is a town and municipality in the county of Vestfold, Norway.
The town of Tønsberg was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The rural municipality of Sem was merged with Tønsberg January 1, 1988.
The population of the entire city, regardless of municipality borders, and following the guidelines set by the national statistician agency, the SSB, was 46,091 as of January 1, 2007, making Tønsberg the tenth most populated city of Norway. Tønsberg is generally regarded as the oldest town in Norway.
History
According to Snorri Sturluson, Tønsberg was founded before the Battle of Hafrsfjord. Although this is disputed by modern-day historians, it would make Tønsberg the oldest present Scandinavian town. 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.
During the German occupation of Norway in World War II, the Berg concentration camp was constructed near Tønsberg.
Economy
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.
The city is served by the Vestfoldbanen railway line which runs in a loop through the city before Tønsberg Station.
The name
The Norse form of the name was Túnsberg. The first element is the genitive case of tún n 'fenced area', the last element is berg n 'mountain'. The name originally referred to the fortifications on Slottsfjellet. The old spelling is retained in the name of the diocese of Tunsberg.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is a seal from the Middle Ages. It shows Tønsberg Fortress.
Famous residents
