View source for Halden

{{About|the municipality in Norway}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{expand Norwegian|topic=geo|Halden|date=July 2012}}
{{update|date=February 2013}}
}}

{{Infobox kommune
| name               = Halden
| native_name        =
| native_name_lang   =
| other_name         =
| official_name      =
| idnumber           = 3101
| image_skyline      = Blick auf Halden 2.JPG
| image_caption      = Halden as seen from the [[Fredriksten|Fredriksten fortress]] in mid-July 2012
| county             = Østfold
| district           = <!-- none -->
| capital            = Halden
| demonym            = Haldenser/Haldensar
| language           = [[Bokmål]]
| coatofarms         = Halden komm.svg
| munwebpage         = http://www.halden.kommune.no/
| mayor              = [[Fredrik Holm]] 
| mayor_party        = [[Høyre|H]]
| mayor_as_of        = 2023
| area_rank          = 173
| area_total_km2     = 642
| area_land_km2      = 596
| area_water_percent = 0.20
| population_as_of   = 2020
| population_rank    = 18
| population_total   = 31 387
| populationpercent  = 0.60
| population_density_km2= 46
| population_increase= 6.0
| coordinates        = {{coord|59|7|16|N|11|22|56|E|region:NO|display=inline,title}}
| utm_zone = 32V | utm_northing = 6556794 | utm_easting = 0642102 | geo_cat = adm2nd
}}

'''Halden''' ({{IPA|no|ˈhɑ̀ɫdn̩|pron|Halden.ogg}}), between 1665 and 1928 known as '''Fredrikshald''', is both a [[List of cities in Norway|town]] and a [[Municipalities of Norway|municipality]] in [[Østfold]] [[Counties of Norway|county]], [[Norway]]. The municipality borders [[Sarpsborg]] to the northwest, [[Rakkestad]] to the north and [[Aremark]] to the east, as well as the [[Sweden|Swedish]] municipalities [[Strömstad Municipality|Strömstad]], [[Tanum Municipality|Tanum]] and [[Dals-Ed Municipality|Dals-Ed]] respectively to the southwest, south and southeast.

The seat of the municipality, Halden is a [[border town]] located at the mouth of the [[Tista]] river on the [[Iddefjord]], the southernmost border crossing between Norway and [[Sweden]]. The town of Halden is located about {{convert|120|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of [[Oslo]], {{convert|190|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of [[Gothenburg]], and {{convert|12|km|mi|abbr=on}} west of the border crossing at [[Svinesund Bridge|Svinesund]].

==History==
Evidence of early human settlements in this region of Norway have been found, particularly in the [[Svinesund]] area of the municipality where evidence of early settlements from the [[Nordic Bronze Age]] have been found. Named after a small farm ''Hallen'' ({{langx|en|"rise" or "slope"}}) first mentioned in 1629, "Halden", became the city of ''Fredrikshald'' in 1665, named after [[Frederick III of Denmark]]. The ''Gud med oss'' (''God be with us'') [[coat-of-arms]] created in 1665 shows a [[knight]] standing on a mountain, yellow on a blue background, and was inspired by the bravery of the citizens of the city in the [[Dano-Swedish War (1658–1660)]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norsknettskole.no/fag/ressurser/itstud/fuv/frodewestgaard/ForklaringHaldenskommunevaapen.htm|title=Haldens kommunevåpen|access-date=2008-12-13|language=no|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724181941/http://www.norsknettskole.no/fag/ressurser/itstud/fuv/frodewestgaard/ForklaringHaldenskommunevaapen.htm|archive-date=2011-07-24}}</ref>

Swedish forces unsuccessfully attempted to invade the town six times between 1658 and 1814. As a reference to the town's citizens burning their own houses to prevent them being taken on 4 July 1716 by the forces of King [[Charles XII]]  of Sweden, Halden is one of only two cities mentioned in [[Ja, vi elsker dette landet|Norway's national anthem]]. In 1718, the [[Great Northern War]] ended when Charles XII was shot and killed at the [[Fredriksten]] fortress. The fortress had been erected in the 17th century as a replacement for the [[Bohus Fortress]] lost at the [[Treaty of Roskilde]] in 1658 when [[Bohuslän]] was ceded to Sweden. Halden has never been captured by force by any invading army, although it was occupied by [[Nazy Germany|Nazi]] forces in [[WWII]].

