Kristiansund (, ; historically spelled Christianssund and earlier named Fosna) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

on the western coast of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

in the Nordmøre district of

Møre og Romsdal Møre og Romsdal (; en, Møre and Romsdal) is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the town of Molde, while Ålesund is the ...

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. The

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...

of the municipality is the town of Kristiansund (established in 1742), which is the major town for the whole Nordmøre region. Other notable settlements in the municipality include the villages of Kvalvåg, Rensvik, and Nedre Frei. The municipality is the 333rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kristiansund is the 52nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 24,013. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 0.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of ''Christianssund'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January ...

law). Initially, the small island municipality included just the town of Christianssund and its immediate surrounding area. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II. It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Municip ...

. On 1 January 1964, Kristiansund Municipality was merged with the tiny

Grip Municipality Grip () is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. With a land area of only and a population of 104, Grip was the smallest municipality in Norway during its existence from 1897 until it merged with Kristiansund in 1964. Grip mu ...

(population: 104) to the northwest and the ''Dale'' area of Bremsnes Municipality on

Nordlandet Nordlandet is an island in Kristiansund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The island is located just east of the city center of Kristiansund, and is one of the boroughs of the city. The island is home to Kristiansund Airport, Kve ...

island (population: 963). The neighboring

Frei Municipality Frei is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2008 when it was incorporated into Kristiansund Municipality. It was located between the Kvernesfjorden and Freifjo ...

was merged with Kristiansund on 1 January 2008 creating a much larger Kristiansund Municipality.

Toponymy

The municipality is named after the town of Kristiansund. Historically, it was spelled ''Christianssund''. The name comes from the Danish-Norwegian King

Christian VI Christian VI (30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746. The eldest surviving son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, he is considered one of Denmark-Norway's more anonymous kings, bu ...

who founded the town in 1742. The last element of the name, ''sund'', means "

strait A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surface water generally flows at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in either direction. Most commonly, it is a narrow ocean channe ...

". The old name of the town/village (originally the island Kirkelandet) was ''Fosna'' or ''Fosen'' ( non, fólgsn) which means "hiding place" (here 'hidden port'). It was also often named ''Lille Fosen'' ("the small Fosen") to distinguish it from the island '' Storfosna'' ("the big Fosen") in Ørland. Before 1877, the name was spelled ''Christianssund'', from 1877 to 1888 it was spelled ''Kristianssund'', and since 1889 it has had its present spelling, ''Kristiansund''. Before the introduction of

postal code A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal a ...

s in Norway in 1968, it was easy to confuse the name ''Kristiansund'' with

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporation ...

in the south. It was therefore obligatory to always add an ''N'' (for north) to Kristiansund ''(Kristiansund N)'' and an ''S'' (for south) to Kristiansand ''(Kristiansand S)''. This is pretty much still practiced and also occurs in some other contexts than postal addresses.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

was granted on 27 June 1742. The arms were granted by King

and are described as a silver or white river flowing from a cliff, with salmon jumping upwards on a blue background. The waterfall may possibly be the Lille Fosen

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

near the town. There are two myths as to why the arms show a waterfall. The first one is because the old name of the town (''Fosen'') was misinterpreted as ''Fossund'' (as a compound of ''foss'' which means waterfall and ''sund'' which means

). The other myth concerning the coat of arms is that there was a mix up, between Kristiansund's and

Molde Molde () is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord. The administrative centre of the m ...

's intended shield. The Dano-Norwegian government officials in charge of the giving of the coats, had a party to remember the momentous occasion and became too drunk and hungover to remember which was which, and so Molde got the coat with a whale (which are scarce in between the Romsdal

fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Ice ...

s) and Kristiansund got the waterfall (since Molde is on the mainland and Kristiansund lies in the open sea, it would be more likely that the waterfall was intended for

's mountains and the whales for Kristiansund.)

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...

has three parishes () within the municipality of Kristiansund. It is part of the

Ytre Nordmøre prosti Ytre may refer to: People: * Knut Ytre-Arne (1896–1968), Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party Places: *Ytre Østfold, the outer area of Østfold county (Norway) that has a fjord or coastal line * Ytre Øydnavatnet, lake in the municipality ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

) in the

Diocese of Møre The Diocese of Møre ( no, Møre bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway which geographically consists of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Its bishop is seated at the Molde Cathedral which is located in the county administrative center ...

. St. Eystein Catholic Church is the only

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

church in Kristiansund.

