Every design for Svelvik

Svelvik sits on the western shore of the Drammensfjorden at the very spot where the fjord pinches into the Svelvikstrømmen, a strait only a couple of hundred metres wide. On the far bank lies Verket on the Hurum peninsula, and a small part of the town spills over to that side of the water.

What sets Svelvik apart is the crossing. The ferry between Svelvik and Verket is counted as the shortest car ferry route in Norway, a hop rather than a voyage. Even the name belongs to the fjord: the old form, Sverðvík, means sword bay, and across the water the Ryggen ridge juts out like a blade and splits the fjord in two.

The town grew out of two old landing places, Strømm and Svelvik, gathered around the medieval Strømm Church, and became a small trading town of its own. It has kept its small, winding streets and white-painted houses, its local paper Svelviksposten and plenty of places to swim and sunbathe. Svelvik museum keeps the town's story, while Batteriøya and Svelvik befestninger recall a time when the strait had to be defended.

If you grew up here, the map brings it all back: the ferry ramp, the narrow strait and long summers spent by the fjord.