Svelvik Explained

Official Name:Svelvik
Settlement Type:Town/City[1]
Pushpin Map:Buskerud#Norway
Pushpin Label Position:top
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of the town
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Norway
Subdivision Name1:Eastern Norway
Subdivision Name2:Buskerud
Subdivision Type4:Municipality
Subdivision Name4:Drammen Municipality
Utc Offset1:+01:00
Utc Offset1 Dst:+02:00
Established Title:Established as
Established Date: 
Established Title1:Ladested
Established Date1:1845
Area Total Km2:2.33
Population As Of:2023
Population Total:4256
Population Density Km2:1825
Population Demonym:Svelviking
Postal Code Type:Post Code
Postal Code:3060 Svelvik
Coordinates:59.6137°N 10.4088°W
Elevation M:5
Elevation Footnotes:[2]

in Norwegian pronounced as /ˈsvæ̀ɽviːk/ is a town in Drammen Municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The town is located along the west shore of the Drammensfjorden, about to the southeast of the town of Drammen and about north of the village of Berger. The village of Klokkarstua (in Asker Municipality) lies about to the east, across the fjord.[3]

The 2.33km2 town has a population (2023) of 4,256 and a population density of . The town lies mostly in Drammen Municipality, but a small part of the urban area of Svelvik lies on the other side of the fjord (which is only wide at that point). About 130 people live right across the fjord in Asker Municipality.[4]

The newspaper Svelviksposten has been published in Svelvik since 1983.[5]

History

The town of Svelvik was established as a ladested on 1 January 1845 when it was separated from Strømm Municipality. Initially, the new town had a population of 1,201. The town was historically located in Jarlsberg og Laurvig county (present-day Vestfold county). Under the formannskapsdistrikt law, Svelvik was granted self-governing status as a municipality since it was a town. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the town of Svelvik (population: 1,188) was merged with Strømm Municipality (population: 2,618) to form the new Svelvik Municipality.[6] On 1 January 2020, Svelvik Municipality (population: 6,685) was merged into the neighboring Drammen Municipality (which made it switch from Vestfold to Viken county), so from then on, the town of Svelvik has been part of Drammen Municipality. On 1 January 2024, Viken county was dissolved and this area became part of Buskerud county.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Svelvik farm (Norse, Old: Sverðvík) since the first Svelvik Church was built there. The first element comes from the word which means "sword". The last element is which means "bay" or "cove". The name "sword bay" is likely referring to the Ryggen promontory ridge across from the town of Svelvik. The ridge juts out into the Drammensfjorden like a sword and divides the fjord into two halves. The neighboring farm is called Sverstad (Norwegian: Sverðstaðir) which has the same etymology.[7]

Geography

The town is located on the western shore of the Drammensfjorden. The narrow Svelvikstrømmen strait is located part-way along the fjord, near the town of Svelvik. The shortest ferry line in Norway crosses the fjord there, connecting Svelvik to the Hurum peninsula.

The little town has small, winding streets and traditional, white-painted houses. Svelvik has many venues for swimming and sunbathing.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. In the Norwegian language, the word by can be translated as "town" or "city".
  2. Web site: Svelvik, Drammen . 2024-02-27 . yr.no.
  3. Encyclopedia: Svelvik (tettsted) . . . 2023-12-20 . Askheim . Svein . no . 2024-02-27.
  4. Web site: Statistisk sentralbyrå . Statistics Norway . 2023-01-01 . Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality .
  5. Encyclopedia: Svelviksposten . . . 2024-02-09 . Andersen . Thorbjørn . no . 2024-02-27.
  6. Web site: Jukvam . Dag . 1999 . Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen . . no . 9788253746845.
  7. Book: Rygh, Oluf . Norske gaardnavne: Jarlsberg og Larviks amt . 1907 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 6 . Kristiania, Norge . 4 . no . Oluf Rygh.