Geography

The municipality borders Smøla Municipality and

Aure Municipality Aure is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the region of Nordmøre. The administrative centre is the village of Aure. Other villages in Aure include Gullstein, Stemshaug, Todalen, Tjeldbergodden, Arasvika, and ...

to the northeast, Tingvoll Municipality to the east,

Gjemnes Municipality Gjemnes is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway on the Romsdal peninsula. It is part of the Nordmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Batnfjordsøra, which lies along the Batnfjorden and it is a former steamship ...

to the south, and

Averøy Municipality Averøy is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the region of Nordmøre. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bruhagen. Other villages in the municipality include Bremsnes, Kornstad, Kver ...

to the southwest. The small Grip archipelago is located in the northwestern part of the municipality. The municipality is surrounded by the Freifjorden and

Kvernesfjorden Kvernesfjorden or Kvernesfjord is a fjord between the municipalities of Gjemnes, Kristiansund, Averøy, and Hustadvika in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The fjord is about long. The fjord begins at the end of the Kornstadfjorden near the vill ...

with the open sea to the northwest. Kristiansund is built on four main islands, with many smaller islands. The island of

("North Land", humorously nicknamed '' Marokko''), is the second largest island and the site of the local airport, Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget (

IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff ...

code: KSU). Kirkelandet, third in size is made up of two areas ''Kirkelandet'' and ''Gomalandet''. In the local dialect, ''Kirkelandet'' (the "Church Land") is pronounced ''"Kirklandet"'', without the middle ''e''. The smallest island is

Innlandet Innlandet is a county in Norway. It was created on 1 January 2020 with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (the municipalities of Jevnaker and Lunner were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken on the same date). The ...

("Innermost Land"; humorously, "

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...

"). The largest island in the municipality is Frei which was part of the old

which was merged into Kristiansund on 1 January 2008. The highest point of the municipality is located on Frei island, Freikollen at a height of . The islands of Grip, located northwest of Kristiansund are also a part of the municipality.

was

's smallest municipality, and also one of the most remote until it merged with Kristiansund in 1964. Today the island of Grip holds status as a deserted fishing village, but in the summer season it is a popular tourist attraction due to the very special location and architecture. Grip Stave Church, the second smallest stave church of

(

Undredal Stave Church Undredal Stave Church ( no, Undredal stavkyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Undredal, on the shore of the Aurlandsfjorden. It is the church for the ...

is smaller), is also located at Grip. It is also where Grip Lighthouse is located. Kristiansund includes the town of Kristiansund which is one of the most densely populated cities of Norway, having what is arguably the country's most urban small city centre, due to the relatively small size of the islands on which it is built and the very constricted central harbour/town area of Kirkelandet.

History

8000 BC–1066

Archeological evidence exists of settlement in the area which is now Kristiansund from as early as 8000 BCE. At the end of the last ice age some areas at the western coast of Norway were ice-free. The first evidence of such settlements were discovered at Voldvatnet in Kristiansund in 1909. More have since been found, a discovery at Kvernberget in 2007 when archeological digs were conducted before the extension of the city's airport. Finds have also been discovered from the Bronze Age, and early Iron Age. During the

Viking era The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

there were many battles around Kristiansund. The most famous one was the Battle of Rastarkalv on the island of Frei, where the Norwegian King

Håkon the Good Haakon Haraldsson (c. 920–961), also Haakon the Good (Old Norse: ''Hákon góði'', Norwegian: ''Håkon den gode'') and Haakon Adalsteinfostre (Old Norse: ''Hákon Aðalsteinsfóstri'', Norwegian: ''Håkon Adalsteinsfostre''), was the king of ...

fought against the Eirikssønnene group. There is now a monument located near at Nedre Frei, where the battle was fought.

Middle Ages

The island of Grip was an important fishing community during the Middle Ages, and was considered to be the most important municipality in the region at the time. The natural harbour in Lille-fosen, close to where Kristiansund is located today was also frequently used for fishing purposes.

