Risør
Encyclopedia
is a city and municipality in Aust-Agder
county
, Norway
. The city belongs to the traditional region
of Sørlandet. It is a popular tourist place. The surrounding area includes many small lakes and hills, and is known for its beautiful coastline as well.
Risør is famous for its tourist attractions such as the wooden boat festival which is staged during the first week of August every year. It also has a growing reputation as the regional capital of arts and crafts, which culminates in the "Villvin-festival" during the summer holiday.
). On 1 January 1901, a part of neighboring Søndeled
municipality (population: 658) was transferred to Risør. On 1 January 1964, the rural municipality of Søndeled (population: 3,134) was merged into Risør, giving the newly enlarged municipality with a population of 6,136. On 1 January 1984, the uninhabited Folevatnet area of neighboring Tvedestrand
was transferred to Risør.
form of the name must have been Ríseyjar. The first element is rís which means "thicket
" and the last element is the plural form of ey which means "island
". The name was originally referring to the island Risøya which is located just outside the town.
The old name of the town (until 1909) was Østerrisør (meaning "eastern Risør"). The first element was added in the 16th century to distinguish the town from Vesterrisør, the old name of Mandal.
was granted on 18 July 1891. The arms show a lighthouse
on a rocky island. This symbolizes the Holmen fortress built in 1788.
The history of these arms is quite curious. When on 18 July 1891 King Oscar II
visited the city, a menu had to be printed. It was printed with a coat of arms on the top, which was probably designed by the printer. That afternoon the King approved the new arms, mainly because his name was printed under the arms on the menu.
in Norway at 13.7 per cent. Also, Knut Henning Thygesen
was elected as the only mayor from the Red Party
through a direct mayor election.
vessels began to call there to purchase timber
in about 1570. By 1607 two inns had been opened to serve Dutch sailors. In 1630 Risør became a privileged port (ladestad).
The place is known for a church building from the Middle Ages
, as well as a timber church Den Hellige Ånds (Holy Ghost) which was built in the Baroque
style in 1647.
In 1723 Risør became a privileged town
. By the end of the 18th century, 96 sailing vessels were owned by Risør merchants. It was the sixth largest shipping town and one of four shipbuilding centers in Norway.
In Letters on Sweden, Norway, and Denmark
, Mary Wollstonecraft
wrote extensively while visiting Risør in 1783, including the following remarks:
Risør played a role in the Napoleonic Wars
in 1807-1814, when Denmark–Norway
took France
's side, and therefore became the enemy of Norway's most important trading-partner: Great Britain
. (It is from this period that Henrik Ibsen
took his subject, when he created his famous poem Terje Vigen.) It was south of Risør, in Lyngør
(in neighboring Tvedestrand municipality) that several British men-of-war of the English navy
pursued and sunk the last major vessel and the pride of Norway: the line-of-battle ship HDMS Najaden
.
Risør was almost wiped off the map in 1861. A great fire swept across the small town leaving just 85 houses and the 1647 church. The city was rebuilt - and today it presents a positive impression of a well kept town with white wooden houses.
By the second half of the 19th century, over 100 sailing vessels were home ported in Risør and more than 1000 sailors called Risør home. But the transition to steamships and the economic damage of World War I
destroyed Risør’s shipping industry.
. (No connection with Sandnes
in Rogaland
.) It is bordered in the southwest by Tvedestrand
, on the northwest by Vegårshei
and Gjerstad
in Aust-Agder and in the northeast by Kragerø
in Telemark
. The Nordfjorden
is a branch of the Søndeledfjorden that is to the north of Barmen island heading towards the village of Søndeled.
The historic timber and fishing
industries have mostly vanished. Paper
production served as an economic basis for a period, until the pulp factory was closed in 1970. Currently tourism
, a burgeoning art colony and summer vacationers account for a major part of the economy.
Aust-Agder
is a county in Norway, bordering Telemark, Rogaland, and Vest-Agder. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which is 2.2% of the total population in Norway. Its area is . The administrative center of the county is in Arendal....
county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The city belongs to the traditional region
Districts of Norway
The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...
of Sørlandet. It is a popular tourist place. The surrounding area includes many small lakes and hills, and is known for its beautiful coastline as well.
Risør is famous for its tourist attractions such as the wooden boat festival which is staged during the first week of August every year. It also has a growing reputation as the regional capital of arts and crafts, which culminates in the "Villvin-festival" during the summer holiday.
