Svelvik


Svelvik is a town and former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway, now a part of Drammen municipality in Viken county.
The town of Svelvik was separated from the rural municipality of Strømm to become a municipality of its own in 1845. The two municipalities were merged back together on 1 January 1964.

General information

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Sverðvík. The first element is sverð n 'sword', the last element is vík f 'cove, wick'. A neighbouring farm has the name Sverstad. The word sverð probably refers to the promontory ridge Ryggen in Hurum: This ridge lies right opposite Svelvik and Sverstad, and is almost cutting the Drammensfjord in two parts.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 4 September 1964. The arms show a gold-colored trident on a red background, as a symbol for the sea.

Geography

The narrow Svelvikstrømmen sound separates Svelvik from the municipality of Hurum, and the county of Buskerud. This sound is served by a ferry, which has the shortest line in Norway.
The village is quite characteristic, with small winding streets and traditional, white-painted houses. Svelvik has many venues for swimming and sunbathing.

Media

The newspaper Svelviksposten is published in Svelvik.

Notable residents