Raet is the largest terminal moraine in Scandinavia. It was formed during the end of the last glacial period, 12,800–11,500 years ago, in one of the latest advances of the glaciers. The moraine system extends from Finland, where it is known as Salpausselkä, through Sweden into Østfold in southeast Norway, across the Oslofjord and around the tip of southern Norway, where Raet National Park is located in Agder, then north to northern Norway and the Kola Peninsula in northwest Russia. In several regions there is more than one moraine, an older on the coast or underwater and a younger further inland. The moraines have created numerous lakes by damming watercourses, and several stretches have been used as roads since ancient times. In Norway, both Raet National Park and Jomfruland National Park are along the moraine.
The moraines were left by the retreat of the Fenno-Scandian ice sheet at the end of the Weichselian glaciation, 12,800–11,500 years ago. As the ice retreated, its furthest extent was marked by a deposit of rocks in a variety of sizes, which formed a ridge. Weathering causes the smaller material to sink, leaving large rocks on the surface. The retreating ice sheet left productive agricultural land in many places; the moraine dammed watercourses, creating lakes.
In Norway, the term ra, from rǫð, an Old West Norse word for a gravel ridge, [1] is the name of several farms located along the course of the moraine, notably Ra in Horten municipality, and has come to be the general term for a terminal moraine. The relative ages of the moraines in Østlandet have been studied.
In south Finland, the two parallel moraines are known as Salpausselkä. In Sweden, they form the Central Swedish ice-edge zone; the moraine is particularly noticeable at Hindens Rev, where it forms a peninsula jutting out into the western part of Lake Vänern. The moraine crosses into Østfold in southeast Norway at Halden, crosses under the Oslofjord from Moss to Horten, then runs across Vestfold, where Riksvei 19 and the old E18 follow its course. After Brunlanes it runs offshore, where it forms a series of islands; it then passes back on-shore east of Fevik in Agder, at what is now Raet National Park. From there it runs west and then north through Rogaland, Vestlandet, Trøndelag (where it is called Tautratrinnet because its crossing the Trondheimsfjord forms the island of Tautra), [2] and northern Norway, terminating on the Kola Peninsula in far northwest Russia.
In Norway the parallel outer moraine seen in some places, which predates the primary moraine by approximately 250 years older, is called Ytre Raet ('outer raet'). The distance between the two is greatest between Sandefjord, Nøtterøy and Tønsberg, where the outer moraine has contributed to forming excellent agricultural land.
The moraine system has given rise to lakes including Lake Ladoga and Saimaa in Finland, Femsjøen and Vansjø in Østfold, Borrevannet , Goksjø and Farris in Vestfold, and Rore in Aust-Agder.
Particularly in Vestfold and Østfold, where the ridge formed by the moraine is prominent, ancient roads often ran along it. E6 from Halden to Moss in Østfold and E18 in Vestfold follow Raet for long distances; stretches of the latter still bear the name Raveien ('Ra way') for it. [3] In addition to farms, settlements formed along the road, such as at Helgeroa, a natural transshipment point where it met the sea. In the Iron Age, burial mounds were often located near it. [4]
In Norway, several areas of Raet are protected as national parks, protected landscapes and nature reserves. Two national parks are on the Raet: Jomfruland National Park in Telemark and Raet National Park in Agder; parts of the latter are nature reserves. In Vestfold, Mølen and Bøkeskogen in Larvik and Bokemoa in Sandefjord are all protected areas. The UNESCO Gea Norvegica Geopark has as one of its purposes increasing knowledge about the importance of geology, and displays information boards concerning Raet at Mølen in Brunlanes.
In 1998, the Nordic Council of Ministers announced that several locations along Raet should be protected for future study of climate change. [5]
Vestfold is a county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the largest city is Sandefjord. With the exception of the city-county of Oslo, Vestfold is the smallest county in Norway by area. Vestfold was until 2019 the only county in which all municipalities had declared Bokmål to be their sole official written form of the Norwegian language.
Østfold is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Østfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden, while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other side of Oslofjord. The county's administrative seat was Sarpsborg. The county controversially became part of the newly established Viken County on 1 January 2020. On 1 January 2024, Østfold is re-established as an independent county, however without the former municipality of Rømskog, which was amalgamated with the Akershus municipality Aurskog-Høland in 2020.
is a town and municipality in Vestfold in Vestfold county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the town of Åsgårdstrand and the villages of Borre, Skoppum, and Nykirke.
Sandefjord 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
Larvik 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 Larvik. Other main population centres in the municipality include the town of Stavern and the villages of Gjone, Helgeroa, Hem, Kjose, Kvelde, Nevlunghavn, Skinmo, Svarstad, Ula, Verningen, and Tjøllingvollen.
Stokke is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The 118-square-kilometre (46 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution on 1 January 2017. The area is now part of Sandefjord Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Stokke. Other main villages in Stokke included Vear, Melsomvik, Storevar, and Valberg.
