Municipality in Østfold, Norway
Halden
(
pronounced
[?h???dn?]
ⓘ
), between 1665 and 1928 known as
Fredrikshald
, is both a
town
and a
municipality
in
Østfold
county
,
Norway
. The municipality borders
Sarpsborg
to the northwest,
Rakkestad
to the north and
Aremark
to the east, as well as the
Swedish
municipalities
Stromstad
,
Tanum
and
Dals-Ed
respectively to the southwest, south and southeast.
The seat of the municipality, Halden is a
border town
located at the mouth of the
Tista
river on the
Iddefjord
, the southernmost border crossing between Norway and
Sweden
. The town of Halden is located about 120 km (75 mi) south of
Oslo
, 190 km (120 mi) north of
Gothenburg
, and 12 km (7.5 mi) west of the border crossing at
Svinesund
.
History
[
edit
]
Evidence of early human settlements in this region of Norway have been found, particularly in the
Svinesund
area of the municipality where evidence of early settlements from the
Nordic Bronze Age
have been found. Named after a small farm
Hallen
(English:
"rise" or "slope"
) first mentioned in 1629, "Halden", became the city of
Fredrikshald
in 1665, named after
Frederick III of Denmark
. The
Gud med oss
(
God be with us
)
coat-of-arms
created in 1665 shows a
knight
standing on a mountain, yellow on a blue background, and was inspired by the bravery of the citizens of the city in the
Dano-Swedish War (1658?1660)
.
[4]
Swedish forces unsuccessfully attempted to invade the town six times between 1658 and 1814. As a reference to the town's citizens burning their own houses to prevent them being taken on 4 July 1716 by the forces of King
Charles XII
of Sweden, Halden is one of only two cities in
Norway's national anthem
. In 1718, the
Great Northern War
ended when Charles XII was shot and killed at the
Fredriksten
fortress. The fortress had been erected in the 17th century as a replacement for the
Bohus Fortress
lost at the
Treaty of Roskilde
in 1658 when
Bohuslan
was ceded to Sweden. Halden has never been captured by force by any invading army, although it was occupied by
Nazi
forces in
WWII
.
In an 1835
census
, Fredrikshald was the seventh largest town or city in Norway, with 4,921 inhabitants.
[5]
In 1838, Fredrikshald became a
city municipality
(
Norwegian
:
herred
), and in 1928, the name was changed back to Halden.
Tistedalen
, which is 4 kilometres (2 mi) east of Halden, was part of the city from 1686 to 1967, until it was separated from Halden. At the same time, the area of Halden, Tistedalen, and the rural municipalities of
Berg
and
Idd
, became the Halden municipality on 1 January 1967.
Politics
[
edit
]
The political situation in Halden has become infamous in Norway for conflicts between individual politicians and between local political parties.
The municipality is governed by the Conservative Party, the
Liberal Party
, the
Christian Democratic Party
, the
Centre Party
, and the
Green Party
.
[6]
Economy
[
edit
]
The slogan,
Halden, IT- og Miljøbyen
(Halden, IT and Environment City), is a reference to Halden's relatively large number of
information technology
companies. In the late 1960s, the most powerful
mainframe computer
in Norway at the time was located at the
Institute for Energy Technology
's facilities in Halden. From the 1960s-1980s, Halden was infamous for high levels of industrial
pollution
, largely originating from the
Norske Skog Saugbrugs
paper mill (part of
Norske Skog
since 1989). As a result of projects initiated by both Norske Skog-Saugbrugs and the city authorities, the polluted fjords and
rivers
of Halden have been cleaned up and the city was dubbed Norway's Environment City in 1996.
