Jeløya is an island located in the municipality of

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

Østfold Østfold () is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Østfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other ...

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 ...

History

Jeløya was actually a peninsula in the

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

, but was divided from the mainland in 1855 by the Moss canal (''Mossekanalen'') a 20-meter broad canal that was built through the low

isthmus An isthmus (; : isthmuses or isthmi) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea count ...

. The Canal Bridge (''Kanalbrua'') is the link between Jeløya and the mainland at

. This was at first a low, sliding bridge, and since 1957 a simple-leaf

Bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

, but dating from the early 1990s has been locked and unable to open. Part of the city of Moss lies on the south-eastern part of Jeløya. At 19 km², Jeløya is the largest island in the Oslofjord. Geologically, Jeløya is largely made up of a young lava rock-type from the

Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years, from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.902 Mya. It is the s ...

period. Other islands in the Oslofjord formed during that same time period include Revlingen, Eldøya, Missingene and the Søsterøyene. Ringerike sandstone is found in some parts of Jeløya, and fossil cephalaspids have been found. The largest Norwegian moraine from the

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

crosses Jeløya, goes to the east of Moss and Rygge and continues through

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. Until the 1990s, two of Moss' largest industrial zones were on the southern part of Jeløya - Moss Glassverk and Moss Verft. Moss Glassverk produced glass containers from 1898 until 1999. Moss Verft was a shipyard formed in 1870 which was active in shipbuilding until 1987 and was historically one of the biggest employers in the municipality. These areas are now turning into costly apartments and post-industrial businesses. Jeløya is today best known for its beaches, its scenery, a swarming harbor with boats, and Refsnes Gods, a hotel with a renowned cuisine. Jeløya is the site of a number of country manor houses on farms including Grønli gård and Kubberød gård. Torderød gård is now owned by Moss Municipality which hosts tours during the summer. Grimsrød gård housed

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( ; ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His 1893 work ''The Scream'' has become one of Western art's most acclaimed images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dread of inher ...

for a number of years. Roed gård has been established as a combined Arts and Cultural Center. Alby gård is the site of one of

's most widely known art galleries, ''Galleri F 15''.

Gallery

File:Interiør i Jeløy kirke.jpg, Jeløy Church File:Jeløya natural reserve2.JPG, Jeløya Natural Reserve File:Refsnes.JPG, Refsnes beach File:Røed Hovedbygning.JPG, Røed gård File:Torderød gård på Jeløy.jpg, Torderød gård File:Hovedbygningen på Grønli gård, søndre Jeløy.jpg, Grønli gård File:Alby gård på Jeløy fra vest.jpg, Alby gård File:Hotell Refsnes Gods.jpg, Refsnes Gods

References

External links

Jeløy, Jeløya, Moss travel guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeloya Islands of Østfold Moss, Norway