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.