The little village of Sponvika in Halden Municipality guards the entrance to the Ringdalsfjord/Iddefjord, the arm of the Oslofjord stretching towards Halden, and marking the border with Sweden to the east. A picturesque little village with white wooden houses and well-kept gardens, Sponvika has around 400 permanent inhabitants, although this population grows significantly in summer when people with hytter in the area join locals for the holidays.
Back in the 1600s Sponvika was a buzzing fishing port, dealing mainly in herring, and it’s still a good spot to cast a line. From the little harbour where anglers like to try their luck, one can see the arch of the new Svinesund Bridge, which links Norway and Sweden, in the distance.
There is a couple of beaches on Kjeøya, the peninsula just west of Sponvika, the best one of which is at Pina, to the northwest. The area is a good place for a walk. Because of its strategic location guarding the entrance to Ringdalsfjorden, Sponvika has been a much coveted spot over the centuries. In 1716 the Swedes tried to build a floating bridge over Svinesund, but incessant bombardments from the canons at Sponvika fort (skanse) meant they eventually gave up. During WWII the Germans had an outpost on the same spot – the remnants of the fort are still visible today.