
Photo: Vestfoldmuseene from Sandefjord, Norway·CC BY-SA 2.0· Wikimedia Commons
Islands / Færder / Føynland
Føynland is a densely built residential island between Nøtterøy and Husøy with around 1,400 residents. Bridges connect it to Nøtterøy over Foynlandsbrua, a bridge of recognised heritage value, and to Husøy over Myrasundet.
Føynland is a densely built residential island between Nøtterøy and Husøy, home to around 1,400 people. Two bridges hold it fast, Foynlandsbrua over Ekenessundet to Nøtterøy and a bridge over Myrasundet to Husøy. Foynlandsbrua is one of the older bridges in the area and is classed as worth preserving.
Road and bridge from Nøtterøy (Foynlandsbrua).
The island is connected by road, so you need neither a boat nor a timetable.
The whole island, all three farms on it, is said to have belonged to St. Olav's monastery until the Reformation in 1537, when the property passed to the crown. By the early 1700s each of the three farms had its own owner. The name has shifted form over time, from Føenland through Føienland and Foynland to today's Føynland.
Since the early 1990s the island has been heavily built up, so much so that some residents think it is overbuilt.
Around 1,400 residents live here in roughly 450 households. This is a purely residential island, and people commute from it to Tønsberg and Nøtterøy over the bridges.
Road connections run over Foynlandsbrua from Nøtterøy and over Myrasundet to Husøy, so you drive here. No protected areas with seasonal restrictions are known on the island itself. Foynlandsbrua is considered worth preserving, which is a heritage value rather than an obstacle to traffic.
A monastery owned the whole island in the Middle Ages. St. Olav's monastery in Tønsberg held all three farms on Føynland until the Reformation took them in 1537.
The name has travelled through four spellings, Føenland, Føienland, Foynland and Føynland, before it settled.
Oslo Sea Experience passes Føynland on its private fjord trips from Tjuvholmen.
The Norwegian version notes which facts were taken from each source: Føynland på norsk.