In an 1835 [[census]], Fredrikshald was the seventh largest town or city in Norway, with 4,921 inhabitants.<ref>[https://www.ssb.no/a/histstat/nos/st_08r_1836-45.pdf Tabeller over Folkemængden i Norge den 31te December 1845]</ref> In 1838, Fredrikshald became a [[formannskapsdistrikt|city municipality]] ({{langx|no|herred}}), and in 1928, the name was changed back to Halden. [[Tistedalen]], which is {{convert|4|km|mi|0}} east of Halden, was part of the city from 1686 to 1967, until it was separated from Halden. At the same time, the area of Halden, Tistedalen, and the rural municipalities of [[Berg, Østfold|Berg]] and [[Idd]], became the Halden municipality on 1 January 1967.

[[Image:Haldenwinternight.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Halden's fortress and town bridge.]]

==Politics==
The political situation in Halden has become infamous in Norway for conflicts between individual politicians and between local political parties.
The municipality is governed by the Conservative Party, the [[Liberal Party (Norway)|Liberal Party]], the [[Christian Democratic Party (Norway)|Christian Democratic Party]], the [[Centre Party (Norway)|Centre Party]], and the [[Green Party (Norway)|Green Party]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.halden.kommune.no/politikk/Sider/side.aspx |title=Halden kommune - Politikk |access-date=2013-09-29 |archive-date=2016-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408192248/http://www.halden.kommune.no/politikk/Sider/side.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[Image:Halden-overview.jpg|thumb|Overview photo of Halden, with Fredriksten fortress visible]]

==Economy==
The slogan, ''Halden, IT- og Miljøbyen'' (Halden, IT and Environment City), is a reference to Halden's relatively large number of [[information technology]] companies. In the late 1960s, the most powerful [[mainframe computer]] in Norway at the time was located at the [[Institute for Energy Technology]]'s facilities in Halden. From the 1960s-1980s, Halden was infamous for high levels of industrial [[pollution]], largely originating from the [[Norske Skog Saugbrugs]] paper mill (part of [[Norske Skog]] since 1989). As a result of projects initiated by both Norske Skog-Saugbrugs and the city authorities, the polluted fjords and [[river]]s of Halden have been cleaned up and the city was dubbed Norway's Environment City in 1996.

One of Norway's two [[nuclear reactor]]s under decommissioning is located in Halden. The [[Halden Boiling Water Reactor]] is a research reactor located {{convert|100|m|ft|0}} within Månefjell, adjacent to the Saugbrugs paper mill. The OECD Halden Reactor Project is one of the world's longest running international research collaborations and is the largest international research project in Norway. While the reactor closed in 2018, safety-oriented research collaboration for the nuclear power industry has continued, focusing primarily on human-technology-organisation research. In 2024, Halden municipality took part in the creation of Halden Kjernekraft AS and initiated investigation for the possible construction of a [[Small modular reactor|Small Modular Reactor]];<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-12-03 |title=Norway to explore SMR deployment |url=https://www.neimagazine.com/news/norway-to-explore-smr-deployment/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Nuclear Engineering International |language=en-US}}</ref> a location has since been identified.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Site identified for proposed Halden SMR power plant |url=https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/site-identified-for-proposed-halden-smr-power-plant |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=World Nuclear News |language=en}}</ref> IFE's Man-Technology-Organisation Lab facility in Os Alle was opened by the Prince Regent in 2004 and houses the most recent incarnations of the Halden Man-Machine Laboratory (HAMMLAB) and Halden [[virtual reality|Virtual Reality]] Centre's (HVRC) VR laboratory. IFE also has advanced robotics and cybersecurity labs in Halden. The Halden Project at IFE has ensured a steady influx of international guest scientists to the city, many of whom made Halden their permanent homes.