General information
The city of Risør was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistriktFormannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
). On 1 January 1901, a part of neighboring Søndeled
Søndeled
Søndeled is a former municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is currently part of the municipality of Risør in the Sørlandet region. The municipality had an area of upon its dissolution. The highway Riksvei 418 passes through Søndeled. Stamsø is a village in Søndeled...
municipality (population: 658) was transferred to Risør. On 1 January 1964, the rural municipality of Søndeled (population: 3,134) was merged into Risør, giving the newly enlarged municipality with a population of 6,136. On 1 January 1984, the uninhabited Folevatnet area of neighboring Tvedestrand
Tvedestrand
is a town and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Tvedestrand....
was transferred to Risør.
Name
The Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
form of the name must have been Ríseyjar. The first element is rís which means "thicket
Thicket
A thicket is a very dense stand of trees or tall shrubs, often dominated by only one or a few species, to the exclusion of all others. They may be formed by species that shed large amounts of highly viable seeds that are able to germinate in the shelter of the maternal plants.In some conditions the...
" and the last element is the plural form of ey which means "island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
". The name was originally referring to the island Risøya which is located just outside the town.
The old name of the town (until 1909) was Østerrisør (meaning "eastern Risør"). The first element was added in the 16th century to distinguish the town from Vesterrisør, the old name of Mandal.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
was granted on 18 July 1891. The arms show a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
on a rocky island. This symbolizes the Holmen fortress built in 1788.
The history of these arms is quite curious. When on 18 July 1891 King Oscar II
Oscar II of Sweden
Oscar II , baptised Oscar Fredrik was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death and King of Norway from 1872 until 1905. The third son of King Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, he was a descendant of Gustav I of Sweden through his mother.-Early life:At his birth in Stockholm, Oscar...
visited the city, a menu had to be printed. It was printed with a coat of arms on the top, which was probably designed by the printer. That afternoon the King approved the new arms, mainly because his name was printed under the arms on the menu.
Politics
In the 2007 municipal elections, Risør had the highest vote for the Red Electoral AllianceRed (Norway)
The Red Party is a Norwegian far-left political party and the leading party to the left of the Socialist Left and the Labour Party in Norway. Since 2007 the party has sought a seat in Parliament; the only counties in which they have a realistic chance of earning a seat are Oslo and Hordaland...
in Norway at 13.7 per cent. Also, Knut Henning Thygesen
Knut Henning Thygesen
Knut Henning Thygesen is a Norwegian author and politician for the Red Party. He was elected as mayor of Risør on 11 September 2007 in a direct mayor election as part of the 2007 municipal election with 44.5% of the votes...
was elected as the only mayor from the Red Party
Red (Norway)
The Red Party is a Norwegian far-left political party and the leading party to the left of the Socialist Left and the Labour Party in Norway. Since 2007 the party has sought a seat in Parliament; the only counties in which they have a realistic chance of earning a seat are Oslo and Hordaland...
through a direct mayor election.
History
Risør was a small fishing village when DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
vessels began to call there to purchase timber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
in about 1570. By 1607 two inns had been opened to serve Dutch sailors. In 1630 Risør became a privileged port (ladestad).
The place is known for a church building from the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, as well as a timber church Den Hellige Ånds (Holy Ghost) which was built in the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style in 1647.
In 1723 Risør became a privileged town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
. By the end of the 18th century, 96 sailing vessels were owned by Risør merchants. It was the sixth largest shipping town and one of four shipbuilding centers in Norway.
In Letters on Sweden, Norway, and Denmark
Letters Written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark
Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark is a personal travel narrative by the eighteenth-century British feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft. The twenty-five letters cover a wide range of topics, from sociological reflections on Scandinavia and its peoples to...
, Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft was an eighteenth-century British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights. During her brief career, she wrote novels, treatises, a travel narrative, a history of the French Revolution, a conduct book, and a children's book...
wrote extensively while visiting Risør in 1783, including the following remarks:
- On entering Risør - "We were a considerable time entering amongst the islands, before we saw about two hundred houses crowded together under a very high rock--still higher appearing above."
- While at Risør - "… seaports are not favorable to improvement. The captains acquire a little superficial knowledge by traveling, which their indefatigable attention to the making of money prevents their digesting; and the fortune that they thus laboriously acquire is spent, as it usually is in towns of this description, in show and good living."
- While departing Risør - "The view of the town was now extremely fine. A huge rocky mountain stood up behind it, and a vast cliff stretched on each side, forming a semicircle. In a recess of the rocks was a clump of pines, amongst which a steeple rose picturesquely beautiful."
Risør played a role in the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
in 1807-1814, when Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway is the historiographical name for a former political entity consisting of the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway, including the originally Norwegian dependencies of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands...
took France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's side, and therefore became the enemy of Norway's most important trading-partner: Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. (It is from this period that Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
took his subject, when he created his famous poem Terje Vigen.) It was south of Risør, in Lyngør
Lyngør
Lyngør is a village area on a group of small islands in the municipality of Tvedestrand in Aust-Agder county, off the southeast coast of Norway...