17th to 18th century

During the 17th century a small settlement developed around the area we know today as Kristiansund harbour. As more and more settlers arrived, the area became an important trading port for fishing and the lumber transportation along the coast. The Dano-Norwegian government established a customs station here, which was controlled by the main trading port in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

. In 1631, the port was declared to be a ladested. Dutch sailors brought the knowledge of

clipfish Dried and salted cod, sometimes referred to as salt cod or saltfish or salt dolly, is cod which has been preserved by drying after salting. Cod which has been dried without the addition of salt is stockfish. Salt cod was long a major export o ...

production to Kristiansund at the end of the 17th century, and for a number of years the town was the largest exporter of clipfish in Norway, exporting goods mainly to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

countries as Spain and Portugal. The city's clipfish production was also part of the reason why it was given town status as a

kjøpstad A (historically: ''kjøbstad'', ''kjöbstad'', or ''kaupstad'') is an old Scandinavian term for a "market town" that was used in the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway for several hundred years. The name comes from the on, kaupstaðr. Kjøpstads were ...

in 1742.

19th century to present

The town of ''Christianssund'' was established as the municipality of Christianssund on 1 January 1838 (see

law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

. On 1 January 1964, Kristiansund Municipality was merged with the tiny

(population: 104) to the northwest and the ''Dale'' area of Bremsnes Municipality on

island (population: 963). The neighboring

was merged with Kristiansund on 1 January 2008 creating a much larger Kristiansund Municipality.

Media

The local newspaper of Kristiansund is

Tidens Krav ''Tidens Krav'' (''TK'') English: ''The Time's Demands'' is a local newspaper published in Kristiansund, Norway. It was founded in 1906, is published Tuesday through Saturday, and reports news from Nordmøre. The newspaper owned the local televis ...

, which also functions as a semi-regional newspaper for the other municipalities located nearby the city. Other online newspapers for the city exists, such as KSU.no. A local radio station, also named KSU 24/7, was founded in 2016.

Climate

Kristiansund has a temperate

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(Cfb) with cool-to-warm summers and mild winters. The city structure with the unique natural harbour of the city combined with Atlantic air from the southwest and the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Current, North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida a ...

gives Kristiansund a much warmer climate than its

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

would indicate. The all-time high was set 28 July 2018. The warmest month on record at Kristiansund Airport was July 2014 with mean and average daily high . The all-time low was recorded 23 February 2010. The coldest month on record at Kristiansund Airport was December 2010 with mean and average daily low . The coldest month recorded at earlier weather stations in Kristiansund was February 1947 with mean (recordings since 1871).

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Kristiansund, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wiktionary:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physical and menta ...

, senior citizen services, unemployment and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...

, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor, and subcommittees for specific sectors of governance, such as education, public health and the Petroleum industry. The municipality falls under the

Møre og Romsdal District Court Møre og Romsdal District Court ( no, Møre og Romsdal tingrett) is a district court located in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. This court is based at four different courthouses which are located in Volda, Ålesund, Molde, and Kristiansund. T ...

and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

() of Kristiansund is made up of 45 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Kristiansund (incomplete list): *2015–present: Kjell Neergaard ( Ap) *2007-2015: Per Kristian Øyen (Ap) *1997-2007: Dagfinn Ripnes ( H) *1995-1997:

Aud Inger Aure Aud Inger Aure (born 12 November 1942) is a Norwegian politician for the Christian Democratic Party. Born in Averøy, Møre og Romsdal, she was awarded a Candidate of Law degree in 1993. From 1989 to 1990 she represented her county in the Stor ...

(

KrF The Christian Democratic Party ( nb, Kristelig Folkeparti, nn, Kristeleg Folkeparti, se, Risttalaš Álbmotbellodat, , KrF) is a Christian-democratic political party in Norway founded in 1933. The party is an observer member of the European Pe ...

) *1989-1995: Harald Martin Stokke (Ap) *1984-1989: Øivind Jensen (Ap) *1982-1983:

Knut Engdahl Knut Engdahl (born 20 June 1933) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party. He served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament from Møre og Romsdal during the 1977–1981 term. He was also mayor of Kristiansund Kris ...

(H)

Twin towns

Kirstiansund has

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

agreements with the following places: * Kokkola, Finland * Härnösand, Sweden * Fredericia, Denmark Together the three cities hold a tournament called ''Nordiske Dager'' ("Nordic Days").

Parks and gardens

Though fairly small in size, the city of Kristiansund contains many green parks and gardens, frequently used by the city's inhabitants. There are two larger parks near the city centre. The first one is located near Langveien, and was constructed in the aftermath of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The second one is located in Vanndamman. This area used to be part of the city water supply, due to the large amount of small lakes in the area. (hence the name "Vanndamman" (The Water ponds)) The two parks are partly linked together, but the Langveien-park serve more as an urban recreation area due to the short walking distance from the city centre, while the Vanndamman-park is more suitable for outings and jogging.

