- Halden is the only Norwegian town mentioned in the Norwegian national anthem (under its old name of Fredrikshald).

- Local residents torched their town to drive out the Swedes in 1716. A column (the Haldensøylen) was erected by the main bridge to commemorate the event.

- Halden is famous for its rock music, and its thriving community of vintage American car buffs.

- In the 1950s and 1960s, Halden was the shoe capital of Norway, employing some 800 workers in 17 factories.

- Halden is known as the Empire town of Norway, because of the high number of French Empire style buildings dating back to the early-19th-century.