Back to towns in Norway
Torp
Tourist information - Torp
Torp airport is in Sanderfjord. Sandefjord is a small coastal town in southern Norway. A compact town centre, parks, pedestrian areas and a variety of small shops play together to create a good atmosphere. It is a shopper's heaven with jewellers, fashion boutiques and up-market interior design. The old fashioned bakeries and Norway's oldest privately owned fish shop add to the atmosphere. And everything is within easy reach in a town centre with short distances.
After shopping hours the time has come for a good meal. The culinary alternatives abound, and almost every continent is represented. Delicacies from the sea are a must in a coastal town, and even the gourmands should have no problem finding something to their liking.
Food for thought is part of the total experience, and Sandefjord is no exception in this regard. Especially in the summer the cultural events are packed together with festivals, musical revues, concerts with jazz, pop, rock and classical music. Vestfold International Festival features international artists with venues all over the county. In Sandefjord art and culture is also visible in the urban landscape. A stroll among the many sculptures gives inspiration and visual pleasures and may culminate at the majestic Whaling Monument by the harbour. The town's art galleries have changing exhibits all year and the local craft shops may be the place for just the right present.
A beautiful summer's day should be spent by the ocean, and fine beaches, quiet inlets and smooth rocks invite you to do just that. Sandefjord, with its three fjords and many islands, have 146 kilometres coast line with a spectre of alternatives for those who wish to take part in the bustling beach life or those who wish to enjoy the solitude of the rocky shore. If hiking is on the agenda, the many coastal paths help with finding the way through the landscape.
Sandefjord's history goes way back. The vikings lived here and left remnants of an interesting period. Today this is represented by the Gokstad burial mound just outside of the town centre, where the Gokstad ship was excavated in 1880. A copy of the ship, the "Gaia", has Sandefjord as its homeport and is found on the museum pier. In the 1800s Sandefjord was a renowned spa town with prominent guests such as the author Henrik Ibsen and King Oscar II. The remaining spa buildings are beautiful examples of a rich time in the town's history. Perhaps the most influential era in Sandefjord's history is the whaling period when Sandefjord was the centre of international pelagic whaling. The Whaling Museum dedicated to whales and the history of whaling is in fact unique in Europe.
|
