Tonsberg Attractions

At the north end of the narrow Tønsbergfjord is Tønsberg (pop. 31,000). Norway's oldest town, founded by Harald Fairhair in 871, Tønsberg is now chief town of Vestfold county, with a considerable merchant fleet and a Nautical College. The whaling ships sailed from here until 1951, when whaling ceased for reasons of conservation. At the near end of the town, on left, stands a monument to the Polar explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928), who reached the South Pole in 1911, flew over the North Pole in a semi-rigid airship in 1926 and was lost on a flight to Spitzbergen in 1928.
An important landmark in the town is a tower, erected in 1888 as a memorial to the old fortress. Other tourist sites include ruins of the Tønsberghus, St. Michael's Church, and the Royal Castle.