Bastøy is an
island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
in
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 ...
in
Vestfold
Vestfold () is a county and a current electoral district in Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the larg ...
county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The island is owned by the government and it has no permanent residents, however,
Bastøy Prison, a minimum-security prison, is located on the island, so there are always temporary residents on the island. The
Bastøy Lighthouse was established on the island in 1840.
History
The island was purchased by the government of Norway in 1898 and it was used for a "special school home for neglected boys". Later, Bastøy was used as a shelter for alcoholics starting in 1971. Since 1998, the island has been used as a national
minimum-security prison. The prison is fairly open and large parts of the island are used by the prisoners for farming. Bastøy bay and Bastøykalven in the north of the island are public open spaces and can be used for swimming and boating.
Nature
All animal and plant life is protected in the Bastøy landscape conservation area. In reality, it applies to the whole island, but the main nature reserve covers the Buvika/Rødskjær wetland area. In total, 315 different plant species have been registered on the island, including
Pulsatilla pratensis,
spring onion
Scallions (also known as green onions and spring onions) are edible vegetables of various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions. Their close relatives include garlic, shallots, leeks, chive ...
, and
dragon's head.
See also
*
List of islands of Norway
This is a list of islands of Norway sorted by name. For a list sorted by area, see List of islands of Norway by area.
A
* Alden
* Aldra
* Algrøy
* Alsta
* Altra
* Anda
* Andabeløya
* Andørja
* Andøya, Vesterålen
* Andøya, Agder ...
References
Horten
Islands of Vestfold
{{Norway-island-stub