Sandefjord Church

Sandefjord (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈsɑ̂nːəfjuːr] ) is a city (or town) that is the administrative centre of the large Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The town is located at the head of the Sandefjordsfjorden, along the Skaggerak coast in southern Vestfold. The large town also includes coastal areas on both sides of the Mefjorden on the Vesterøya and Østerøya peninsulas. The 24.19-square-kilometre (5,980-acre) town has a population (2022) of 45,816 and a population density of 1,894 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,910/sq mi).The city is known for its rich Viking history and the prosperous whaling industry, which made Sandefjord the richest city in Norway. Today, it has built up the third-largest merchant fleet in Norway. The Sandefjord Museum is located in the town, the only museum in Europe that is dedicated to whaling. The 9th-century Gokstad Ship was discovered at the nearby Gokstad Mound, on the eastern edge of the city. The Church of Norway has several churches in the city of Sandefjord including Sandefjord Church, Sandar Church, Bugården Church, and Vesterøy Church. Sandefjord has numerous nicknames, including the Viking "capital" of Norway. It is also known as the undisputed summer city of Norway. The city is also known as the "whaling capital of the world" or the "whaling capital of Norway". It has also been dubbed the "Bathing City" (Badebyen), due to its many beaches and former resort spas. It is still considered a resort town, due to high numbers of visitors during summer months.

Sandefjord Station (Norwegian: Sandefjord stasjon) is a railway station on the Vestfold Line in Sandefjord, Norway. The station is served with regional trains operated by Vy. The station opened as part of the Vestfold Line in 1881. Norsk Spisevognselskap took over operations of the restaurant on 1 January 1940. The first train came to Sandefjord in 1881, on its way to neighboring Larvik. In the 1950s, the steam locomotive was replaced by the less noisy electric run train.Sandefjord Station originally had three railway tracks when established in 1881. It also had one track which led through town and down to the harbor, known as Havesporet. It also had a side-track which led to National Industri, later known as Corneliussen mekaniske verksted. Goods from industry made up a large amount of the station's original traffic. Passenger traffic increased largely during summers due to tourism. The station has an elevation of 14.5 meters. It lies 600 meters from the harbor. It lies adjacent to the city's bus station, which is located immediately across the street from Sandefjord Station. Its property is made up of 460 m2 and it is located at Jernbaneplassen by Sandar Church. It was designed by architect Balthazar Lange. A Narvesen convenience store is located at the station, while a grocery store is found across the street.

Sandar (or historically Sandeherred) is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The 120-square-kilometre (46 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1968. The area is now part of Sandefjord Municipality. The administrative centre was located at Sandar, right by the Sandar Church in what is now the town of Sandefjord.Sandar was located in the southern, coastal part of Vestfold county. The European route E18 highway and the Vestfoldbanen railway line both passed through the municipality. The municipality encircled the whole town of Sandefjord until 1968 when they were merged.

The Saint John the Baptist's Church (Norwegian: St. Johannes Døperen kirke) is the name given to a religious building of the Catholic Church, which functions as the parish church in Sandefjord, Norway.The building was built between 1916 and 1918 in the Art Nouveau style for the Methodists and was inaugurated on 5 March 1918. The church building served as a Protestant parish for the Methodists in the city for 90 years, but was sold to the Catholic Church in 2008. The building has a built surface of 235 m2 (2,530 sq ft) and has space for between 140 and 150 seats. On the ground floor there is also a hall for the parish on a plot of 652 m2 (7,020 sq ft).

Hjertnes Civic and Theater Center is a series of municipal buildings in Sandefjord, Norway, which houses the City Hall, city library and a movie theater. It is situated next-door to Scandic Park Hotel at Sandefjordsveien in the city center. It has three auditoriums and an outdoor amphitheater. Hjertnes also presents concerts, live theater, operas and other cultural events.The city hall was dedicated by shipping magnate Anders Jahre (1891–1982) on June 21, 1975. A bronze statue of Anders Jahre by sculptor Joseph Grimeland (1916–2002) sits by the City Hall's main entrance. The sculpture was unveiled on June 21, 1975. A large stainless steel sculpture, the sea queen (Havdronningen), was made by Arnold Haukeland and is located outside the building. The sculpture was unveiled on April 7, 1976, and it is nearly ten meters tall. It was a gift to the city from Lars Christensen Jr., AS Thor Dahl, and Framnæs Mekaniske Værksted.Hjertnes Civic and Theater Center was designed by architects Trond Eliassen and Birger Lambertz-Nilsen.

Badeparken ("the Bathing Park") is a 12-acre (4.8 ha) public park in the city centre of Sandefjord, Norway. It is near the harbor and is home to a playground, sculpture park, several reflection mirrors, and an amphitheater. The park was established for guests at Sandefjord Spa in 1902. The park’s site was previously a field, Badejordene, which belonged to Hjernesgården (Hjertnes Farm). Sandefjord Spa established the park here in the early 1900s. The city had plans to develop housing in the park in 1936, however, the plans were revoked and it remained a park. The park received its current look between World War II and 1953 after parts of Sandefjord Spa were demolished and walking paths, trees, and a music pavilion were installed in the park.In the southeast, Badeparken borders the streets Strandpromenaden and Jernbanealleen that meet by Whaler's Monument. It borders Sandefjordsveien in the west and Hjertnespromenaden in the north. Sandefjord Spa is located near the park. Badeparken is adjacent to Scandic Park Hotel and Hjertnes Civic and Theater Center. Tree species in the park include Rowan, European ash, Goat willow, Alder, and Maple.An ice-skating rink ("Thor Dahlsgate isflate") has been installed near the park. The Grans Octoberfest and the music festival Fjordfesten take place here, as well as a seasonal amusement park (tivoli).

