Photo: Kurth Brekke·CC BY 3.0· Wikimedia Commons
Islands / Færder / Mellom-Bolæren
The middle island in the Bolærne group and the one best set up for visitors, with a seasonal ferry from Tønsberg. Grevestuen, reckoned one of the oldest hunting lodges in Norway, stands here, along with traces of military history. Most of the island lies within Færder national park, and it is popular for swimming and outdoor life.
Mellom-Bolæren is the middle island of the Bolærne group, between Vestre and Østre. This is where the seasonal ferry from Tønsberg runs, to a quay with people on it and swimmers on the rocks. It is the island in the group best set up for day visits. The camp for Soviet prisoners stood on the south-east side during the war, and Grevestuen stands inland.
Færder national park. The boundaries and the rules are in Naturbase, and they are worth checking before you land anywhere outside the marked areas.
seasonal ferry from Tønsberg, or own boat.
Boats do run here, but the quay is not in Entur’s system — usually a summer service or a private crossing that never enters the national journey planner. Check with the operator before you build a day around it.
In the middle of the 1800s, 33 people lived permanently on Mellom-Bolæren. Grevestuen stands on the island, reckoned one of the oldest hunting lodges in Norway; the name points to the counts who used Bolærne for hunting.
When the armed forces bought the whole of Bolærne in 1916 to build a coastal fort, Mellom-Bolæren became military ground too. The fort itself was on Østre Bolæren, but during the Second World War the Germans set up the camp for Soviet prisoners of war on the south-east side of Mellom-Bolæren. The prisoners worked on building the fortifications under Festung Norwegen. In the autumn of 1944 the camp became the place where terminally ill Soviet prisoners were gathered.
Nøtterøy municipality took over Mellom-Bolæren in 2004. The island is now a public recreation area and part of Færder national park.
Mellom-Bolæren is the group's day-trip island: a quay, swimming off the smooth rock, walking paths and a network of old military remains to explore. The seasonal ferry from Tønsberg makes it easy to reach without a boat of your own. From here you can walk or paddle on to Vestre and Østre.
The seasonal ferry from Tønsberg calls here; timetables change with the season, so check with the operator. Private boats and kayaks come in as well. There is a quay, and no permanent food service on the island, so bring what you need. Protection: the island lies within Færder national park, established on 23 August 2013. In the seabird reserves around the group, access is prohibited from 15 April to 15 July. Check Naturbase, the national database of protected areas, for which skerries are affected.
Grevestuen is one of the oldest hunting lodges in the country.
In the autumn of 1944 the camp on the south-east side became the collection point for terminally ill Soviet prisoners of war. The traces are still in the terrain.
In the middle of the 1800s, 33 people lived here permanently, a small island community where today there are mostly swimmers.
Oslo Sea Experience passes Mellom-Bolæren on its private fjord trips from Tjuvholmen.
The Norwegian version notes which facts were taken from each source: Mellom-Bolæren på norsk.