(in neighboring Tvedestrand municipality) that several British men-of-war of the English navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
pursued and sunk the last major vessel and the pride of Norway: the line-of-battle ship HDMS Najaden
HDMS Najaden (1811)
HDMS Najaden was a frigate in the Royal Danish-Norwegian Navy. She was commissioned in 1811 and originally carried 36 guns, later being upgraded to 42. She served briefly during the Gunboat War only seeing action once, when on 6 July 1812 the British ship of the line and the sank her during the...
.
Risør was almost wiped off the map in 1861. A great fire swept across the small town leaving just 85 houses and the 1647 church. The city was rebuilt - and today it presents a positive impression of a well kept town with white wooden houses.
By the second half of the 19th century, over 100 sailing vessels were home ported in Risør and more than 1000 sailors called Risør home. But the transition to steamships and the economic damage of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
destroyed Risør’s shipping industry.
Geography
Risør is the easternmost coastal municipality in Aust-Agder, located on the point where the Søndeledfjord and Sandnesfjord meet, providing ready access to the SkagerrakSkagerrak
The Skagerrak is a strait running between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area, which leads to the Baltic Sea.-Name:...
. (No connection with Sandnes
Sandnes
is a city and municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Jæren.-History:Sandnes was separated from Høyland as a municipality of its own in 1860, and gained city status the same year...
in Rogaland
Rogaland
is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...
.) It is bordered in the southwest by Tvedestrand
Tvedestrand
is a town and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Tvedestrand....
, on the northwest by Vegårshei
Vegårshei
Vegårshei is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Myra.-General information:...
and Gjerstad
Gjerstad
Gjerstad is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Agder, in the southeastern part of the county, along the border with Telemark county.-General information:...
in Aust-Agder and in the northeast by Kragerø
Kragerø
is a town and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vestmar. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kragerø....
in Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
. The Nordfjorden
Nordfjorden
Nordfjorden is part of Søndeledfjorden in the municipality of Risør in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It lies on the north of the island of Barmen, which is northwest of the city of Risør. Nordfjorden is a little over long. The widest parts are where the Søndeledfjorden goes west and into Søndeled...
is a branch of the Søndeledfjorden that is to the north of Barmen island heading towards the village of Søndeled.
Economy
Risør was a city built as a result of shipping and industrial interests. Today much of the industry and most larger sailing vessels are gone - leaving behind a picturesque town with a lot of summer tourist attractions.The historic timber and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
industries have mostly vanished. Paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
production served as an economic basis for a period, until the pulp factory was closed in 1970. Currently tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, a burgeoning art colony and summer vacationers account for a major part of the economy.
Attractions
- A world class chamber musicChamber musicChamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
festival, is held in late June - A bluegrass musicBluegrass musicBluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
-festival every mid-July. Norway's only festival of its kind. - A popular artistArtistAn artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
s’ market (Villvinmarked or "Villvin-festival") is held in July - A wooden boat festival (Trebåtfestival) is held in August. During the festival the population swells to 20,000 people.
- Den Hellige Ånds church, built in 1647
- The citadelCitadelA citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
at Tangen, a fortification from the Napoleonic Wars (with modificaitons from the German occupation period) - Risør Akvarium, salt water aquariumAquariumAn aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
with over 100 different spiecies. The only salt water aquarium in the south region of Norway.
Famous residents
- Erik MyklandErik MyklandErik Mykland - nicknamed Myggen , as he used to flap his arms and hands like one when celebrating his goals - is a retired Norwegian footballer who played as a defensive midfielder....
– footballer - Victor D. NormanVictor D. NormanVictor Danielsen Norman is a Norwegian economist, politician for the Conservative Party and newspaper columnist. He is currently professor of economics at the Norwegian School of Economics and Chairman of the Institute for Research in Economics and Business Administration.-Academics:Victor Norman...
– Former minister of labor and administration and professor of economy at NHH. - Serene Torjussen Evensen, would later become Serena Gardner - First female convert in Norway to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
External links
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics NorwayStatistics NorwayStatistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All releases are published both in Norwegian and English...
- Risor Rødt
- Risør kommune
- Risør Wooden Boat Festival annually in August
- Tourist Information Risør
- Visit Risør
- Det Lille Hotel
- Aust Agder News
- Risør chamber music festival
- Culture in Risør on the map
- Map of Aust-Agder including Risør municipality
- Risørby - facts and pictures of Risør