[4] Some of the best agricultural land in Vestfold County is found in Brunlanes, and farming is the main industry with considerable vegetable- and grain cultivation.

The parish of Brunlagnæs (later spelled Brunlanes) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law).

On 23 June 1883, an area of Brunlanes (population: 22) became part of Fredriksvern municipality after a border adjustment.

On 1 January 1964, the Enigheten, Høyberg, and Skavåsen farms (population: 12) was transferred from Brunlanes to the newly enlarged neighboring municipality of Porsgrunn (this also caused them to switch from Vestfold to Telemark county).

The last element is nes which means "headland" (since the area lies between the Langesundsfjorden, the sea, and the lake Farris).

The official blazon was "Azure, twelve plates 3-4-5" (Norwegian: I blått tol sølv mynter).

The circles have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used.

The blue color in the field symbolized the importance of the sea and the small circles symbolised the typical round stones (made by glaciers), which can be found in huge quantities in the municipality.

The church fell into ruin by the 1960s, but it has been rebuilt and features a clear-cut architecture with a red tilestone roof.

[11] The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Brunlanes was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms.

The 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Nalumstranda to Stavern leads through beaches, coastal landscapes, forests, and slopes of naked rocks on its way to Røvika.

The trail ends at Fredriksvern Verft in Stavern, a former naval base with buildings dated to the 17th century.