[[Nexans]] has a large cable factory in Halden. The main products from this factory are [[submarine power cable]]s, [[umbilical cable]]s for [[subsea]] installations, and cable systems for heating of subsea [[pipeline transport|pipelines]].

==Rød Herregård==
[[File:Halden Röd herregaard IMG 4341 rk 86040.JPG|thumb|Rød Herregård]]
Rød Herregård in Halden is one of the best preserved manor houses in Norway. The property features well-preserved buildings, a [[Baroque garden]] and an [[English landscape garden]]. The buildings have their oldest origins of the late 1600s, but were largely built during the last half of the 1700s. The main building contains authentic furnishings including period furniture, hunting trophies, an extensive collection of art and a large weapons collection.
<ref>{{cite web|url= http://ostfoldmuseene.no/samling/rod-herregard/|title= Rød Herregård|publisher= Østfoldmuseene|access-date= January 25, 2016}}{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Rød Herregård was owned and inhabited by members of the Tank and Anker families from 1733 including [[Carsten Tank]] and [[Nils Otto Tank]] as well as [[Peter Martin Anker (politician)|Peter Martin Anker]] and [[Nils Anker]]. The manor house and estate complex was owned by the Tank family through three generations, from 1733 to 1829. Both Danish Crown Prince regent [[Christian VIII of Denmark|Christian Frederik]] and Swedish Crown Prince and Regent [[Charles XIV John of Sweden|Charles John]] were guests at the mansion. The estate was visited by English economist [[Thomas Robert Malthus]] during his European tour in 1799.
<ref>{{cite web|url=  http://ostfold1814.no/temaer/rod-herregard/|title=  Rød Herregård|publisher=  ostfold1814|access-date=  June 20, 2016|archive-date=  September 22, 2018|archive-url=  https://web.archive.org/web/20180922120258/http://ostfold1814.no/temaer/rod-herregard/|url-status=  dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=  https://snl.no/Anker|title=   Anker|publisher=    Store norske leksikon|author=Jon Gunnar Arntzen |access-date= June 20, 2016}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web|url=  https://snl.no/Tank/nord-tysk_slekt|title=   Anker|publisher=    Store norske leksikon|author=Jon Gunnar Arntzen |access-date= June 20, 2016}}</ref>

In 1961, two foundations were established to maintain the historic property. Rød Manor Foundation (''Stiftelsen Rød Herregård'') is responsible for the manor house, buildings and gardens. Ankerske Foundation Collections (''Stiftelsen De Ankerske Samlinger'') is responsible for the contents and the rich archives related to the property.<ref>{{cite web |url =   http://ostfoldmuseene.no/rod-herregard/ |title =   Rød Herregård |publisher =   Østfoldmuseene |access-date =   June 20, 2016 |archive-date =   August 12, 2016 |archive-url =   https://web.archive.org/web/20160812124212/http://ostfoldmuseene.no/rod-herregard/ |url-status =   dead }}</ref>

==Notable sights==
Halden sights include the [[Halden Canal]] system, the two [[Svinesund]] bridges, and [[Høiåsmasten]], a partially guyed TV tower. The fortress of [[Fredriksten]] has historical museums, and the [[Østfold University College]] (''Høgskolen i Østfold'') is in Halden which offer [[business]], [[social sciences]], [[foreign language]], [[computer science]] and [[education]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Forsiden - Høgskolen i Østfold |url=https://www.hiof.no/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241209044037/https://www.hiof.no/ |archive-date=2024-12-09 |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=www.hiof.no |language=no |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Petroglyphs]] (rock carvings) dated from the [[Nordic Bronze Age]] are found around town, some locally, but more impressive are ones found along ''Oldtidsveien'', the historical road between Halden and [[Fredrikstad]] some {{cvt|20|km}} north, and around [[Rock Carvings in Tanum|Tanum]] in Sweden, some {{cvt|60|km}} to the south. [[Jellhaugen]], a major [[tumulus]] (grave mound) is found west of town,<ref>{{cite web|url=  https://kulturminnesok.no/minne/?queryString=https://data.kulturminne.no/askeladden/lokalitet/42959  |title=Jellhaugen |publisher=    Kulturminnesøk|access-date= September 1, 2017}}</ref> situated only 120 feet away from the site of the later discovered [[Gjellestad Ship]].