Transport

Started in 1876 and still going strong is the '' Sundbåt'' ("Sound Boat"/"Strait Crossing Boat") shuttle service with a capacity of a few tens of passengers, travelling between the islands. The small motor ferry crosses the harbour from Kirkelandet to Innlandet, then goes on to Nordlandet, to Gomalandet, and back to Kirkelandet, repeating the round trip in half-hour intervals morning to evening on weekdays. The Sundbåt bears the distinction of being ''the world's oldest motorized regular public transport system in continuous service''. The road to Kristiansund from the mainland,

Norwegian National Road 70 National Road 70 ( no, Riksvei 70) is a long national highway that runs from the town of Kristiansund in Kristiansund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county and the village of Oppdal in Oppdal Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The ro ...

is connected to

European route E39 European route E39 is the designation of a north–south road in Norway and Denmark from Klett, just south of Trondheim, to Aalborg via Bergen, Stavanger and Kristiansand. In total, there are nine ferries, more than any other single road in Eu ...

by the bridge/tunnel system called Krifast. After passing through the underwater Freifjord Tunnel from the central part of Krifast, National Road 70 crosses Frei, and enters Kristiansund over the Omsund Bridge onto Nordlandet. The Nordsund Bridge brings the Rv 70 to Gomalandet and its terminus in downtown at Kirkelandet. Another high bridge, the

Sørsund Bridge The Sørsund Bridge ( no, Sørsundbrua) is a bridge that crosses the Sørsundet strait between the islands of Kirkelandet and Innlandet in the town of Kristiansund which is in Kristiansund Municipality, Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The bridge ...

, leads from Kirkelandet to

. E39 leads southwest to the town of

and northeast via the

European route E6 European route E6 ( no, Europavei 6, sv, Europaväg 6, or simply E6) is the main north-south thoroughfare through Norway as well as the west coast of Sweden. It is long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and t ...

Trøndelag Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denmar ...

and the city of

. There used to be a car ferry going from Kirkelandet island to neighboring

to the west, whose people have been commuting to town for many years for work as well as selling agricultural products. The ferry to Averøy connected Kristiansund to Norwegian National Road 64, which continued along the scenic

Atlanterhavsvegen The Atlantic Ocean Road or the Atlantic Road ( no, Atlanterhavsvegen / Atlanterhavsveien) is an long section of County Road 64 that runs through an archipelago in Hustadvika and Averøy municipalities in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It pass ...

to Molde. The ferry was replaced by the long underwater Atlantic Ocean Tunnel in December 2009. Because both tunnels are forbidden for bicyclists, Kristiansund cannot easily be reached by bicycle. A second car ferry goes from ''Seivika'' on

Tustna Tustna is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The administrative centre was the village of Gullstein. The municipality is located in the present-day Aure Municipality. The municipality included the main islands of Tus ...

in the northeast (road: ''RV 680''), with further road and ferry connections to the islands of

Smøla Smøla is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Nordmøre region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hopen, other villages include Dyrnes, Råket, and Veiholmen. The municipality i ...

and Hitra, and to

on the mainland. Besides roads and car ferries and Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget, connections to/from Kristiansund consist of the traditional coastal express Hurtigruten connecting coastal towns from

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

in the south to

Kirkenes Kirkenes (; ; Skolt Sami: ''Ǩeârkknjargg;'' fi, Kirkkoniemi; ; russian: Киркенес) is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, in the far northeastern part of Norway. The town ...

in the north, and the high speed

catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...

passenger service Kystekspressen to Trondheim. Another option to get to Kristiansund is to fly with

Scandinavian Airlines Scandinavian Airlines, more commonly known and styled as SAS, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. ''SAS'' is an abbreviation of the company's full name, Scandinavian Airlines System or legally Scandinavian Airlines System Denmark ...

from several other Norwegian cities.

