Svelvik was a municipality in Norway, located at the mouth of the Drammensfjord in the far northeast of the former Vestfold county. The municipality was merged with Nedre Eiker and Drammen into the new Drammen municipality in the new Viken county from 1 January 2020.
Svelvik municipality borders in the north to Drammen
and in the west to Sande. East of Drammensfjorden are Røyken and
Hurum. The town of Svelvik is located by the Svelvik River, a narrow
and steep strait of 200 meters between the inner and outer part of
the Drammensfjord, which is almost closed by the Svelvik moraine
across the fjord. The settlement in the municipality is concentrated
in the coastal areas, especially in the three settlements: Svelvik,
with 3,953 inhabitants in 2020, Berger with 1,100 inhabitants and
Nesbygda with 1,031 inhabitants. The landscape is rising and in
places steep up from the coastline, and there are large agricultural
areas and many wooded hills.
Svelvik is known for fruit and
berry production, and cultural landscapes with apple and morel trees
make their mark on the landscape. There are several local outlets
and producers of eg apples, plums, cherries and strawberries.
Strømm and Svelvik belonged to Hurum parish until 2 March 1861.
Svelvik became a charging station in 1845 as a sailing ship town and
winter port for Drammen. Svelvik municipality decided in 1998 that
the town Svelvik can use the term city.
Large parts of
Svelvik center are older wooden houses, and are included in the NB!
Register, the National Heritage Board's list of urban environments
in Norway that have a national cultural-historical conservation
interest.
The name Svelvik comes from Old Norse Sverðvík. The
first part is uncertain and may go back to older * Sverfð- to Old
Norse sverfa «swirl, go in a circle», or a general meaning «stream».
Another interpretation is "bow" around the coastline of Hurumlandet.
In 2012, the high-voltage masts in Svelvik and at Verket were
illuminated with resp. red and green to signal positive development.