==Nature==
Halden is surrounded by [[forest]]s and water, so hiking and fishing locations can easily be found. [[Deer]] and [[moose|elk]] are a common sight, and [[wolf|wolves]] have also been observed in the district along the border with [[Sweden]]. [[Raspberry|Raspberries]], [[Blackberry|blackberries]], [[Blueberry|blueberries]], [[cranberry|wild cranberries]], and many varieties of [[mushroom]] can be found in the woods in the early autumn. Popular destinations for hikers and other nature lovers include [[Prestebakke]] and [[Kornsjø]].

Halden's meteorological station is at Buer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.yr.no/place/Norway/%C3%98stfold/Halden/Buer_stasjon/|title=Weather forecast for Buer stasjon|access-date=2009-04-24|archive-date=2011-04-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110401142237/http://www.yr.no/place/Norway/%C3%98stfold/Halden/Buer_stasjon/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Immanuelskirken, Halden.jpg|right|thumb|210x210px|Immanuel Church in Halden]]

==Gjellestad ship burial==
[[File:Halden gjellestad IMG 0271 Jellhaugen rk 42959.JPG|210px|thumb|A Viking burial mound at Gjellestad. The Jellhaugen Mound was probably built in the 6th century, about 300 years before the burial of the Gjellestad ship.]]
The [[Gjellestad Ship|Gjellestad]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sprakradet.no/Vi-og-vart/hva-skjer/Aktuelt-ord/gjellestadskipet/|title=Gjellestadskipet|access-date=2020-11-24|archive-date=2021-01-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110192002/https://www.sprakradet.no/Vi-og-vart/hva-skjer/Aktuelt-ord/gjellestadskipet/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ({{IPA|no|ˈjɛ̂lːəˌstɑːd}}) ship, also spelt Jellestad, is the remains of a [[Viking Age]] [[longship]] found at the farm of Gjellestad in Halden municipality in Norway in 2018 by the archeologists Lars Gustavsen and Erich Nau. A 2019 examination by the University of Oslo has dated it to earliest AD 733.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.khm.uio.no/om/presse/skipsgraven-fra-gjellestad.html|title = Skipsgraven fra Gjellestad – ny viten om datering og bevaringstilstand - Kulturhistorisk museum}}</ref> Originally interred beneath a [[burial mound]], in the present day the ship lies 40 centimetres below the topsoil due to years of [[ploughing]].<ref>[https://www.niku.no/en/prosjekter/jellestadskipet/ Jellestad Ship]</ref>

Due to extensive [[fungus]] damage to the hull caused by field drainage, drought and exposure to the air, archaeologists called for an immediate dig to save the ship.<ref>[https://sciencenorway.no/archaeology-history-viking-age/why-archaeologists-call-for-an-immediate-gjellestad-viking-ship-dig/1687440 Science Norway]</ref> Excavation of the ship at Gjellestad began in June 2020,<ref>[https://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/viking-ship-museum/gjellestad-ship/ Gjellestad excavation]</ref> and is led by Christian L. Rødsrud of the Museum of Cultural History. It is estimated to be over 20 metres long, although only parts of the keel have survived.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-53204948 BBC News]</ref> This would mean that the boat is of a similar size to the [[Gokstad ship]].<ref>[https://www.newsinenglish.no/2020/07/09/historic-excavation-now-underway/ Historic excavation now underway]</ref> The identity of the boat's occupant has not yet been confirmed, but experts have speculated that it may have belonged to a king or queen.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sfltimes.com/news/who-was-buried-with-1100-year-old-viking-ship-researchers-seek-clues-in-new-excavation |title=SFL Times |access-date=2020-11-24 |archive-date=2020-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018025547/http://www.sfltimes.com/news/who-was-buried-with-1100-year-old-viking-ship-researchers-seek-clues-in-new-excavation |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Culture==
Outdoor concerts are frequently held at the fortress while the local churches, pubs, and student union are regular venues for indoor concerts. Musicians recorded by the Hitsville and Athletic Sound studios in the Halden region include [[Motorpsycho (band)|Motorpsycho]], [[Madrugada (band)|Madrugada]], [[Morten Harket]], and [[Kurt Nilsen]]. The city's intimate theatre hosts frequent plays by national and local theatre groups, and occasionally serves as a concert hall.