Commerce and industry

Kristiansund is known as the major ''bacalhau'' city of Norway. Bacalhau is made of salted, dried codfish, and has traditionally been exported in large amounts to Spain,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

and Latin America as food suitable during

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

. In recent years Kristiansund has become the major oil and gas city at the mid-northwestern coast. Oil companies like

Royal Dutch Shell Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Yo ...

and

Statoil Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil and StatoilHydro) is a Norwegian state owned enterprise, state-owned multinational energy company headquartered in Stavanger. It is primarily a petroleum company, petroleum company, operating in 36 countries with ad ...

have offices in Kristiansund from where they serve their offshore installations at Haltenbanken (one of the northernmost underwater oil fields in the world). Due to the city's heavy involvement in fish processing and international shipping, there used to be as many as seven

consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...

s in Kristiansund, mainly to Latin countries. Currently, there are only five left: Britain,

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and

Culture and sports

Kristiansund is an important cultural centre in the region of Nordmøre. The city is probably best known for housing one of Norway's oldest operas, which was established in 1928 by Edvard Bræin. There is an annual opera festival held every February in Kristiansund named The Opera Weeks (Operafestukene). In addition to this, Kristiansund is also host city of Northern Europes largest photo festival, Nordic Light. Even though this is a rather "young" festival, (Est. 2006) it has grown to become one of the most important of its kind in Europe, attracting famous photographers from all around the world, like Don McCullin, Jock Sturges and William Klein. Other smaller festivals held in Kristiansund include The Tahiti Festival and Kristiansund Church, Art and Culture Festival (shortened to the KKKK-festival in Norwegian). Kristiansund's main

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team, Kristiansund BK, is a result of the 2003 merger between the two largest football teams in the city,

KFK Kristiansund Fotballklubb is a Norway, Norwegian association football club from Kristiansund, Møre og Romsdal. The men's football team currently plays in the Fourth Division, the fifth tier of the Norwegian football league system. The team las ...

and

Clausenengen Clausenengen Fotballklubb (CFK) is a football club located in Kristiansund, Norway. Many famous players have played at this club, including Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Øyvind Leonhardsen, Trond Andersen, Jan Erlend Kruse, Andre Flem, Arild Stavrum an ...

, which together with support from local businesses helped in creating a united elite club commitment. The club started at the 4th level (tredje divisjon) of the Norwegian football league system, and qualified for the 2017 season to play at the top level (

Eliteserien Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion ...

). The team finished 7th in its first season at the top level, beating all expectation, and has since climbed upwards; Finishing 5th at the top level in 2020. Other popular sports in Kristiansund include

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

, Swimming, Ice skating and

Handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

Tourist attractions

* The archipelago of Grip, northwest of Kristiansund was (until 1964) the smallest municipality of

. Today it is a deserted fishing village, but is a popular tourist attraction for the special architecture and unique location. Norway's smallest stave church, which was constructed in the end of the 15th century is also located at Grip. * Sundbåtene in Kristiansund claims to be the world's oldest public transport system, founded in 1876. The small "Sundbåt" passenger ferries crosses between the four "lands" of the city. * The old city structure in Vågen is a center for the historical fishing settlement in Kristiansund. ''Mellemværftet'' is also located here, which is an old shipbuilding facility for sailing ships. The Norwegian Clipfish Museum is also located here. * Innlandet is an old city part of Kristiansund with very special and unique coastal architecture. Innlandet is the part of Kristiansund that was least damaged during the bombings of Kristiansund during

. * Nordic Light is an annual festival of photography arranged for the first time in 2006, and is currently the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The festival is represented by

Morten Krogvold Morten Krogvold (born 3 May 1950) is a Norwegian photographer and writer. Krogvold is especially known for his portraits of artists, politicians and other celebrities. He has published numerous books, held numerous exhibitions. Early life and ed ...

. * Festiviteten (Kristiansund Opera) is the oldest opera house in Norway. It is built in Art Nouveau-style, and was completed in 1914. It is one of the few older buildings in the city centre of Kristiansund that survived the bombing of the city during

. * Tahitifestivalen is an annual music festival that is arranged in Kristiansund. The festival is arranged by Frode Alnæs and the cafè Dødeladen on Innlandet. The festival was first introduced for the first time in 2000. There has been artist like Dance with a Stranger, Madcon,

Hellbillies Hellbillies is a Norwegian rock band. Biography As of 2012, they have released thirteen albums—including a compilation and two live albums—as well as two live concert DVDs. They are among Norway's most popular recording artists. Their lyrics ...

, Madrugada, Bigbang and many more. *Varden is an old lookout tower located 78 meters above sea level. At the top you get magnificent views to the shipping lane with the fishing village Grip on the horizon. The panorama goes 360 degrees with the Nordmøre mountains as a powerful backdrop. Open every day with free access where you can view the mountains and fjords of Nordmøre.

Notable residents

The following people are from, or have their roots in, Kristiansund.

The Arts

* Edvard Bræin (1887-1957) an organist, composer, and orchestra conductor * Arnulf Øverland (1889–1968) poet, wrote to inspire the

Norwegian resistance movement The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled government, ...

