goalkeeper with 440 club caps *

Lisa-Marie Woods Lisa-Marie Woods (born 23 May 1984) is a Norwegian retired professional football midfielder and current assistant coach at Creighton University. She last played at Asheville City SC of the Women's Premier Soccer League as a forward. She has pr ...

(born 1984) a Norwegian professional football midfielder *

Kjetil Borch Kjetil Borch (born 14 February 1990) is a Norwegian representative rower. He is a dual Olympian, an Olympic medallist and a two-time world champion. He has been selected as a 2021 Tokyo Olympian and is expected to make his third Olympic appearan ...

(born 1990) world rowing champion, team bronze medallist,

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

Magnus Carlsen Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (born 30 November 1990) is a Norwegian chess grandmaster who is the reigning five-time World Chess Champion. He is also a three-time World Rapid Chess Champion and five-time World Blitz Chess Champion. Carlsen has h ...

(born 1990),

chess grandmaster Grandmaster (GM) is a title awarded to chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. Once achieved, the title is held for life, though exceptionally it h ...

, &

World Chess Champion The World Chess Championship is played to determine the world champion in chess. The current world champion is Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who has held the title since 2013. The first event recognized as a world championship was the 1886 match ...

* Anine Rabe (born 1992) a Norwegian former figure skater * Ali Srour (born 1994) known as ''"Prince" Ali'', a Lebanese professional boxer from Tønsberg

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 Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative ce ...

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 ( , ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1307.08 km2. It is the historic capital of the Alentejo and serves as the seat of the Évora District. Due to its well-preserved old to ...

, 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 (; krl, Jovensuu; ) is a city and municipality in North Karelia, Finland, located on the northern shore of Lake Pyhäselkä (northern part of Lake Saimaa) at the mouth of the Pielinen River (''Pielisjoki''). It was founded in 1848. Th ...

, Finland *

Lamia LaMia Corporation S.R.L., operating as LaMia (short for ''Línea Aérea Mérida Internacional de Aviación''), was a Bolivian charter airline headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, as an EcoJet subsidiary. It had its origins from the failed ...

, Greece *

Linköping Linköping () is a city in southern Sweden, with around 105,000 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Church ...

, Sweden *

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) 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 from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...

, Italy *

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

, Ireland

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, 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 yea ...

* *
Municipality website

Haugar Art Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tonsberg Municipalities of Vestfold og Telemark Populated places in Vestfold og Telemark Cities and towns in Norway Port cities and towns in Norway Port cities and towns of the North Sea Populated places established in the 9th century