Horten

Sister cities

• Loviisa

Geography

Horten Municipality is located on the western shore of the Ytre Oslofjord in Vestfold County. It borders Tønsberg Municipality to the south and west and Holmestrand Municipality to the north. Other nearby towns include Tønsberg to the south and the much smaller Holmestrand to the north. About half of the municipality's total area is made up of forests, while slightly less than a third is agricultural land. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten, along the coast. The smaller town of Åsgårdstrand is located in the southern part of the municipality, along the coast. The inland villages of Skoppum, Borre, and Nykirke are all located in the rural areas of the municipality. Nature preserves include Vealøs, Adalstjern, Frebergsvik, and Falkensten. Additional nature preserves are found by the lake Borrevannet and the islands of Løvøya and Bastøy. There is a preserve in Åsgårdstrand as well. Falkenstendammen is a wildlife preserve, home to various nationally threatened species. Reverompa Plant Reserve was established in 2006 due to presence of the nationally endangered crested cow-wheat. Tordenskjoldeika is a protected 700-year-old oak tree by the harbor. Borre National Park is located along the coast, but this is primarily a historic park.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  12,474
• Graylag Goose

  Anser anser (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,278
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,813
• Common Eider

  Somateria mollissima (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,723
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  11,720
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  11,335
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  11,163
• Herring Gull

  Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 · Aves
  10,792

Most recent

• M 3.9 — 2026-04-26
  1 km SSE of Sørumsand, Norway
• M 2.9 — 2008-05-25
  4 km WSW of Åneby, Norway
• M 2.6 — 2005-01-29
  7 km NNE of Hvittingfoss, Norway
• M 2.6 — 2004-12-29
  10 km WNW of Flateby, Norway