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The seat of the municipality, Halden is aborder town located at the mouth of theTista river on theIddefjord, the southernmost border crossing between Norway andSweden. The town of Halden is located about 120 km (75 mi) south ofOslo, 190 km (120 mi) north ofGothenburg, and 12 km (7.5 mi) west of the border crossing atSvinesund.
Evidence of early human settlements in this region of Norway have been found, particularly in theSvinesund area of the municipality where evidence of early settlements from theNordic Bronze Age have been found. Named after a small farmHallen (English:"rise" or "slope") first mentioned in 1629, "Halden", became the city ofFredrikshald in 1665, named afterFrederick III of Denmark. TheGud med oss (God be with us)coat-of-arms created in 1665 shows aknight standing on a mountain, yellow on a blue background, and was inspired by the bravery of the citizens of the city in theDano-Swedish War (1658–1660).[4]
Swedish forces unsuccessfully attempted to invade the town six times between 1658 and 1814. As a reference to the town's citizens burning their own houses to prevent them being taken on 4 July 1716 by the forces of KingCharles XII of Sweden, Halden is one of only two cities mentioned inNorway's national anthem. In 1718, theGreat Northern War ended when Charles XII was shot and killed at theFredriksten fortress. The fortress had been erected in the 17th century as a replacement for theBohus Fortress lost at theTreaty of Roskilde in 1658 whenBohuslän was ceded to Sweden. Halden has never been captured by force by any invading army, although it was occupied byNazi forces inWWII.
In an 1835census, Fredrikshald was the seventh largest town or city in Norway, with 4,921 inhabitants.[5] In 1838, Fredrikshald became acity municipality (Norwegian:herred), and in 1928, the name was changed back to Halden.Tistedalen, which is 4 kilometres (2 mi) east of Halden, was part of the city from 1686 to 1967, until it was separated from Halden. At the same time, the area of Halden, Tistedalen, and the rural municipalities ofBerg andIdd, became the Halden municipality on 1 January 1967.
The political situation in Halden has become infamous in Norway for conflicts between individual politicians and between local political parties.The municipality is governed by the Conservative Party, theLiberal Party, theChristian Democratic Party, theCentre Party, and theGreen Party.[6]
Overview photo of Halden, with Fredriksten fortress visible
The slogan,Halden, IT- og Miljøbyen (Halden, IT and Environment City), is a reference to Halden's relatively large number ofinformation technology companies. In the late 1960s, the most powerfulmainframe computer in Norway at the time was located at theInstitute for Energy Technology's facilities in Halden. From the 1960s-1980s, Halden was infamous for high levels of industrialpollution, largely originating from theNorske Skog Saugbrugs paper mill (part ofNorske Skog since 1989). As a result of projects initiated by both Norske Skog-Saugbrugs and the city authorities, the polluted fjords andrivers of Halden have been cleaned up and the city was dubbed Norway's Environment City in 1996.
One of Norway's twonuclear reactors under decommissioning is located in Halden. TheHalden Boiling Water Reactor is a research reactor located 100 metres (328 ft) within Månefjell, adjacent to the Saugbrugs paper mill. The OECD Halden Reactor Project is one of the world's longest running international research collaborations and is the largest international research project in Norway. While the reactor closed in 2018, safety-oriented research collaboration for the nuclear power industry has continued, focusing primarily on human-technology-organisation research. In 2024, Halden municipality took part in the creation of Halden Kjernekraft AS and initiated investigation for the possible construction of aSmall Modular Reactor;[7] a location has since been identified.[8] IFE's Man-Technology-Organisation Lab facility in Os Alle was opened by the Prince Regent in 2004 and houses the most recent incarnations of the Halden Man-Machine Laboratory (HAMMLAB) and HaldenVirtual Reality Centre's (HVRC) VR laboratory. IFE also has advanced robotics and cybersecurity labs in Halden. The Halden Project at IFE has ensured a steady influx of international guest scientists to the city, many of whom made Halden their permanent homes.
