Tønsberg
Encyclopedia : T : TN : TNS : Tønsberg
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| County | Vestfold | |
| District | Viken | |
| Municipality | ||
| Administrative centre | Tønsberg | |
| Mayor (2004) | Per Arne Olsen (FrP) | |
| Official language form | Bokmål | |
| Area - Total - Land - Percentage | 107 Square kilometre>km² 106 km² 0.03 % | |
| Population - Total (as of 2004>2004) - Percentage - Change (10 years) - Density | Ranked 21 36,452 0.79 % 10.1 % 340/km² | |
| Coordinates | ||
| [www.tonsberg.kommune.no] [Data from Statistics Norway] | ||
According to Snorri Sturluson, Tønsberg was founded before the Battle in Hafrsfjord. This makes Tønsberg the oldest Nordic town, founded in 871. In the 1200s, King Haakon Haakonson set up a castle here, Tønsberg Fortress. His daughter was known as Princess Kristina of Tønsberg. She was married to the Spanish Prince of Castilla, but died shortly thereafter. The town was destroyed by fire in 1536, but Tønsberg remained one of the most important harbour towns in Norway.
Tønsberg is still an industrial and maritime centre, with such diverse concerns as metal shops, shipyards, paper mills, leather processing, and breweries; it is noted especially for its silverware. Tourist sites include ruins of the Tønsberghus, St. Michael's Church, the Royal Castle, Sem Church, and the Vestfold Museum. The Oseberg ship was found near the city in 1904. The longship is now in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo.
Maybe the most important landmark in the town is the tower standing on the hill. It was erected in 1888 as a memorial to the old fortress, of which just fragmentary ruins remain today. Many streets in the town are named after old kings of Norway.
Tønsberg's toll ring, opened in February 2004 to finance the building and enhancement of roads in the area, has proved very controversial. Opponents of this financing scheme have argued that the tolls should not be collected before the actual projects have been finished.
Jahn Teigen, the lead singer of Popol Ace (formerly Popol Vuh), came from Tønsberg. Teigen was the first person in history to receive a score of nil points in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978. Seigmen also came from Tønsberg. It is famous for its black metal community which the Hammerslagfestival represents. This festival is held each year in an old church around Christmas in the center of the town.
| Municipalities of Vestfold |
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|---|---|
| Andebu | Hof | Holmestrand | Horten | Lardal | Larvik | Nøtterøy | Re | Sande | Sandefjord | Stokke | Svelvik | Tjøme | Tønsberg | |
| 25 biggest cities of Norway (with number of inhabitants according to Statistics Norway [link]) |
|---|
| Oslo (811,700) | Bergen (213,600) | Stavanger (173,100) | Trondheim (147,100) | Fredrikstad (97,100) | Drammen (90,700) | Skien (85,100) | Kristiansand (70,700) | Tromsø (52,400) | Tønsberg (45,000) | Ålesund (44,100) | Haugesund (40,300) | Sandefjord (39,600) | Moss (34,500) | Bodø (34,100) | Arendal (30,900) | Hamar (28,800) | Larvik (23,100) | Halden (22,000) | Harstad (19,400) | Lillehammer (19,100) | Molde (18,600) | Mo i Rana (17,900) | Kongsberg (17,700) | Horten (17,700) |
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