Sandefjord Spa (Norwegian : Sandefjord Kurbad, often shortened to Kurbadet), was a spa in Sandefjord, Norway, established by Heinrich Arnold Thaulow in 1837. [4] [5] The main building from 1899 is one of the largest wooden buildings in Norway [6] and in the Nordic countries overall. [7] [8] Kurbadet was one of Europe's most visited baths in the late 1800s. [9] Royalty and Prime Ministers from throughout Europe visited the spa in the late 1800s. [10] It was the first spa in Sandefjord and functioned as a medical institution focusing on the treatment of symptoms for rheumatic diseases. A majority of spa visitors were from Norway, but international guests from Germany, Britain and the United States also visited Kurbadet. [11]
The spa was open from 1837 until 1939, when it became a municipal property. [12] The buildings are now housing a café, bar, gallery, and a host of local associations. [13] The bath's original building from 1899 is made in style of a dragon [14] and is located in the city centre. Tours of Kurbadet can be scheduled. [15] [16]
Badeparken, or "the Bathing Park", is located nearby and was established by the spa in 1902. [17] [18]
The spa first opened its doors on 1 August 1837. The original installations were based on seawater tub baths and mud baths. When a sulfur source was found in 1838, the spa began offering sulfurous water for bathing. The spa became one of the most popular spas in Europe but fell into disrepair after World War II. The city council voted in 1980 to restore the spa as a cultural monument. [19]
Sandefjord Spa was established in the mid-1800s by Dr Thaulow, the city's first physician. [20] It was located in a large wooden structure at Bryggegaten, and guests were treated sulphur baths and were offered saltwater baths at Strømbadet. Among the spa's notable visitors were Henrik Ibsen, Svend Foyn, Camilla Collett, Adolph Tidemand, and members of the royal family. The spa later expanded when Dr Thaulow purchased Hjertnes Hovedgård, a large farm by the city harbor, now home to Park Hotel. The building, Socitetsbygningen, was equipped with a restaurant, reading hall, smoking room and pool tables. The bath's own orchestra practiced in the hall. [21] [22]
Some notable visitors to the spa included: [23] [24]
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.
Vesterøya a peninsula in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is one of two long, narrow peninsulas located south of the city of Sandefjord. The peninsula lies between the Mefjorden and Sandefjordsfjorden and it sits across the fjord from the Østerøya peninsula. The peninsula is primarily known for its many beaches and idyllic coastal landscape, but there are also numerous trails used for hiking and biking.
The Grans Brewery (Grans Bryggeri AS) is a brewery founded in 1899 in Sandefjord, Norway. The name was Sandefjord Bryggeri og Mineralvandfabrik A/S until 1965. After two generations of Guttorm Gran (senior and junior) in the management, Trygve Christophersen was employed as CEO in 2001.
Lahelle is a village in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located at the innermost part of the 5-kilometre (3.1 mi) long Lahellefjorden. It is also located at the northern end of the Østerøya peninsula. The village is about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the east of the centre of the city of Sandefjord, about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) southwest of the village of Solløkka, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of the village of Helgerød, and about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the village of Gokstad.
Solløkka is a village in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located at the north end of the Lahellefjorden, just across the fjord from the village of Lahelle. The village sits about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) to the southeast of the village of Helgerød and about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of the city of Sandefjord.
Unneberg is a village in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located between the village of Gokstad to the south and the village of Råstad to the north. The villages of Helgerød, Lahelle, and Solløkka are located to the southeast.
Sandefjord Station 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.
Heinrich Arnold Thaulow was a physician known for the introduction of balneotherapy in Norway. Thaulow founded Sandefjord Spa in Sandefjord in 1837. He was Sandefjord's first physician. He also made the first donation to the city in 1875, when the Thaulow fountain was donated to the city. The fountain is located at Christopher Hvidts Plass in the city center of Sandefjord.
