Horten is a town and municipality in the county of Vestfold, Norway, located along the Oslofjord.

The municipality was previously called Borre, but after a referendum in 2001, changed to Horten in June 1 2001. The district also includes the villages Borre, Åsgårdstrand, Skoppum and Nykirke.

Points of interest

Marinemuseet - The Naval Museum - is the oldest existing museum of its kind in the world, founded in 1853. At the Naval Museum you can find many ships, including KNM Rap, the worlds first torpedo boat from 1873.

Preus Fotomuseum - The Norwegian Museum of Photography - is a unique museum located in the same building as the naval museum.

Borrehaugene - Borre National Park - contains graves of kings dating back to Viking age. The park covers 45 acres and has the largest collection of king's graves in Scandinavia. In 1989-91, new excavations were undertaken both in and around the national park.

Borrehaugene provides important historical knowledge and can be seen as evidence that there was a centre of power here in the Viking age. The excavations also uncovered unusually good selection of craft work. This style has become known as "Borre style" and is, today, known for its beautiful animal and knot ornaments, which were often used for decorating harnesses. The finds also confirm that there was a Viking ship buried at Borrehaugene.

External links

• The Naval Museum (Norwegian only)
• Museum of Photography
• http://www.visithorten.com
• Borre National Park