Åsgårdstrand (historically spelled Aasgaardstrand) is a small port town in Horten Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The town is located along the shore of the Ytre Oslofjord, about 8 km south of the town of Horten, about 10 km to the north of the town of Tønsberg, and about 100 km south of the capital city of Oslo. The villages of Borre and Skoppum both lie a short distance northwest of Åsgårdstrand. The 1.47 km2 town has a population (2023) of 2959 and a population density of 2014 PD/km2. Most of the town lies within Horten Municipality, but a 0.05 km2 area of the town with 56 residents crosses over into the neighboring Tønsberg Municipality. The village of Åsgårdstrand was established as a ladested (small town/seaport) in 1650. On 1 January 1838, the small town was established as a municipality (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1965, Åsgårdstrand was merged with Borre Municipality plus a small area of Sem Municipality to form the new Borre Municipality (the name was later changed to Horten Municipality). After the merger, Åsgårdstrand lost its status as a ladested (small town/seaport). On 1 January 2010, the council for Horten Municipality formally designated Åsgardstrand as a town. Åsgårdsstrand is a summer resort destination with a number of restored old homes. It is home to various cafés, galleries, and a beach. Edvard Munch’s former home is now owned by the municipality and open to the public. It is also home to Borre Kystled, a hiking trail which leads to Borre National Park.

History

Åsgårdstrand was designated as a ladested (seaport/center of trade) in 1650 under the town of Tønsberg. In 1660 it was transferred to being under the town of Holmestrand. In 1752, the town was given the rights of doing business with national goods. From the beginning of the 19th century, Åsgårdstrand, was a lively export harbor for lumber, of which most was exported to the Netherlands. By the end of the sailing ship era, the trade stagnated. On 1 January 1838, Åsgårdstrand became a self-governing urban municipality under the newly-passed formannskapsdistrikt law. Merchant and ship owner Anders Riddervold was elected as the first mayor. Dating from the 1880s, the town had been increasingly known as an important center for artists and painters. A number of internationally noted painters has either visited or lived in the town including Edvard Munch, Christian Krogh, and Hans Heyerdahl. In 1898, Edvard Munch bought a house in Åsgårdstrand where he spent the first of many summers (the house is now operated as a small museum which is associated with the Vestfold Museum). Since the 1920s, Åsgårdstrand has been a popular vacation and recreational spot. Visitors come to the small town each summer and spend their holidays in one of the four hotels. In 2007, the town was designated as a "Tourist Town", which gives the shop owners in the oldest part closest to the sea the right to stay open every day of the week. In order to become a Tourist Town the number of visitors needs to greatly exceed the number of residents throughout the year. In June every year, Åsgårdstrand celebrates Midsummer (the longest day of the year) with a large fire on the shore.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 1 January 1950. The blazon is "Gules, a mermaid argent". This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a mermaid. The mermaid has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used.

Name

The town (and municipality) is named after the old Aasgaarden farm. The first element is the accusative case of the word which means "rocky ridge" which likely refers to the farm's location on Raet. The last element is which means "farm" or "dwelling". The suffix means "beach". Thus the name means something like the "beach belonging to the farm on the rocky ridge." On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Aasgaardstrand with the digraph "Aa" and "aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Åsgårdstrand, using the letters Å and å instead.

Municipal self-government (1838–1965)

The 0.18 km2 town of Åsgårdstrand was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the town of Åsgårdstrand (population: 488) was merged with Borre Municipality (population: 6,037) and the Stang area of Sem Municipality (population: 126) to form the new Borre Municipality. While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Bystyre) of Åsgårdstrand was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayors of Åsgårdstrand:

Notable people