varven

Varven is a term used in Swedish and Norwegian to denote shipyards. It is the definite plural form of varv, meaning shipyard, so varven translates roughly as "the shipyards." The word is used in maritime and urban contexts to refer to places where ships are built, maintained, or repaired. In coastal cities, varven historically served as economic hubs, housing workshops for carpenters, blacksmiths, riggers, and caulkers, and supporting activities such as hull construction, rigging, launching, and dry docking.

In modern usage, many former varv have been closed or repurposed and the waterfront areas have become museums, residential districts, or industrial parks. The term also appears in place names and, less commonly, as a surname in Nordic regions.

Cognate forms exist in related Scandinavian languages, illustrating a shared maritime heritage. The singular form varv is used for a single shipyard, while varven refers specifically to the shipyards as a group or the shipyards already identified in context. See also shipyard, dockyard, and varv for related terms.