He undertook three major expeditions: the Kon-Tiki Expedition, the Ra Expeditions and the Tiger Expedition.
The Kon-Tiki Expedition (1947) – Thor Heyerdahl attempted to prove his theory that Polynesia could be populated from South America and not Asia. He pointed to plant life, the winds and ocean currents as good arguments, and believed local oral tradition suggested the same.
The Ra Expeditions (1969 and 1970) – Heyerdahl tried to link the South American Indians with the ancient civilizations of Africa and the Middle East.
The Tigris Expedition (1977) – Heyerdahl wanted to test his theories about contacts across the ocean between prehistoric civilizations. The aim of the journey around the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean was to show that Mesopotamia and Egypt could have had trade links across the sea several thousand years ago.
Thor Heyerdahl was appointed honorary citizen of Larvik city in 1971, and for his 75th birthday in 1989, a monument made of Larvikite was erected.
The monument stands on Tollerodden.
Ada Madssen (1917 – 2009) was a sculptor who made the monument «Søstrene Backer».
The Backer sisters, Harriet and Agathe, were the daughters of consul, shipowner and businessman Nils Backer (1815 – 1877) and Sofie Smith Petersen (1819 – 1882).
Harriet Backer was born on 21 January 1845 in Holmestrand and died on 25 March 1932 in Oslo. She was one of the foremost painters of her generation. Harriet had a painting school where she trained new artists, and she was recognized as a great artist in Norway from the 1880s.
Harriet has been given a place in the new national art museum, and is regarded as one of the most important artists of her time. She is best known for "blått interiør (blue interior)", which shows the play of sunlight in the interior.
Agathe Backer Grøndahl was born in 1847 in Holmestrand and died in 1907 in Kristiania. Agathe was a world-class pianist and Norway's first important female composer, and had a central role in Norway's musical life where she was particularly known for her romances. Agathe was also a personal friend of Edvard Grieg – and performed three times as a soloist with Grieg himself as conductor.
Karljohansvern is a national fortification in Horten, on the western shore of the Oslofjord, a good hour's drive from the capital Oslo. The fortress is beautifully situated on a peninsula between the fjord and the inner harbour, and consists of both big storage buildings from the mid 19th century and ordinary houses from the 20th century. The oldest house that remains at Karljohansvern were a part of Horten farm built in the 16th century. There are also nice recreational areas along the fjord.
Parts of the area are preserved in order to protect birds and plants.
Karljohansvern developed from a ferry place to a naval base, and subsequently to a civil society. The architecture is peculiar and follows the different style periods. Many of the buildings were erected shortly after the Navy established its main base here in 1818. The construction of the buildings has followed the technological development and is typical of its time. Karljohansvern may be defined as a living museum, where you can watch the growth of a modern town. Here the past and the present are brought together. Before parts of the area were unavailable to the public, whereas today you can walk freely around in most parts of the military historical area of Karljohansvern.
Karljohansvern also offers cultural experiences, for example The Naval Museum with exciting collections connected to the naval history through war and peace, and the Preus Museum with exhibits within photography and visual art.
The peninsula of Karljohansvern has three bridge connections across the beautiful Horten Canal separating the Naval base and town. Along the canal you can walk in peace and quiet, only occasionally disturbed by the soft humming of a typical Norwegian small boat called “snekke” – using this shortcut between the inner harbour and the Oslofjord.
Throughout the year various cultural events take place at Karljohansvern, such as concerts, music festivals and other features.
Våge means “to dare”
The Dragon, however, was not chosen purely as protection for the children. In old Norse literature dragons are portrayed as much as obstacles to fight and overcome, as well as symbols of strength.
It is this duality that Stig Skjelvik found intriguing, and it is the same duality that makes it a valid symbol for any child about to dare a few steps out of the comfort zone. Whether the challenge at hand is overcoming personal obstacles or to prove, or expose, something to the outside world, the dragon is there to remind them that they can succeed. The name of the dragon, Våge, is the Norwegian verb that means to dare.
