Sandefjord (town)

Sandefjord
Town/City[1]
View of the town
View of the town
Nickname(s): 
Hvalfangstbyen ("The Whaling City"), Badebyen ("The Bathing City")
Sandefjord is located in Vestfold
Sandefjord
Sandefjord
Location of the town
Sandefjord is located in Norway
Sandefjord
Sandefjord
Sandefjord (Norway)
Coordinates: 59°07′53″N 10°13′20″E / 59.13133°N 10.22234°E / 59.13133; 10.22234
CountryNorway
RegionEastern Norway
CountyVestfold
DistrictVestfold
MunicipalitySandefjord Municipality
Established as 
Ladested1680
Kjøpstad1845
Area
[2]
 • Total
24.19 km2 (9.34 sq mi)
Elevation
[3]
5 m (16 ft)
Population
 (2022)[2]
 • Total
45,816
 • Density1,894/km2 (4,910/sq mi)
DemonymSandefjording
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Post Code
3210 Sandefjord

Sandefjord (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈsɑ̂nːəfjuːr] ⓘ) is a city (or town)[1] that is the administrative centre of the large Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The town is located at the head of the Sandefjordsfjorden, along the Skaggerak coast in southern Vestfold. The large town also includes coastal areas on both sides of the Mefjorden on the Vesterøya and Østerøya peninsulas. The 24.19-square-kilometre (5,980-acre) town has a population (2022) of 45,816 and a population density of 1,894 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,910/sq mi).[2]

The city is known for its rich Viking history and the prosperous whaling industry, which made Sandefjord the richest city in Norway.[4] Today, it has built up the third-largest merchant fleet in Norway.[5] The Sandefjord Museum is located in the town, the only museum in Europe that is dedicated to whaling. The 9th-century Gokstad Ship was discovered at the nearby Gokstad Mound, on the eastern edge of the city.

The Church of Norway has several churches in the city of Sandefjord including Sandefjord Church, Sandar Church, Bugården Church, and Vesterøy Church.

Sandefjord has numerous nicknames, including the Viking "capital" of Norway. It is also known as the undisputed summer city of Norway.[6][7] The city is also known as the "whaling capital of the world" or the "whaling capital of Norway".[8][9][10][11] It has also been dubbed the "Bathing City" (Badebyen), due to its many beaches and former resort spas.[10] It is still considered a resort town, due to high numbers of visitors during summer months.[12]

  1. ^ a b In the Norwegian language, the word by can be translated as "town" or "city".
  2. ^ a b c Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 January 2022). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".
  3. ^ "Sandefjord, Sandefjord". yr.no. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  4. ^ Porter, Darwin; Prince, Danforth (2003). Frommer's Norway. Wiley. p. 158. ISBN 9780764524677.
  5. ^ "Things to Do in Sandefjord – Frommer's". Frommers.com. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Three shot in Sandefjord". Newsinenglish.no. 14 January 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  7. ^ "The Viking trail through Vestfold, Norway" (PDF). Destinationviking.no. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  8. ^ Engel, Lyle Kenyon (1963). Scandinavia: A Simon & Schuster Travel Guide. Cornerstone Library. p. 145.
  9. ^ Ryder, Simon; Duffy, Cameron (2018). Insight Guides Norway. Insight Guides. p. 163. ISBN 9781786717580.
  10. ^ a b Alspaugh, Emmanuelle (2006). Fodor's Norway. Fodor's Travel Publications. pp. F-7 and 73. ISBN 9781400016143.
  11. ^ Bertelsen, Hans Kristian (1985). Sandefjord: A modern city with vast potential. Grafisk Studio. p. 81. ISBN 8290636008.
  12. ^ Berman, Martha (1995). Fielding's Scandinavia. Fielding Worldwide. p. 240. ISBN 9781569520499.