Sights in Larvik
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Thor Heyerdahl Statue
Larvik's main historical claim to fame is as the home town of Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002), one of Norway's premier explorers. The quirky scientist, anthropologist and explorer spent a lifetime trying to prove that the world's oceans were vast highways that were essential to understanding ancient civilisations, a novel idea in the hallowed halls of scientific research.
In 1947 he sailed 6000km in a balsawood raft, the Kon-Tiki, from Peru to Polynesia to prove that the South Pacific may have been settled by migrants from South America rather than Asia. His theories were supported by discoveries of similar fauna and cultural artefacts in Polynesia and South America and by the…
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Kaupang
Kaupang, 5km east of Larvik, was a former Viking town built around AD 800 and occupied until 960. It is believed that up to 1000 people lived here in its heyday. For us, this is the most interesting of Larvik’s sights. Although most of the original artefacts are now in Oslo, the custodians of the site make the most of what they have with a small exhibition, four Viking tents and knowledgeable guides in Viking dress on hand to show you to nearby Viking graves and to explain Kaupang’s past. On Wednesday (family day) and weekends, they cook Viking soup and bread. The guides can also tell you where to find other Viking cemeteries in the Larvik area.
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Herregården Manor House
The classic baroque timber Herregården manor house was constructed in 1677 as the home of the Norwegian Governor General, Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, the Duke of Larvik; as the illegitimate son of King Fredrik IV of Denmark, Gyldenløve was given a dukedom and packed off to Norwegian obscurity. It’s furnished in 17th- and 18th-century style.
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Verkensgarorden
Verkensgarorden has tools and implements from a local 17th-century sawmill and ironworks. There’s also a permanent geological exhibition documenting the evolution of blue larvikite, a beautiful, locally quarried 500-million-year-old type of granite.
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Larvik Museum
This four-part museum is spread across the town. It includes the Herregården manor house, the Larvik Maritime Museum, Verkensgarorden and Kaupang.
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