Tønsberg is a town and municipality in the county of Vestfold, Norway. Tønsberg municipality has 36,452 inhabitants as of January 1, 2005. The population of the entire city, regardless of municipality borders, and following the guidelines set by the national statistician agency, the SSB, was 45,447 as of January 1, 2005, making Tønsberg the tenth most populated city of Norway. The municipality of Tønsberg covers 106 km² and today also includes the former municipality Sem. Tønsberg is still an industrial and maritime centre, with such diverse concerns as metal shops, shipyards, paper mills, leather processing, and breweries; it is noted especially for its silverware. Tourist sites include ruins of the Tønsberghus, St. Michael's Church, the Royal Castle, Sem Church, and the Vestfold Museum. The Oseberg ship was found near the city in 1904. The longship is now in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo.
Tønsberg's toll ring, opened in February 2004 to finance the building and enhancement of roads in the area, has proved very controversial. Opponents of this financing scheme have argued that the tolls should not be collected before the actual projects have been finished.