Halden festivals include Tons of Rock (hard rock and metal) in June each year (from 2014 before the festival was moved to [[Oslo]] in 2019) and a vegetarian food festival in August. 

Artists born in Halden that are represented in the [[National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design (Norway)|Norwegian National Gallery]] in [[Oslo]] include Thomas Fearnley (1802–1842) and [[Jacob Mathias Calmeyer]] (1802–1883). Fearnley is locally exhibited at the [[manor house]] Rød Herregård. Other significant artists that lived in Halden, but were not born there, include Johannes Fintoe (1786–1870) and Heinrich August Grosch (1763–1843). Grosch's son, [[Christian Heinrich Grosch]] (1801–1865), who moved with his parents to Halden at the age of ten, became an influential architect, whose works include seventy-eight churches (including [[Immanuel Church, Halden|Immanuel Church]] in Halden), the [[Norges Bank|Bank of Norway]], the [[Oslo Stock Exchange]], and the original university buildings in Oslo.

Current archaeological excavations includes [[Jellestadskipet]] (Gjellestadskipet) located a [[stone's throw]] from [[Jellhaugen]]; it was first photographed in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrk.no/osloogviken/xl/i-arhundrer-har-haralds-slekt-trakket-pa-vikingskipet-1.15144368|title = Arkeologene trodde de fant et ukjent vikingskip – men slekta til Harald slo dem med 140 år|date = 19 September 2020}}</ref>

{| style="float: right;" class="wikitable"
|+ '''Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Halden by country of origin in 2017'''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ssb.no/statistikkbanken/selectvarval/Define.asp?subjectcode=&ProductId=&MainTable=FolkInnvkatLand&nvl=&PLanguage=1&nyTmpVar=true&CMSSubjectArea=befolkning&KortNavnWeb=innvbef&StatVariant=&checked=true |title= Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by immigration category, country background and percentages of the population|language=en |publisher=ssb.no |access-date=23 June 2017}}</ref>
 
|-
! style="background:#efefef;"|Ancestry
! style="background:#efefef;"|Number
|-
| {{flag|Kosovo}}||566
|-
| {{flag|Poland}}||483
|-
| {{flag|Sweden}}||419
|-
| {{flag|Somalia}}||342
|-
| {{flag|Iraq}}||196
|-
| {{flag|Denmark}}||145
|-
| {{flag|Syria}}||135
|-
| {{flag|Lithuania}}||133
|-
| {{flag|Iran}}||107
|-
| {{flag|Germany}}||107
|}

===Sports===
The Halden VBK [[volleyball]] club plays in the Premier Division, and while the local [[ice hockey]] team Comet did play in the [[GET-ligaen|GET-league]] (Norway's highest ice hockey division) for some years, but they ran into some financial problems in 2008/2009, and is now in division 1. Halden also has many football clubs, the biggest of them, [[Kvik Halden FK]], plays in the Norwegian Second Division. The two handball clubs, [[Tistedalens TIF]] in the first division and [[HK Halden]], have teams for children, youth and adults.

One of Norway's few [[curling]] centres lies in Halden. Halden Curling Center is host to East-Norway 1 division. In addition there is a separate amateur league with two divisions. Several curlers from Halden have won Norwegian championships and competed internationally.

Halden's forests are a good place for [[orienteering]]; and [[hiking]], [[canoe]]ing, boating, [[fishing]], and [[gymnastics]] are also popular sports amongst Halden's population.

