Granholmen is an island in the Sandefjordsfjord in

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 ...

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 ...

. It is located about south of the city center of

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 ...

and about to the north of the village of

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 ...

in neighboring

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 ...

. The island has a campground, a cafe, kiosk, pub, and soccer field, along with grasslands and sandy beaches. It lies along county road 303 and is connected to the mainland by a bridge. A hotel was constructed on the island in 1902 when the island was purchased by Anton Johansen. He also established a restaurant at Granholmen. Ferries such as Fjeldvik, Huvik II, Laugen, Expedit, and Varden transferred visitors to the island. The island was home to a farm with cows until 1890, and later one of Norway’s largest wooden buildings with a restaurant and hotel. It also housed a school for Germans during World War II and was the location of the Norwegian championship in boxing in 1933 and chess in 1935. It was also previously a destination for steamboats carrying passengers. During the

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

of World War II, Granholmen Hotel was housing ''NS Ungdomsfylking'', the youth organization of the fascist party

Nasjonal Samling The Nasjonal Samling (, NS; ) was a Norway, Norwegian far-right politics, far-right political party active from 1933 to 1945. It was the only legal party of Norway from 1942 to 1945. It was founded by former minister of defence Vidkun Quisling a ...

. After the war, Stephan Trøber of

Sarpsborg Sarpsborg ( or ), historically Borg, is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg. Sarpsbor ...

purchased the island and opened Granholmen Turisthotell. This hotel burnt down on 4 September 1950, and all ten hotel guests were brought to safety. The island was purchased by the municipality of Sandar the following year. The island was previously named Flatskjær but was given the name Granholmen in 1887 due to its many

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...

trees. Today, the island is used for a variety of outdoor activities, including sailing, kayaking, rowing, camping, hiking, swimming,

boccia Boccia ( ) is a precision ball sport, similar to bocce, and related to bowls and pétanque. The name "boccia" is derived from the Latin word for "boss" – '. The sport is contested at local, national and international levels, by athletes w ...

, soccer, and more. Granholmen is one of 124 islands within Sandefjord Municipality. A new swimming rig and ramp were installed at Granholmen Campground in 2020. Granholmen’s sandy beaches are popular for swimming and one of few beaches on the western shores of the Sandefjordsfjord.

History

After its expansion in 1931, the restaurant on Granholmen was considered the largest in the

Oslo Fjord The Oslofjord (, ; ) is an inlet in southeastern Norway. The fjord begins at the small village of Bonn in Frogn Municipality and stretching northwards to the city of Oslo, and then curving to the east and then south again. It then flows south t ...

. A fire on the night before 4 September 1950, destroyed all buildings, and the 8-10 guests were brought to safety. The year after, the island was purchased by the city to use for recreational purposes. Granholmen was home to a hotel, restaurant, and in 1933, the first Norwegian Championship (NM) in boxing was held on the island. The island was also home to a sandy beach and a jumping tower, where visitors came to swim, sunbathe and use their boats.

Notable people

*Henrik Dannstrøm, an entrepreneur

References

{{use dmy dates, date=November 2023 Sandefjord Islands of Vestfold

History

Notable people

See also

References