page_title: Larvik
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Larvik / Geography
caption_attribution_description: Panoramic view on Larvik, Norway.
context_page_description: Larvik is a town and municipality in Vestfold in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. The municipality of Larvik has about 46,364 inhabitants. The municipality has a 110 km coastline, only shorter than that of neighbouring Sandefjord.
  The city achieved market town status in 1671. Larvik was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. The city of Stavern, and the rural municipalities of Brunlanes, Hedrum, and Tjølling were forcefully merged into the municipality of Larvik on 1 January 1988. On 1 January 2018, neighboring Lardal was merged into Larvik as part of a nationwide municipal reform. After the merge, Larvik is the largest municipality in Vestfold County by area, and the second-most populous municipality in the county.
  Larvik is known as the hometown of Thor Heyerdahl. It is also home to Bøkeskogen, the northernmost beech tree forest in the world. It is also home of Norway's only natural mineral water spring, Farriskilden. Farris Bad has been described as one of the best spas in Europe. It has the largest spa department in Scandinavia.
  Larvik has a daily ferry connection to Hirtshals, Denmark.
context_section_description: Larvik occupies the southwestern corner of Vestfold County, between Sandefjord in the east and the Langesundsfjord in the west. The coast stretches from the entrance to the Sandefjordsfjord and to the Langesundsfjord. The coastline consists of various beaches, bays, islets and skerries. The land is relatively flat along the coast and by the many bays, while the interior parts consist of large and hilly woodlands. Larger mountains are found along the border to Telemark County in the west. Berganvarden at 456 metres is the highest peak in Larvik municipality. It lies in northwestern Larvik, on the west side of Lågen River. The peak is situated at the border with Lardal and Siljan.
  The municipality is approximately 105 kilometres (65 mi) southwest of Oslo. The municipality covers an area of 530 square kilometres (200 sq mi), and has a population of 41,211 (23,100 of which reside in the town). Larvik is the largest municipality in Vestfold County with an area covering 531 km². However, by population Larvik is the third-most populous municipality, only smaller than neighbouring Tønsberg and Sandefjord. Larvik has its own fjord which connects to the Lågen River.
  Larvik borders to Kongsberg in the north, Sandefjord in the east, and Porsgrunn and Siljan (Telemark County) in the west. The southernmost point in the municipality is Tvistein Lighthouse in the sea south of Hummerbakken in Brunlanes. On the mainland, its southernmost point is found in Oddane, between Mølen and Nevlunghavn. The westernmost point is Geiterøya Island in the Langesundsfjord, and the easternmost point is one of the Rauer islets. The highest point is Vindfjell at 622 m. which lies on the border with Telemark County in the west.
  The district also includes the town of Stavern (population: 5,000) and the villages of Nevlunghavn, Helgeroa, Kvelde, Hvarnes, and Tjølling. Notable geographical features include the lake Farris and the river Numedalslågen, locally called Lågen, which terminates in Larvik, east of the town. Other bodies of water include the lakes Farris, Goksjø and Hallevatnet.
  Larvik is also noted for its natural springs of mineral water, Farriskildene, which have been commercially exploited under the brand name Farris. At Kaupang in Tjølling lies the remains of the medieval Skiringssal trading outpost. Larvik is also home to the world's northernmost natural occurrence of Fagus sylvatica forests (European Beech tree), known as Bøkeskogen ("The Beech Tree Forest").
caption: Larvik panorama
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "118", "Image YResolution": "118", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Centimeter", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0", "Image DateTime": "2006:07:03 00:41:32", "Image ExifOffset": "164", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "302", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "3143", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "9056", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1288"}