The Kingdom of Norway (Norge in Norwegian) is one of the world's most maritime nations. The country is long and narrow with drowned valleys called fjords that bring the sea far inland in most regions. The mainland coast is estimated to be 2650 km (1650 mi) long and when all the islands and minor indentations are counted the total coastline approaches an astonishing 60,000 km (37,500 mi), long enough the go around the world one and a half times. With such a lengthy and rocky shore it's not surprising that Norway has a large number of lighthouses. Norway is divided into 15 counties (fylker) and the counties are divided into townships (kommuner). This page lists lighthouses of the Oslo area in the southeastern corner of the country, including Oslo and Akershus Counties. Akershus included the Oslo municipality until Oslo became a separate county in 1842. These lighthouses guide vessels on the upper Oslofjord, the broad inlet leading to the capital city . Although it has always been considered a separate realm, Norway has only been independent since 1905; it was ruled by the Danish king until 1814 and then by the Swedish king until the Norwegian parliament arranged a peaceful separation of the two kingdoms. In Norwegian a lighthouse is a fyrtårn (fire tower) or simply a fyr; a fyrlykt is a beacon and a lyktehus is a lantern. Øy is an island, holmen is an islet, skjær is a skerry (a tiny island or rocky reef), sund is a strait (often between an island and the mainland), bukt is a bay, nes is a headland, and havn is a harbor. Aids to navigation in Norway are maintained by the Kystverket (Coast Directorate), an agency of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. NF numbers are from the Norsk Fyrliste, the official Norwegian light list. Admiralty numbers are from volume B of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 115.
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Akershus County: East Side Oslofjord Lighthouses
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![]() Drøbak Tollboden, September 2011 contributed photo copyright Michael Boucher; used by permission |
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![]() Digerudgrunnen Light, Nesodden (demolished in 2008) photo copyright Malte Werning; used by permission |
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Oslo County Lighthouses
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Akershus County: Northwest Side Oslofjord Lighthouses
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: South: Østfold | West: West Oslofjord
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted April 10, 2006. Checked and revised May 20, 2025. Lighthouses: 52. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.