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| County | Vestfold | |
| Landscape | ||
| Municipality | NO-0706 | |
| Administrative centre | Sandefjord | |
| Mayor (2004) | Bjørn Ole Gleditsch (H) | |
| Official language form | Bokmål | |
| Area - Total - Land - Percentage | Ranked 370 121 km² 119 km² 0.04 % | |
| Population - Total (2004) - Percentage - Change (10 years) - Density | Ranked 16 40,992 0.90 % 11.5 % 345/km² | |
| Coordinates | 59°8′ N 10°13′ E | |
| www.sandefjord.kommune.no Data from Statistics Norway | ||
Sandefjord is a town and municipality in the county of Vestfold, Norway. The town is located in the end of the Sandefjordsfjord, between Tønsberg and Larvik.
Sandefjord was formerly a famous health resort, with various kind of baths for health improvement. Amongst these were salt water sea bath, mud and Sulfur baths. Prominent people such as royalty, a prime minister and our foremost cultural personalities visited the bath. Around 50 000 people, mostly Norwegians, visited the bath from 1837 to 1939. Today the bath's building is restored and houses cultural events and various activities.
From 1850 a number of ships from Sandefjord were Whaling and sealing in the Arctic Ocean and along the coast of Finnmark. The first whaling expedition from Sandefjord to the Antarctic Ocean was sent in 1905. Towards the end of the 1920's Sandefjord had a fleet of 15 factory ships and more than 90 whalers. In 1954, more than 2 800 men from the district were hired as crew on the whalers. From the mid 1950's whaling was gradually reduced. The number of southbound expeditions were rapidly decreasing during the 1960's, and the 1967/68 season became the last for Sandefjord. The Shipping industry was gradually readjusted from whaling to tankships during this period.
Today the memories from this important period of the city's history is being kept alive through the whaling museum (Hvalfangstmuseet). This museum is the only museum in Europe specializing in whales and the history of Whaling. The history of the whalers can also be explored at the Museum's Wharf with a visit aboard the whale-catcher Southern Actor.
Sandefjord also has shipping traditions from tall sail ships and steam ships. The full rigged sail ship Christian Radich was built in Sandefjord. The well known Endurance, the three-masted Barquentine in which Sir Ernest Shackleton sailed for the Antarctic on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition in 1914, was also buit in Sandefjord.
The previous municipality of Sandar was joined with Sandefjord in 1968.
The whaling monument located at the end of the city’s main street, Jernbanealléen, is the jewel of the harbour area.
(source for 1951-2000: SSB)
| Municipalities of Vestfold | [image] |
|---|---|
| Andebu | Hof | Holmestrand | Horten | Lardal | Larvik | Nøtterøy | Re | Sande | Sandefjord | Stokke | Svelvik | Tjøme | Tønsberg | |