Rød Herregård in Halden is one of the best preserved manor houses in Norway. The property features well-preserved buildings, aBaroque garden and anEnglish landscape garden. The buildings have their oldest origins of the late 1600s, but were largely built during the last half of the 1700s. The main building contains authentic furnishings including period furniture, hunting trophies, an extensive collection of art and a large weapons collection.[9]
Rød Herregård was owned and inhabited by members of the Tank and Anker families from 1733 includingCarsten Tank andNils Otto Tank as well asPeter Martin Anker andNils Anker. The manor house and estate complex was owned by the Tank family through three generations, from 1733 to 1829. Both Danish Crown Prince regentChristian Frederik and Swedish Crown Prince and RegentCharles John were guests at the mansion. The estate was visited by English economistThomas Robert Malthus during his European tour in 1799.[10][11][12]
In 1961, two foundations were established to maintain the historic property. Rød Manor Foundation (Stiftelsen Rød Herregård) is responsible for the manor house, buildings and gardens. Ankerske Foundation Collections (Stiftelsen De Ankerske Samlinger) is responsible for the contents and the rich archives related to the property.[13]
Petroglyphs (rock carvings) dated from theNordic Bronze Age are found around town, some locally, but more impressive are ones found alongOldtidsveien, the historical road between Halden andFredrikstad some 20 km (12 mi) north, and aroundTanum in Sweden, some 60 km (37 mi) to the south.Jellhaugen, a majortumulus (grave mound) is found west of town,[15] situated only 120 feet away from the site of the later discoveredGjellestad Ship.
Halden is surrounded byforests and water, so hiking and fishing locations can easily be found.Deer andelk are a common sight, andwolves have also been observed in the district along the border withSweden.Raspberries,blackberries,blueberries,wild cranberries, and many varieties ofmushroom can be found in the woods in the early autumn. Popular destinations for hikers and other nature lovers includePrestebakke andKornsjø.
A Viking burial mound at Gjellestad. The Jellhaugen Mound was probably built in the 6th century, about 300 years before the burial of the Gjellestad ship.
TheGjellestad[17] (Norwegian pronunciation:[ˈjɛ̂lːəˌstɑːd]) ship, also spelt Jellestad, is the remains of aViking Agelongship found at the farm of Gjellestad in Halden municipality in Norway in 2018 by the archeologists Lars Gustavsen and Erich Nau. A 2019 examination by the University of Oslo has dated it to earliest AD 733.[18] Originally interred beneath aburial mound, in the present day the ship lies 40 centimetres below the topsoil due to years ofploughing.[19]
Due to extensivefungus damage to the hull caused by field drainage, drought and exposure to the air, archaeologists called for an immediate dig to save the ship.[20] Excavation of the ship at Gjellestad began in June 2020,[21] and is led by Christian L. Rødsrud of the Museum of Cultural History. It is estimated to be over 20 metres long, although only parts of the keel have survived.[22] This would mean that the boat is of a similar size to theGokstad ship.[23] The identity of the boat's occupant has not yet been confirmed, but experts have speculated that it may have belonged to a king or queen.[24]
Outdoor concerts are frequently held at the fortress while the local churches, pubs, and student union are regular venues for indoor concerts. Musicians recorded by the Hitsville and Athletic Sound studios in the Halden region includeMotorpsycho,Madrugada,Morten Harket, andKurt Nilsen. The city's intimate theatre hosts frequent plays by national and local theatre groups, and occasionally serves as a concert hall.
Halden festivals include Tons of Rock (hard rock and metal) in June each year (from 2014 before the festival was moved toOslo in 2019) and a vegetarian food festival in August.
Artists born in Halden that are represented in theNorwegian National Gallery inOslo include Thomas Fearnley (1802–1842) andJacob Mathias Calmeyer (1802–1883). Fearnley is locally exhibited at themanor house Rød Herregård. Other significant artists that lived in Halden, but were not born there, include Johannes Fintoe (1786–1870) and Heinrich August Grosch (1763–1843). Grosch's son,Christian Heinrich Grosch (1801–1865), who moved with his parents to Halden at the age of ten, became an influential architect, whose works include seventy-eight churches (includingImmanuel Church in Halden), theBank of Norway, theOslo Stock Exchange, and the original university buildings in Oslo.
The Halden VBKvolleyball club plays in the Premier Division, and while the localice hockey team Comet did play in theGET-league (Norway's highest ice hockey division) for some years, but they ran into some financial problems in 2008/2009, and is now in division 1. Halden also has many football clubs, the biggest of them,Kvik Halden FK, plays in the Norwegian Second Division. The two handball clubs,Tistedalens TIF in the first division andHK Halden, have teams for children, youth and adults.
One of Norway's fewcurling centres lies in Halden. Halden Curling Center is host to East-Norway 1 division. In addition there is a separate amateur league with two divisions. Several curlers from Halden have won Norwegian championships and competed internationally.
Halden fengsel is one of Norway's highest-security jails. It has acquired a “reputation as the world's most humane prison.” The architectural design of this prison is not like other prisons. The conditions inside the prison have been made as much like life outside the walls as possible. It is in fact to create an environment “as unprisonlike as possible.” This reflects the flagship of the Norwegian justice system, which focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment.[27]
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