Medieval inspiration
The shape of Våge is as modern as a dragon can possibly get – but the texture of the beast is deeply rooted in norse tradition, inspired by the stave churches. The bulk of the stave churches of Norway was built between 1100 and 1350. The few that still remain leave spectators in awe of the mythological ornaments and their artful shapes – yet Stig Skjelvik found the roofs of the stave churches to be the most magnificent work of art, as they were a integrated part of the dragon head decorations. The entire body of Våge is therefore built in the exact same manner as the roof of a stave church.
The roof shingles of the stave churches are all shaped as, and overlap each other like, reptilian scales. To endure they were made of ore-pine.
Contemporary magic
Every dragon holds a bit of magic – and magic is what Stig Skjelvik has created underneath the dragons tactile, handcrafted armour. All hand painted with pine tar oil. At night the play in light reveals new patterns in the body and creates the illusion that the already dynamic figure, is in motion.
It was the home of Anders and Bess Jahre until his death in 1982, and Bess continued to live there until her death in the summer of 2006. The estate, which has a unique sculpturespark and fantastic views over Sandefjord, is open to the general public.
Sculpture park:
A sculpture park of Knut Steen is open all year (free entrance).
Guided tours of the villa:
There are guided tours of the villa one or twice a month (in Norwegian) during the summer season. Guided tours for groups on other days is possible. Contact person for booking and price is Morten Christensen, mobile +47 917 28 243.
Free parking happens on the left before the gate at the top of the villa.
The need for two gunpowder towers was revealed in report of the year 1756. Part of the reason was said to be the risk of placing a thousand barrels of gunpowder in one place, and secondly that other sites able to host a tower of that size were unsuitable of other reasons.
A proposal showing a gunpowder tower with a vault was sent over, but the board did not approve of this. The condition was that the attic needed to have a wooden floor resting on a tier of joists, making it possible to cover with a thick layer of horsemuck as isolation against bombardment.
The gunpowder tower was also used as prison for a period of time.
Today the building functions as suitable space for galleries and expositions.
Sandefjord is full of buildings and details in Art Nouveau, and you will be able to experience many beautiful details walking around the town.
The town fires in 1882, 1900 and 1915 paved the way for new architecture and laid the foundation for the brick houses of Sandefjord.
Sandefjord Bathhouse was opened as a health resort in 1837, and both royalty and well-known figures from the arts world were among the guests at the spa. The resort remained in operation up until the Second World War. The old Spa is today used for culture and banqueting rooms.
Guided tours during the summer season will be announced at Kurbadets facebook site and in the Event calendar What´s on?
Guided tours for groups
If you would like a guided tour of the Kurbadet, please contact the Kurbadet administration.
Midtåsen Sculptur Pavilion
On a hill in Midtåsen is Midtåsen sculpture pavilion and a sculpture park, featuring a selection of the works of Knut Steen in marble and bronze. Here you find twelve marble sculptures inside and four bronze sculptures outside.
The pavilion was drawn by the architect Svein Lund and landscape architect Gullik Gulliksen, and has brought international engagement.
Free entrance!
The whaling monument shows whalers with oars in an open boat, with harpoons ready and water spraying.
This impressive monument near the harbour is made in the style of a compass rose, and it rotates slowly on its own axis. Sit down on one of the benches and watch!
Sandefjord's history is inextricably linked to whaling. It was at its peak in 1954 when as many as 2,800 men from the district were hired to whaling – on a whaling boat, a floating boiler in the Southern Ocean or at a whaling station on one of the Antarctic islands. By then, Sandefjord had long been the center of international whaling.
The adventure started as early as 1881, when the whaling boat "Haabet" was equipped for catching in Finnmark. In 1905, the first of many expeditions – with boilers and whaleboats – went to Antarctica. Sandefjord experienced great economic growth, and the whaling created positive ripple effects in business life in the town and the district.
