Nevlunghavn is a tiny fishing village tucked behind Havneberget, harbour mountain, on the Skagerrak coast of Vestfold. The first permanent settlers arrived in the second half of the 1600s, building white wooden houses on the sheltered side of the rock, carefully positioned against the fierce coastal storms. By 1765, tax records show just eight homes and 35 residents. The village was designated an official pilot station around 1700, guiding ships safely along the hazardous coast into the Oslofjord. Competition between pilots was ruthless, with men often risking their lives to be first to reach incoming vessels. The profession was hereditary, passed from father to son through generations.
In 1991, Nevlunghavn was selected as Vestfold's candidate for Norway's best-preserved heritage sites by Riksantikvaren, the Directorate of Cultural Heritage, and was subsequently included on UNESCO's international list of sites worthy of protection. The village has deliberately not been developed into a big tourist attraction. The old fishing harbour remains intact, and the marina is so small that visiting boats often moor directly behind the fishing boats. A bench in the village carries the motto: come as a guest, leave as a friend.
Bathers have visited since 1844, and the bathing house hotel from 1920 once attracted the likes of Greta Garbo, who came to swim, and Sonja Henie, who came to play tennis. Famous Norwegian painters including Gerhard Munthe, Adolph Tidemand, Hans Gude, and Fritz Thaulow all painted here. Munthe's 1880 painting of Nevlunghavn is held in the National Museum in Oslo. Today the fishing boats still go out daily, and fresh crab, mackerel, and shrimp are sold at the local fish store.
In 1991, Nevlunghavn was selected as Vestfold's candidate for Norway's best-preserved heritage sites by Riksantikvaren, the Directorate of Cultural Heritage, and was subsequently included on UNESCO's international list of sites worthy of protection. The village has deliberately not been developed into a big tourist attraction. The old fishing harbour remains intact, and the marina is so small that visiting boats often moor directly behind the fishing boats. A bench in the village carries the motto: come as a guest, leave as a friend.
Bathers have visited since 1844, and the bathing house hotel from 1920 once attracted the likes of Greta Garbo, who came to swim, and Sonja Henie, who came to play tennis. Famous Norwegian painters including Gerhard Munthe, Adolph Tidemand, Hans Gude, and Fritz Thaulow all painted here. Munthe's 1880 painting of Nevlunghavn is held in the National Museum in Oslo. Today the fishing boats still go out daily, and fresh crab, mackerel, and shrimp are sold at the local fish store.