==Halden's prison==
[[Halden fengsel]] is one of Norway's highest-security jails. It has acquired a “reputation as the world's most humane prison.”  The architectural design of this prison is not like other prisons. The conditions inside the prison have been made as much like life outside the walls as possible. It is in fact to create an environment “as unprisonlike as possible.” This reflects the flagship of the Norwegian justice system, which focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gentleman |first1=Amelia |title=Inside Halden, the most humane prison in the world |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/may/18/halden-most-humane-prison-in-world |access-date=12 December 2018}}</ref>

To explore what makes [[incarceration in Norway]] different from being imprisoned in other countries, British journalist [[Raphael Rowe]]
spent a week at [[Halden Prison]] for the [[Netflix]] documentary ''[[Inside the World's Toughest Prisons]]'' (Season 3, Episode 4).<ref>{{cite web|title=Inside the World's Thoughest Prisons|publisher=|url=https://www.netflix.com/de-en/title/80116922|url-status=|format=|access-date=2021-04-11|archive-url=|archive-date=|last=|website=[[Netflix]]|date=|year=|language=|pages=|quote=}}</ref>

==Notable residents==
[[File:Huitfeldt Ivar (cropped).jpg|140px|thumb|[[Iver Huitfeldt]]]]
[[File:Peter Anker.jpg|140px|thumb|[[Peter Anker]], 1814]]
[[File:Alf Larsen Whist (1940).jpg|140px|thumb|[[Alf Whist]], 1940]]

=== Public Service & public thinking ===
* [[Iver Huitfeldt]] (1665 in Halden – 1710) naval commander in the [[Dano-Norwegian]] fleet
* [[Ove Gjerløw Meyer]] (ca.1742 in Fredrikshald – 1790) jurist, founded the [[Norwegian Society]]
* [[Peter Anker]] (1744 in Fredrikshald – 1832) a diplomat, military officer and colonial general
* [[Hans Jacob Arnold Jensen]] (1777 - 1853 in Fredrikshald) a military officer and politician
* [[Carl von und zu Mansbach]] (1790 in Halden – 1867) Hessian-Norwegian army officer & diplomat 
* [[Nils Otto Tank]] (1800 near Halden – 1864) a [[Moravian Church]] religious leader in Wisconsin
* [[Christian Heinrich Grosch]] (1801–1865) an architect, lived in Fredrikshald from 1811
* [[Christian August Selmer]] (1816 in Fredrikshald – 1889) a Norwegian lawyer and a magistrate; [[Prime Minister of Norway]] 1880 to 1884
* [[Carl Frederik Fearnley]] (1818 in Fredrikshald - 1890) a Norwegian astronomer
* [[Torkel Halvorsen Aschehoug]] (1822 in Idd – 1909) legal scholar, historian and social economist
* [[Peter Ludwig Mejdell Sylow]] (1832–1918) mathematician, headmaster in Halden 1858 to 1898 
* [[Herman Anker]] (1839 at Rød Manor – 1896) a Norwegian school teacher and educationalist
* [[Christian August Anker]] (1840 in Halden – 1912) developed mining and wood-processing
* [[Ragnvald Bødtker]] (1859–1946) an engineer, director of log driving in Halden for 42 years
* [[Jens Andersen (businessman)|Jens Andersen]] (1866 in Idd – 1937) a shoemaker and shoe factory owner
* [[Andreas Tostrup Urbye]] (1869 in Fredrikshald – 1955) a civil servant, lawyer and politician 
* [[Theodor Haagaas]] (1873 in Tistedalen – 1961) a mathematician and private school owner
* [[Birger Braadland]] (1879 in Idd – 1966) a politician, [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Norway)|foreign minister]] 1931 to 1933
* [[Alf Whist]] (1880 in Fredrikshald – 1962) a Norwegian politician for [[Nasjonal Samling]]
* [[Carl Frølich Hanssen]] (1883 in Halden – 1960) head of the Norwegian Nazi Labour Service
* [[Niels Larsen Bruun]] (1893 in Fredrikshald – 1970) an officer in the [[Royal Norwegian Navy]]
* [[Eva Kolstad]] (1918 in Halden – 1999) politician and strong promoter of gender equality
* [[Rolf B. Wegner]] (born 1940) a lawyer and former chief of police, grew up in Halden
* [[Christen Ager-Hanssen]] (born 1962 in Halden) an internet entrepreneur & venture capitalist
* [[Håkon Wium Lie]] (born 1965 in Halden) a Norwegian web pioneer and standards activist
[[File:71775 Egil Hjorth-Jensen.jpg|140px|thumb|[[Egil Hjorth-Jensen]], 1950]]