One of Norway's two
nuclear reactors
under decommissioning is located in Halden. The
Halden Boiling Water Reactor
is a research reactor located 100 metres (328 ft) within Manefjell, adjacent to the Saugbrugs paper mill. The OECD Halden Reactor Project is one of the world's longest running international research collaborations and is the largest international research project in Norway. While the reactor closed in 2018, safety-oriented research collaboration for the nuclear power industry has continued, focusing primarily on human-technology-organisation research. IFE's Man-Technology-Organisation Lab facility in Os Alle was opened by the Prince Regent in 2004 and houses the most recent incarnations of the Halden Man-Machine Laboratory (HAMMLAB) and Halden
Virtual Reality
Centre's (HVRC) VR laboratory. IFE also has advanced robotics and cybersecurity labs in Halden. The Halden Project at IFE has ensured a steady influx of international guest scientists to the city, many of whom made Halden their permanent homes.
Nexans
has a large cable factory in Halden. The main products from this factory are
submarine power cables
,
umbilical cables
for
subsea
installations, and cable systems for heating of subsea
pipelines
.
Rød Herregard
[
edit
]
Rød Herregard in Halden is one of the best preserved manor houses in Norway. The property features well-preserved buildings, a
Baroque garden
and an
English landscape garden
. The buildings have their oldest origins of the late 1600s, but were largely built during the last half of the 1700s. The main building contains authentic furnishings including period furniture, hunting trophies, an extensive collection of art and a large weapons collection.
[7]
Rød Herregard was owned and inhabited by members of the Tank and Anker families from 1733 including
Carsten Tank
and
Nils Otto Tank
as well as
Peter Martin Anker
and
Nils Anker
. The manor house and estate complex was owned by the Tank family through three generations, from 1733 to 1829. Both Danish Crown Prince regent
Christian Frederik
and Swedish Crown Prince and Regent
Charles John
were guests at the mansion. The estate was visited by English economist
Thomas Robert Malthus
during his European tour in 1799.
[8]
[9]
[10]
In 1961, two foundations were established to maintain the historic property. Rød Manor Foundation (
Stiftelsen Rød Herregard
) is responsible for the manor house, buildings and gardens. Ankerske Foundation Collections (
Stiftelsen De Ankerske Samlinger
) is responsible for the contents and the rich archives related to the property.
[11]
Notable sights
[
edit
]
Halden sights include the
Halden Canal
system, the two
Svinesund
bridges, and
Høiasmasten
, a partially guyed TV tower. The fortress of
Fredriksten
has historical museums, and the
Østfold University College
(
Høgskolen i Østfold
) is in Halden.
Petroglyphs
(rock carvings) dated from the
Nordic Bronze Age
are found around town, some locally, but more impressive are ones found along
Oldtidsveien
, the historical road between Halden and
Fredrikstad
some 20 km (12 mi) north, and around
Tanum
in Sweden, some 60 km (37 mi) to the south.
Jellhaugen
, a major
tumulus
(grave mound) is found west of town,
[12]
situated only 120 feet away from the site of the later discovered
Gjellestad Ship
.
Nature
[
edit
]
Halden is surrounded by
forests
and water, so hiking and fishing locations can easily be found.
Deer
and
elk
are a common sight, and
wolves
have also been observed in the district along the border with
Sweden
.
Raspberries
,
blackberries
,
blueberries
,
wild cranberries
, and many varieties of
mushroom
can be found in the woods in the early autumn. Popular destinations for hikers and other nature lovers include
Prestebakke
and
Kornsjø
.
Halden's meteorological station is at Buer.
[13]
Gjellestad ship burial
[
edit
]
The
Gjellestad
[14]
(
Norwegian pronunciation:
[?j??lː??st?ːd]
) ship, also spelt Jellestad, is the remains of a
Viking Age
longship
found at the farm of Gjellestad in Halden municipality in Norway in 2018 by the archeologists Lars Gustavsen and Erich Nau. A 2019 examination by the University of Oslo has dated it to earliest AD 733.
[15]
Originally interred beneath a
burial mound
, in the present day the ship lies 40 centimetres below the topsoil due to years of
ploughing
.
[16]
Due to extensive
fungus
damage to the hull caused by field drainage, drought and exposure to the air, archaeologists called for an immediate dig to save the ship.