Kamper Bas is a hill and a neighborhood at Gokstad in Sandefjord, Norway. The residential area is located 10–15 minutes walking from the city center. It is located east of Sandefjord city center. Kamper Bas borders Østerøyveien, Hegnaveien, Breiliveien and Gokstadryggen, which is a neighboring residential community. It was formerly known as Kampen Bas and was also known by the name Hjalmarskogen before construction began. It was an undeveloped and forested area used for recreation prior to development. From Kamper Bas are views of Gokstadveien, Unneberg and Kråkås in the north, Freberg and Gjekstad in the east, and Breiliveien, Hegnaveien and Kamfjord in the south.
Scandic 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.
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.
Bugårdsparken is a 60-acre park and the main sports center in Sandefjord, Norway. It is also home to a 20-acre duck pond, Bugårdsdammen, as well as designated picnic areas and hiking trails. The park is organized for 18 different sports, including ice skating, ice hockey, soccer, swimming, archery, rollerskating, golf, badminton, and more. Besides an indoor 2,500 m.2 public pool, other buildings include Jotunhallen, which is used for handball, and Pingvinhallen, which houses tennis courts. Storstadion is also located here, current home of Sandefjord BK and former home of Sandefjord Fotball (1999-2007).
Langeby is a beach at West Island (Vesterøya) in Sandefjord, Norway. It is described as the city's best beach by both Frommer's- and Fodor's Travel Guides. Besides its 150 metres (490 ft) sandy beach, it is home to Langeby Camping which offers boat- and kayak rentals. Langeby has a convenience store and piers used for fishing and boats. The beach has sloping rocks, a floating platform, diving boards, and showers. There is also a playground as well as a soccer field and volleyball court.
Skjellvika is a lagoon and one of the most visited beaches in Sandefjord municipality, Vestfold, Norway. It has the most shallow waters of any beach in town, furthermore, it has one of the city’s purest sea water quality. It is situated at East Island. It lies by the Lahellefjord and is owned and maintained by the municipality of Sandefjord. It lies one kilometer south of Lahelle. The oceans off Skjellvika are used for ice-fishing during winter months.
Sandefjord is a city 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).
Granholmen is an island in the Sandefjordsfjord in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of the city center of Sandefjord and about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) to the north of the village of Hem in neighboring Larvik Municipality. The 5-hectare (12-acre) island has a campground, a cafe, kiosk, pub, and soccer field, along with grasslands and sandy beaches. It lies along county road 303 and is connected to the mainland by a bridge. A hotel was constructed on the island in 1902 when the island was purchased by Anton Johansen. He also established a restaurant at Granholmen. Ferries such as Fjeldvik, Huvik II, Laugen, Expedit, and Varden transferred visitors to the island.
Badeparken is a 12-acre 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. 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.
Stauper is an archipelago in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold County, Norway. The islands are located in the Tønsbergfjorden, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of the island of Natholmen. It consists of 170 decares of rocky islands, islets, and skerries. The uninhabited islands are only accessible by boat. Stauper consists of 21 islands, including the larger islands of Betjenterholmen, Terneskjær, Teholmen, Stauperkollen, Kistholmen, Langholmen, Ærholmen, Stauperluva, Lyngholmen, Torgerskjær, and Helgerødskjær. They are located in-between the Østerøya peninsula in Sandefjord Municipality and Tjøme in Færder Municipality.
The Gaia ship is a replica of the 9th century Viking ship Gokstad ship. It was built in 1990 and departed Bergen for North America on 17 May 1991. It was named Hav-Cella prior to departing but was renamed Gaia by Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, President of Iceland, during a stopover in Iceland. Gaia is the name for the goddess of the Earth in Greek mythology. The Gaia Ship reached Newfoundland on 2 August and Washington DC on Leif Erikson Day, 9 October 1991. It further sailed to the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit via the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, and North America.
Yxnøy is the southernmost part of Østerøya in Sandefjord, Norway. It stretches from Nordre Truber to Ertsvika. It is one of the largest undeveloped areas found along the Vestfold coast. It is a recreational area home to several beaches, steep cliffs, forests, sloping rocks, glacial potholes, hiking trails, and Tønsberg Barrel.