=== The Arts ===
* [[Thomas Fearnley]] (1802 in Fredrikshald – 1842) a Norwegian romantic painter
* [[Jacob Calmeyer]] (1802 in Fredrikshald – 1883) a Norwegian painter 
* [[Annette Abigael Hamilton]] (1806 in Fredrikshald - 1879) a fairy-tale collector and author
* [[Henriette Wienecke]] (1819 in Fredrikshald -1907), a composer
* [[Alvilde Prydz]] (1846 near Fredrikshald – 1922) a Norwegian novelist
* [[Oscar Borg]] (1851 in Halden – 1930) composer of marches for wind bands and conductor
* [[Gustav Fredrik Lange]] (1861 in Halden – 1939) a violinist, violin teacher and composer
* [[Karl Ouren]] (1882 in Halden – 1943) an American artist of landscapes with winter and snow
* [[Sven Elvestad]] (1884 in Fredrikshald – 1934) a Norwegian journalist and author of crime novels
* [[Mon Schjelderup]] (1870 in Fredrikshald – 1934) a Norwegian composer and pianist
* [[Egil Hjorth-Jenssen]] (1893 in Fredrikshald – 1969) actor, theatre director and playwright<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0387127/  IMDb Database] retrieved 20 January 2021</ref>
* [[Pehr Qværnstrøm]] (1878 in Halden – 1949) an actor, film director and scriptwriter<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0704587/  IMDb Database] retrieved 20 January 2021</ref>
* [[Gunnar Olram]] (1908 in Halden – 2001) a Norwegian actor and stage instructor<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0647555/  IMDb Database] retrieved 20 January 2021</ref>
* [[Henning Kvitnes]] (born 1958 in Tistedalen) Singer/songwriter (Rock/roots)
* [[Knut Nærum]] (born 1961 in Halden) comedian, author, comics writer and TV-entertainer
* [[Harald Rønneberg]] (born 1973 in Halden) a Norwegian television personality

=== Sport ===
* [[Andreas Hagelund]] (1881 in Fredrikshald – 1967) a gymnast, team gold medallist at the [[1906 Summer Olympics]] 
* [[Erik Anker]] (1903 in Berg – 1994) a sailor, Olympic team gold medallist and businessperson.
* [[Johan Anker]] (1871 at Refne in Berg – 1940) a Norwegian sailor and yacht designer, competed in three Summer Olympics
* [[Thor Martinsen]] (born 1945 in Halden) an ice hockey player, competed in 4 Winter Olympics
* [[Svein Grøndalen]] (born 1955 in Halden) a former footballer with 77 caps for [[Norway national football team|Norway]]
* [[Jørgen Strand Larsen]] (born 2000 in Halden) a footballer who currently plays for [[RC Celta de Vigo]]
* [[Ole Michael Holth]] (born 1988 in Halden) a would-be professional footballer if it wasn't for his knee injury. Currently plays for [[Trainor Elsikkerhet AS]]

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Norway}}
Halden is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Foreningen Norden Halden 80 år|url=https://www.dagsavisen.no/demokraten/nyheter/foreningen-norden-halden-80-ar-1.805182|website=dagsavisen.no|publisher=Dagsavisen|language=no|date=2019-03-28|access-date=2021-01-31}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Ringsted Municipality|Ringsted]], Denmark
*{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Sastamala]], Finland
*{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Skövde Municipality|Skövde]], Sweden

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Halden}}
{{wiktionary|Halden}}
*{{Wikivoyage inline|Halden}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080109005256/http://www.ssb.no/english/municipalities/0101 Municipal fact sheet] from [[Statistics Norway]]

{{Østfold}}
{{25 biggest cities of Norway}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Halden| ]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Østfold]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Norway]]