[17]
Excavation of the ship at Gjellestad began in June 2020,
[18]
and is led by Christian L. Rødsrud of the Museum of Cultural History. It is estimated to be over 20 metres long, although only parts of the keel have survived.
[19]
This would mean that the boat is of a similar size to the
Gokstad ship
.
[20]
The identity of the boat's occupant has not yet been confirmed, but experts have speculated that it may have belonged to a king or queen.
[21]
Culture
[
edit
]
Outdoor concerts are frequently held at the fortress while the local churches, pubs, and student union are regular venues for indoor concerts. Musicians recorded by the Hitsville and Athletic Sound studios in the Halden region include
Motorpsycho
,
Madrugada
,
Morten Harket
, and
Kurt Nilsen
. The city's intimate theatre hosts frequent plays by national and local theatre groups, and occasionally serves as a concert hall.
Halden festivals include Tons of Rock (hard rock and metal) in June each year (from 2014 before the festival was moved to
Oslo
in 2019) and a vegetarian food festival in August. The famous pub "Siste Reis" neighbouring the train station has been voted among the ten best pubs in Europe!
Artists born in Halden that are represented in the
Norwegian National Gallery
in
Oslo
include Thomas Fearnley (1802?1842) and
Jacob Mathias Calmeyer
(1802?1883). Fearnley is locally exhibited at the
manor house
Rød Herregard. Other significant artists that lived in Halden, but were not born there, include Johannes Fintoe (1786?1870) and Heinrich August Grosch (1763?1843). Grosch's son,
Christian Heinrich Grosch
(1801?1865), who moved with his parents to Halden at the age of ten, became an influential architect, whose works include seventy-eight churches (including
Immanuel Church
in Halden), the
Bank of Norway
, the
Oslo Stock Exchange
, and the original university buildings in Oslo.
Current archaeological excavations includes
Jellestadskipet
(Gjellestadskipet) located a
stone's throw
from
Jellhaugen
; it was first photographed in 2018.
[22]
Sports
[
edit
]
The Halden VBK
volleyball
club plays in the Premier Division, and while the local
ice hockey
team Comet did play in the
GET-league
(Norway's highest ice hockey division) for some years, but they ran into some financial problems in 2008/2009, and is now in division 1. Halden also has many football clubs, the biggest of them,
Kvik Halden FK
, plays in the Norwegian Second Division. The two handball clubs,
Tistedalens TIF
in the first division and
HK Halden
, have teams for children, youth and adults.
One of Norway's few
curling
centres lies in Halden. Halden Curling Center is host to East-Norway 1 division. In addition there is a separate amateur league with two divisions. Several curlers from Halden have won Norwegian championships and competed internationally.
Halden's forests are a good place for
orienteering
; and
hiking
,
canoeing
, boating,
fishing
, and
gymnastics
are also popular sports amongst Halden's population.
Halden's prison
[
edit
]
Halden fengsel
is one of Norway's highest-security jails. It has acquired a “reputation as the world's most humane prison.” The architectural design of this prison is not like other prisons. The conditions inside the prison have been made as much like life outside the walls as possible. It is in fact to create an environment “as unprisonlike as possible.” This reflects the flagship of the Norwegian justice system, which focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
[24]
To explore what makes
incarceration in Norway
different from being imprisoned in other countries, British journalist
Raphael Rowe
spent a week at
Halden Prison
for the
Netflix
documentary
Inside the World's Toughest Prisons
(Season 3, Episode 4).
