Tjøme

Tjøme (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈçø̀ːmə]) is an island in Færder, and a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Tjøme. The parish of Tjømø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). Tjome was the childhood holiday destination for writer Roald Dahl.[3]

Tjøme kommune
Municipality
Coat of arms
Vestfold within
Norway
Tjøme within Vestfold
Coordinates: 59°7′16″N 10°23′57″E
CountryNorway
CountyVestfold
Administrative centreTjøme
Government
 • Mayor (2008)Bente Kleppe Bjerke (Ap)
Area
 • Total39 km2 (15 sq mi)
 • Land39 km2 (15 sq mi)
Area rank423 in Norway
Population
 (2004)
 • Total4,553
 • Rank212 in Norway
 • Density117/km2 (300/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
13.1%
Demonym(s)Tjømling[1]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-0723
Official language formBokmål[2]
Websitewww.tjome.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

It is the second-largest island in Vestfold County.[4][5]

General information

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Tjúma. The name of the island is probably very old, and the meaning is unknown. Prior to 1918, the name was spelled "Tjømø".[6]

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1989). The arms show three silver-colored oarlocks on a blue background which represents the three islands Tjøme, Brøtsø and Hvasser.

See also: Coat-of-arms of Fosnes and Radøy

Geography
Tjøme Lilleskagen

Tjøme municipality is completely located on islands, the main island being the Tjøme island, where Kirkebygda (the community center) is located, along with the shops, schools and restaurants. There are a few other central areas on the islands such as Hvasser, with active fishermen as well as the tourist industry for the bypassing travellers, with an icebar, shops, bunker station petrol station, and a number of places to buy food and supplies.

There are approximately 4,600 permanent residents on the island, but in the summer months this number rises to around 40,000 inhabitants, including the Norwegian Royal Family who have a summer house on the island. The reason for the extreme increase is mainly the sea sports available in the area and the remarkably good weather. Summers on Tjøme are both warm and sunny, and the beaches are filled with locals and tourists. Tjøme has been nicknamed Sommerøya (English: the summer island). Tourists mostly from the Oslo area visit this charming island.

Verdens Ende (English: World's End, or more figuratively, The End of the Earth) lies at the southern tip of Tjøme Island, and has for years been visited by tourists.

Tjøme is also a great place for hiking, even though they are limited by the size of the island. The spectacular seaside scenery can be seen all year round.

Tjøme Church

Tjøme Church

Tjøme church (Tjøme Kirke) is located in the middle of Tjøme. It was completed in 1866 after the prior medieval church was demolished in 1860. The church was constructed in Gothic architecture style and built with Larvikite with other details in brick. A carved baroque altarpiece and a pulpit with figures of the evangelists were both performed in the period 1670–76. The stained glass windows were made in Glasgow and were consecrated in 1901. There are four church bell; two from Amsterdam dating to 1707 and 1712 and two were cast in 1937 at Olsen Nauen Bell Foundry in Tønsberg. In the cemetery outside the church is the grave of author Alf Larsen (1885-1967). [7] [8]

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Dahl, Roald (1984). "The Magic Island". Boy - Tales of Childhood.
  4. https://snl.no/Tj%C3%B8me
  5. Bertelsen, Hans Kristian (1998). Bli kjent med Vestfold / Become acquainted with Vestfold. Stavanger Offset AS. Page 191. ISBN 9788290636017.
  6. Rygh, Oluf (1907). Norske gaardnavne: Jarlsberg og Larviks amt (in Norwegian) (6 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. pp. 251–252.
  7. "Tjøme kirke". Norske Kirkebygg. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  8. Erik Bjerck Hagen. "Alf Larsen". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
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