Sandefjord Airport, Torp is a minor international airport located 4 nautical miles northeast of Sandefjord and 110 kilometers (68 mi) south of Oslo in Norway. The airport features a 2,989-meter (9,806 ft) runway aligned 18/36. Torp partially serves as a regional airport for Vestfold and in part as a low-cost airport for Eastern Norway and the capital, Oslo. Widerøe have a base at Torp, serving both domestic and shorter International flights. It also sees scheduled flights by airBaltic, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Norwegian and KLM Cityhopper. As of 2021, it is the second-largest airport in eastern Norway in terms of flights after Rygge shut down in 2016.
The Vestfold Line is a 137.79-kilometer (85.62 mi) railway line which runs between Drammen and Eidanger in Norway. The line connects to the Drammen Line at the northern terminus at Drammen Station and continues as the Bratsberg Line past Skien Station. The line is exclusively used for passenger trains, which are provided by Vy, which connect northwards to Oslo and south-westwards to Grenland. The 13-kilometer (8.1 mi) section from Eidanger to Skien is often colloquially included in the Vestfold Line.The standard gauge line is electrified at 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC and has twelve remaining stations. The Vestfold Line runs through the coastal region of Vestfold and serves major towns including Holmestrand, Tønsberg, Sandefjord and Larvik, as well as Sandefjord Airport, Torp.
The coast of Norway is 100,915 km long and there have been a total of 212 lighthouses along it, but no more than 154 have ever been operational at the same time. The first, Lindesnes Lighthouse, opened in 1655; the newest Lighthouse, Anda, was finished in 1932.
Åsgårdstrand is a small port town in Horten municipality, Vestfold, Norway. It is also the name of a former independent municipality and a center of trade. The town is situated 10 km south of Horten, 10 km north of Tønsberg and 100 km south of Oslo by the west coast of the Oslofjord. On 1 January 1965 Åsgårdstrand and Borre municipalities, plus a part of Sem were merged into the new municipality of Borre. By the time of the merger Åsgårdstrand had 488 inhabitants and was the smallest municipality in Norway.
Elvestad is a well-known traffic junction area and a village in the Hobøl municipality in the Østfold county, Norway. It is where the "Riksvei" 120 and Europe Way E18 cross each other. Riksvei 120 goes between Gardermoen airport via Gjerdrum municipality in the Akershus county and Moss City in the Østfold county.
Jomfruland is an island in Kragerø Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The small elongated island is located off the coast of mainland Kragerø, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of the island of Stråholmen. It measures about 7.5 by 1 kilometre in size. Jomfruland provides shelter to the many islands of the Kragerø archipelago from the Skagerrak seas. In 2023, there were about 75 permanent residents living on the island, along with many holiday homes on the island.
Haugen is a Norwegian surname and place name frequently used for farm homesteads. Haugen derives from the old Norse word haugr meaning tiny hill, small grassy knoll, or mound. Derivatives also include the Norwegian surnames Haugan and Hauge.
The Horten Line was a 7.0-kilometer (4.3 mi) branch railway line of the Vestfold Line which ran from Skoppum to Horten, Norway. The line opened as a narrow gauge line on 13 October 1881, the same day as the Vestfold Line. The latter had been proposed to run through Horten, but instead a branch line was chosen. The Horten Line converted to standard gauge in 1949 and electrified in 1957. Passenger transport ran until 1968 and freight trains until 2002. The line was demolished in 2009. Skoppum Station and Borre Station have both been preserved as examples of Balthazar Lange's Swiss chalet style architecture.
Indre Østfold is a mostly rural countryside region north in the former county of Østfold county in Norway, noted for its mostly unspoilt nature and for its agriculture.
Norwegian National Road 9 is often called the Setesdal Road and it is the main thoroughfare through the Setesdalen valley. It runs from the city of Kristiansand in the southern coast of Norway, through the Torridal and Setesdal valleys in Agder county to Haukeligrend in Vestfold og Telemark county in the north where it meets the European route E134 highway. The highway goes through the villages of Mosby, Homstean, Skarpengland, Hægeland, Hornesund, Hornnes, Evje, Byglandsfjord, Bygland, Ose, Rysstad, Valle, Flatland, Rygnestad, Bykle, Hovden, Bjåen, and Haukeli.
The Norwegian Correctional Service is a government agency responsible for the implementation of detention and punishment in a way that is reassuring for the society and for preventing crimes. The agency is governed by the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
Raet National Park is a national park in Arendal, Tvedestrand and Grimstad in Agder, southeastern Norway. It is mostly a marine park, and includes some islands and coastal areas. Raet covers an area of 607 km2 (234 sq mi), of which 599 km2 (231 sq mi) is sea and 8 km2 (3 sq mi) is land. The park was established on 16 December 2016.
is a town/city in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of the large municipality which stretches inland for over 50 kilometres (31 mi) from the coast. The town is located near the Skaggerak coast, wedged between the Larviksfjorden to the south, the lake Farris to the north, and the river Lågen along the east side of the town. The town was established in 1671. The town became a self-governing municipality on 1 January 1838 under the formannskapsdistrikt law. The town remained self-governing until 1 January 1988 when it was merged with the neighboring town of Stavern and three neighboring rural municipalities to form a much larger Larvik Municipality.