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Tonsberg is a town and seat of Vestfold fylke (county), south-eastern Norway, at the head of Tonsbergfjorden. Considered to be the oldest town in Norway, Tonsberg was founded c. AD 871 and became an important trading centre.

During the 10^th and 11^th centuries kings of Norway visited Tonsberg several times. The sagas tell about these visits, and they prove that it was an important town at that time. At times, Tonsberg even functioned as capital of Norway, although it in theory was not.

In the 13^th century King Håkon Håkonsson built his castle – Tonsberghus - there. The longest siege in Norway took place in this city from 1201-1202. King Sverre, the leader of the birkebeiner's, attacked and surrounded the mountain, and Reidar Sendemann, baglerene's leader, fought back and kept his position at the mountain for five months. When the five months came to an end, the baglere got a grace and came down from the mountain.

Like the rest of the country, the whole society here got a breech when the Black-plague and the following waves of plague came, with rats onboard ships in 1349. Many people died and the town suffered a great loss. A new crisis came already in 1536, when the town was plundered, set on fire and burnt to ashes by Swedish troops. Estates, which belonged to the rich St. Olavs convent was given away to the vassal on the farm Auli, the previous main farm of the convent.

In the 18^th and 19^th centuries did it become a major port and one of Norway's major shipping and whaling centers.

Until the late 1960's it was Norway's third largest maritime town. Pop. (1983 est.) mun., 8,921.

Fire protection has a long tradition in Tonsberg. Since the year 1276 fireguards were employed, to warn the population in case of fire. But unfortunately, usable fire equipment to extinguish a fire, were not available at that time. Therefore large areas in the city during the middle ages burned down.  

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