Sandar Church (Norwegian: Sandar kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the city of Sandefjord. It is the church for the Sandar parish which is part of the Sandefjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Tunsberg. The white, wooden church was built in a cruciform design in 1792 using plans drawn up by the architect Hans Christian Lind. The church seats about 700 people.The present church was erected at the ruins of a mediaeval stone church from the 12th century. The current church was built in 1792 in the Style Louis XV. Sandar Church originally had a half-circle dome top, but the roofing was changed to the current spire in 1868. The church was the main church of the old Sandar Municipality for a long time until 1968 when it became part of Sandefjord Municipality. The church is located just 300 metres (980 ft) from the Sandefjord Church. The old church is only open for advertised church events.

Sandefjord (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈsɑ̂nːəfjuːr] ) is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sandefjord. Other population centres in Sandefjord include Andebu, Fevang, Fokserød, Fossnes, Freberg, Hafallen, Helgerød, Himberg, Høyjord, Kodal, Lahelle, Melsomvik, Råstad, Solløkka, Stokke, Storevar, Strand, and Unneberg The 422-square-kilometre (163 sq mi) municipality is the 233rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sandefjord is the 14th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 65,574. The municipality's population density is 158.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (410/sq mi) and its population has increased by 6.5% over the previous 10-year period.Sandefjord is known for its rich Viking history and the prosperous whaling industry, which made Sandefjord the richest city in Norway. Today, it has built up the third-largest merchant fleet in Norway. Sandefjord Museum is the only museum in Europe dedicated to whaling, and is home to Gokstad Mound where the 9th-century Gokstad Ship was discovered. Sandefjord has numerous nicknames, including the Viking, Whaling "capital" of Norway or as the undisputed summer city of Norway. Sandefjord is also known as the "whaling capital of the world.": F-7 : 81  It has also been dubbed the "Bathing City" (Badebyen), due to its many beaches and former resort spas.: 73  It is still considered a resort town, due to high numbers of visitors during summer months.Sandefjord has become a transportation hub, home of Torp International Airport, one of Norway's largest airports. Daily ferry connections to Sweden are provided byColor Line from the city harbor. European Route E18, one of Norway's main north-south highways, traverses the municipality. Sandefjord is a stronghold for the Conservative Party; the Conservative coalition received over 70 percent of votes cast in 2011. Current mayor is Bjørn Ole Gleditsch from the Conservative Party, who has been mayor since 2004.

Sandefjordmuseene (Hvalfangstmuseet) is a museum located in Sandefjord, Norway. It is dedicated to the whaling industry and is the only specialized museum on the subject of whales and whaling in Europe. Since 2009, the museum has been associated with the Vestfold Museum (Vestfoldmuseene). It is one of the largest whaling museums in the world, and Europe's only museum dedicated to the whaling industry.Sandefjord Whaling Museum houses a full-size recreation of a 21-meter Blue whale, which hangs from the ceiling in one of its galleries. Southern Actor is based on Museum's Wharf and is a part of the museum. It is the only whale-catcher from the Modern Whaling Epoch still in its original working order.The museum was visited by over one million people from its opening until 1994.

Scandic Park Hotel (formerly Rica Park Hotel) is a large hotel in Sandefjord, Norway. The Park Hotel was completed in 1960 and was the largest and most luxurious hotel in Vestfold County when established. Park Hotel was built on a site that previously belonged to Sandefjord Spa. It is located next to the harbor and near the city center. It caters for conferences, business functions, and courses. Most rooms overlook the Sandefjordsfjord. The hotel houses three restaurants: Parkstuen, Kosmos, and Vinstuen. It has spa facilities, gyms, solariums, saltwater swimming pools, saunas, conference halls, and a banquet hall.The hotel was designed by architect Arnstein Arneberg, and opened as “The Whaling House” (Hvalfangstens Hus) in 1959. It was frequently visited by the shipping magnate Anders Jahre.A whale jawbone arch from a Blue whale killed in 1956 has been placed outside the hotel.

Hvaltorvet, or Hvaltorget, is the largest shopping mall in Sandefjord, Norway. It is located in the town square in the city centre. It first opened in 1989, but an expanded mall was opened on 20 November 2008. It is home to 60-63 stores including H&M, Jack & Jones, Lindex, Narvesen, Telenor, Vero Moda, and Teknikmagasinet. The mall is 27,000 square metres (290,000 sq ft). Hvaltorvet is named in honor of the city’s iconic whaling epoch.

Whaler's Monument, also known as The Whaling Monument (Norwegian: Hvalfangstmonumentet), is a rotating bronze memorial statue situated by the harbor in Sandefjord, Norway. It is located at the end of Jernbanealleen, which is the main street in town.The monument was created by Norwegian sculptor Knut Steen for which he won a competition in which more than one hundred sculptors had competed. A commission was granted to Knut Steen in 1953. The work took seven years to complete. It was first unveiled in 1960 and has become one of his most widely recognized works of sculpture.It features an elegant, fishing boat raised by a whale fin. It depicts four stylized figures of whalers with oars in an open boat, with harpoons ready and water spraying. It is made in the style of a compass rose and rotates slowly. Central parts are made of bronze and weighs 26 tons. The dramatic effect is enhanced by the water columns in the fountain that are regulated at different heights. The pool has 128 underwater lights. Around the fountain are stylized reliefs in granite from modern whaling.The costs associated with the design and construction of the sculpture were donated to the city by shipowner and whaling magnate, Lars Christensen. Earlier Consul Christensen had also funded the costs associated with the construction and development of the Sandefjord Museum.