Langøya[1][2] is an island in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The 0.55-square-kilometre (140-acre; 55 ha) island is located in the Tønsbergfjorden, just outside the village of Skravestad. The island is accessible through a bridge that connects to the road Sandsveien. The island was named for its long shape. The 1.5-kilometre (0.93 mi) long island has an area of 550 decares (0.55 km2; 140 acres). It consists of farm fields, hills, and forests.[3]

Langøya
Grey geese at Langøya island
Langøya is located in Vestfold
Langøya
Langøya
Location of the island
Langøya is located in Norway
Langøya
Langøya
Langøya (Norway)
Geography
LocationSandefjord, Norway
Coordinates59°09′46″N 10°19′42″E / 59.16264°N 10.3282°E / 59.16264; 10.3282
Area0.55 km2 (0.21 sq mi)
Length1.5 km (0.93 mi)
Administration
Norway
CountyVestfold
MunicipalitySandefjord Municipality

It is a car-free island consisting of meadows, knolls, salt meadows, small bays, and forests. It became a landscape conservation area in 2006. It is known for its wide variety of rare wildflowers including species such as sea thriftalternate-leaved golden-saxifrage, cowslip, greater yellow-rattle, sticky catchfly, and many others.[4]

History

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Five burial mounds from the Bronze Age have been discovered on the island. Throughout most of the 1600s, the island belonged to residents of Tønsberg. In the 1660s, it was purchased and managed from Skravestad in Stokke.[5]

Historically, the island had been a part of Sandeherred and Stokke municipalities. The small Skravestadholmen cape area in the southwestern part of the island was part of Sandeherred (which later became part of Sandefjord). The rest of the island was part of Stokke municipality which also became part of Sandefjord in 2016.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Other approved, alternate names for the island include Langøy and Langø, but the main, preferred name is Langøya.
  2. ^ "Langøya (Norsk - Hovednavn)". NorgesKart.no. Kartverket.
  3. ^ Davidsen, Roger (2008). Et Sted i Sandefjord (in Norwegian). Sandar Historielag. p. 222. ISBN 9788299456753.
  4. ^ Schandy, Tom; Helgesen, Tom (2012). Naturperler i Vestfold (in Norwegian). Forlaget Tom & Tom v/Schandy. pp. 148–151. ISBN 9788292916148.
  5. ^ Christensen, Nils Steen (1988). Stokke bygdebok 3 (in Norwegian). Stokke kommune. p. 178. Retrieved 31 August 2021.