[25]
Notable residents
[
edit
]
Public Service & public thinking
[
edit
]
The Arts
[
edit
]
- Thomas Fearnley
(1802 in Fredrikshald ? 1842) a Norwegian romantic painter
- Jacob Calmeyer
(1802 in Fredrikshald ? 1883) a Norwegian painter
- Annette Abigael Hamilton
(1806 in Fredrikshald - 1879) a fairy-tale collector and author
- Henriette Wienecke
(1819 in Fredrikshald -1907), a composer
- Alvilde Prydz
(1846 near Fredrikshald ? 1922) a Norwegian novelist
- Oscar Borg
(1851 in Halden ? 1930) composer of marches for wind bands and conductor
- Gustav Fredrik Lange
(1861 in Halden ? 1939) a violinist, violin teacher and composer
- Karl Ouren
(1882 in Halden ? 1943) an American artist of landscapes with winter and snow
- Sven Elvestad
(1884 in Fredrikshald ? 1934) a Norwegian journalist and author of crime novels
- Mon Schjelderup
(1870 in Fredrikshald ? 1934) a Norwegian composer and pianist
- Egil Hjorth-Jenssen
(1893 in Fredrikshald ? 1969) actor, theatre director and playwright
[26]
- Pehr Qværnstrøm
(1878 in Halden ? 1949) an actor, film director and scriptwriter
[27]
- Gunnar Olram
(1908 in Halden ? 2001) a Norwegian actor and stage instructor
[28]
- Henning Kvitnes
(born 1958 in Tistedalen) Singer/songwriter (Rock/roots)
- Knut Nærum
(born 1961 in Halden) comedian, author, comics writer and TV-entertainer
- Harald Rønneberg
(born 1973 in Halden) a Norwegian television personality
Sport
[
edit
]
Twin towns ? sister cities
[
edit
]
Halden is
twinned
with:
[29]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Navn pa steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn"
(in Norwegian). Sprakradet.
- ^
"Forskrift om malvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar"
(in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
- ^
Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (2023-01-26).
"Kommunenummer"
.
Store norske leksikon
(in Norwegian).
Kunnskapsforlaget
.
- ^
"Haldens kommunevapen"
(in Norwegian). Archived from
the original
on 2011-07-24
. Retrieved
2008-12-13
.
- ^
Tabeller over Folkemængden i Norge den 31te December 1845
- ^
"Halden kommune - Politikk"
. Archived from
the original
on 2016-04-08
. Retrieved
2013-09-29
.
- ^
"Rød Herregard"
. Østfoldmuseene
. Retrieved
January 25,
2016
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Rød Herregard"
. ostfold1814. Archived from
the original
on September 22, 2018
. Retrieved
June 20,
2016
.
- ^
Jon Gunnar Arntzen.
"Anker"
. Store norske leksikon
. Retrieved
June 20,
2016
.
- ^
Jon Gunnar Arntzen.
"Anker"
. Store norske leksikon
. Retrieved
June 20,
2016
.
- ^
"Rød Herregard"
. Østfoldmuseene
. Retrieved
June 20,
2016
.
- ^
"Jellhaugen"
. Kulturminnesøk
. Retrieved
September 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Weather forecast for Buer stasjon"
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-04-01
. Retrieved
2009-04-24
.
- ^
"Gjellestadskipet"
.
- ^
"Skipsgraven fra Gjellestad ? ny viten om datering og bevaringstilstand - Kulturhistorisk museum"
.
- ^
Jellestad Ship
- ^
Science Norway
- ^
Gjellestad excavation
- ^
BBC News
- ^
Historic excavation now underway
- ^
SFL Times
- ^
"Arkeologene trodde de fant et ukjent vikingskip ? men slekta til Harald slo dem med 140 ar"
. 19 September 2020.
- ^
"Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by immigration category, country background and percentages of the population"
. ssb.no
. Retrieved
23 June
2017
.
- ^
Gentleman, Amelia.
"Inside Halden, the most humane prison in the world"
. Retrieved
12 December
2018
.
- ^
"Inside the World's Thoughest Prisons"
.
Netflix
. Retrieved
2021-04-11
.
- ^
IMDb Database
retrieved 20 January 2021
- ^
IMDb Database
retrieved 20 January 2021
- ^
IMDb Database
retrieved 20 January 2021
- ^
"Foreningen Norden Halden 80 ar"
.
dagsavisen.no
(in Norwegian). Dagsavisen. 2019-03-28
. Retrieved
2021-01-31
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Halden
.
Look up
Halden
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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