Editing Halden (section)

==History==
Evidence of early human settlements in this region of Norway have been found, particularly in the [[Svinesund]] area of the municipality where evidence of early settlements from the [[Nordic Bronze Age]] have been found. Named after a small farm ''Hallen'' ({{langx|en|"rise" or "slope"}}) first mentioned in 1629, "Halden", became the city of ''Fredrikshald'' in 1665, named after [[Frederick III of Denmark]]. The ''Gud med oss'' (''God be with us'') [[coat-of-arms]] created in 1665 shows a [[knight]] standing on a mountain, yellow on a blue background, and was inspired by the bravery of the citizens of the city in the [[Dano-Swedish War (1658–1660)]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norsknettskole.no/fag/ressurser/itstud/fuv/frodewestgaard/ForklaringHaldenskommunevaapen.htm|title=Haldens kommunevåpen|access-date=2008-12-13|language=no|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724181941/http://www.norsknettskole.no/fag/ressurser/itstud/fuv/frodewestgaard/ForklaringHaldenskommunevaapen.htm|archive-date=2011-07-24}}</ref>

Swedish forces unsuccessfully attempted to invade the town six times between 1658 and 1814. As a reference to the town's citizens burning their own houses to prevent them being taken on 4 July 1716 by the forces of King [[Charles XII]]  of Sweden, Halden is one of only two cities mentioned in [[Ja, vi elsker dette landet|Norway's national anthem]]. In 1718, the [[Great Northern War]] ended when Charles XII was shot and killed at the [[Fredriksten]] fortress. The fortress had been erected in the 17th century as a replacement for the [[Bohus Fortress]] lost at the [[Treaty of Roskilde]] in 1658 when [[Bohuslän]] was ceded to Sweden. Halden has never been captured by force by any invading army, although it was occupied by [[Nazy Germany|Nazi]] forces in [[WWII]].

In an 1835 [[census]], Fredrikshald was the seventh largest town or city in Norway, with 4,921 inhabitants.<ref>[https://www.ssb.no/a/histstat/nos/st_08r_1836-45.pdf Tabeller over Folkemængden i Norge den 31te December 1845]</ref> In 1838, Fredrikshald became a [[formannskapsdistrikt|city municipality]] ({{langx|no|herred}}), and in 1928, the name was changed back to Halden. [[Tistedalen]], which is {{convert|4|km|mi|0}} east of Halden, was part of the city from 1686 to 1967, until it was separated from Halden. At the same time, the area of Halden, Tistedalen, and the rural municipalities of [[Berg, Østfold|Berg]] and [[Idd]], became the Halden municipality on 1 January 1967.

[[Image:Haldenwinternight.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Halden's fortress and town bridge.]]