Svelvik
Encyclopedia
is a town and municipality
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...

 in Vestfold
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...

 county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...

, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Svelvik.

The town of Svelvik was separated from the rural municipality of Strømm
Strømm
-Separation:The parish of Hurum was divided into two formannskapsdistrikt on January 1, 1838. The main part of the parish belonged to the county of Buskerud, while the annex Strømmen belonged to the county of Vestfold...

 to become a municipality of its own in 1845. The two municipalities were merged back together on 1 January 1964.

Name

The Norse form of the name was Sverðvík. The first element is sverð n 'sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...

', the last element is vík f 'cove
Cove
A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. They usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often inside a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are often considered coves...

, wick
Wick
Wick may refer to:* David Wicks, fictional character from a British soap opera. Not to be confused with David Wicks, American comedian/actor.* Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp...

'. A neighbouring farm has the name Sverstad (Norse Sverðstaðir). The word sverð is probably referring to the promontory ridge Ryggen ('the back') in Hurum
Hurum
Hurum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village Klokkarstua. The municipality of Hurum was established on 1 January 1838 . The small village of Holmsbu was granted town status in 1847, but it did not become a municipality of its own...

: This ridge is lying right opposite Svelvik and Sverstad, and it is almost (like a sword) cutting the Drammensfjord
Drammensfjord
Drammensfjord is a fjord in Norway that connects to Ytre Oslofjord on the west side. It stretches to the north and northeast. The Drammenselva river discharges into the head of the fjord...

 in two parts.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 is from modern times. They were granted on 4 September 1964. Svelvik is an important harbor
Harbor
A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...

 and its economy is thus also based on the harbor. The arms show a gold-colored trident
Trident
A trident , also called a trishul or leister or gig, is a three-pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and was also a military weapon. Tridents are featured widely in mythical, historical and modern culture. The major Hindu god, Shiva the Destroyer and the sea god Poseidon or Neptune are...

 on a red background, as a symbol for the sea.

Geography

The narrow Svelvikstrømmen sound
Sound (geography)
In geography a sound or seaway is a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord; or it may be defined as a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land ....

 separates Svelvik from the municipality of Hurum
Hurum
Hurum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village Klokkarstua. The municipality of Hurum was established on 1 January 1838 . The small village of Holmsbu was granted town status in 1847, but it did not become a municipality of its own...

, and the county of Buskerud
Buskerud
is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:...

. This sound is served by a ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

, which has the shortest line in Norway.

The village is quite characteristic, with small winding streets and traditional, white-painted houses. Svelvik is a summer paradise with many possibilities for swimming and sunbathing.

Famous inhabitants

  • Steffen Martinsen
    Steffen Martinsen
    Steffen Martinsen is a Norwegian football midfielder who currently plays for Svelvik IF.He began his career in SBK Skiold, and joined FC Lyn Oslo as a youth player. He also attended the school Norwegian College of Elite Sport. He played one game in the Norwegian football cup 2005, but none in the...

    , football player
  • Martin Nymoen, winner of NorgesCup in Mountain bike
    Mountain bike
    A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...


External links

  • Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
    Statistics Norway
    Statistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All releases are published both in Norwegian and English...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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