Tordis Maurstad Tordis Elfrida Maurstad (née Witzøe; 24 December 1901 – 10 January 1997) was a Norwegian stage actress. She was married to Alfred Maurstad, and the mother of Toralv Maurstad. She later married Helge Krog. She made her stage debut in Falkb ...

(1901–1997) a Norwegian stage actress *

Ragnar Vold Ragnar Vold (22 November 1906 – 16 June 1967) was a Norwegian journalist, non-fiction writer and novelist. He was born in Kristiansund as a son of William Benjamin Hansen Vold (1874–1943) and Helga Askevold (1875–1930), both teachers. He ...

(1906–1967) a journalist, non-fiction writer and novelist * Vera Zorina (1917–2003) ballerina, theatre and film actress, brought up in Kr'sund IMDb Database
retrieved 29 March 2021 *

Edvard Fliflet Bræin Edvard Fliflet Bræin (23 August 1924 – 30 April 1976) was a Norwegian composer and conductor. He is best remembered for the composition ''Ut mot havet'' and the opera ''Anne Pedersdotter''. Personal life Bræin was born in Kristiansund a ...

(1924–1976) a Norwegian composer and orchestra conductor * Karsten Alnæs (born 1938) fiction and popular history writer (parents were from Kr'sund) *

Ingar Knudtsen Ingar Knudtsen is a Norwegians, Norwegian novelist and poet, who was born 23 December 1944, in Smøla, Norway. He published his first book in 1975. Since then, he has released roughly one book every year.Norwegian national bibliographyCompl ...

(born 1944) fantasy & science fiction author, lives in Kr'sund * Petter Schramm (1946-2014) a Norwegian poet, grew up in Kr'sund *

Øivind Elgenes Øivind Elgenes alias "Elg" (born 13 February 1958 in Kristiansund, Norway) is a Norwegian vocalist, guitarist and composer, known from a series of recordings and as front figure of the Norwegian band Dance with a Stranger. Career Elgenes was ...

(born 1958) a Norwegian vocalist, guitarist and composer *

Frode Alnæs Frode Alnæs (born 3 March 1959) is a Norwegian jazz guitarist and composer, known from cooperation with international artists like Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen, Arild Andersen, Jon Balke, Ole Edvard Antonsen, Ketil Bjørnstad, Henning Sommer ...

(born 1959) singer, jazz guitarist, features with '' Dance with a Stranger'' *

Dagfinn Koch Dagfinn Koch (born 24 July 1964, in Kristiansund, Norway) is a musician. He studied at the State Academy of music (Norges musikkhøgskole) (Lasse Thoresen, composition; Olav Anton Thommessen, orchestration; Bjørn Kruse, arranging; Mads Claesson, ...

(born 1964) musician, writes chamber music and for orchestra, opera and ballet *

Jan Erik Mikalsen Jan Erik Mikalsen (born 6 May 1979 in Kristiansund, Norway) is a Norwegian composer of contemporary music, living in Oslo. Biography Mikalsen studied at the Grieg Academy in Bergen and the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, and i ...

(born 1979) Norwegian composer of

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...

120 Days 120 Days was a Norway, Norwegian rock band. Biography The band comprises Jonas Dahl, Arne Kvalvik, Kjetil Ovesen, and Ådne Meisfjord, and was formed in Kristiansund in 2001 under the name The Beautiful People. When they changed their name, th ...

(2001–2012) rock band, formerly known as ''"The Beautiful People"''

Public Service & business

Wilhelm Frimann Koren Christie Wilhelm Frimann Koren Christie (7 December 1778 – 10 October 1849) was a Norwegian attorney. He was a member of the National Assembly at Eidsvoll in 1814 and served as the Norwegian Constituent Assembly secretary. Background Born in Kristiansu ...

(1778–1849) rep. at

Norwegian Constituent Assembly The Norwegian Constituent Assembly (in Norwegian ''Grunnlovsforsamlingen'', also known as ''Riksforsamlingen'') is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway, that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised th ...

John Moses John Moses may refer to: * John Moses (Norwegian politician) (1781–1849), member of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly * John Moses (Illinois politician) (1825–1898), Illinois judge and politician *John Moses (American politician) (1885–1945), ...

(1781–1849) merchant and politician, rep. at

* Georg Ulrich Wasmuth (1788–1814) military officer, rep. at

Norwegian Constitutional Assembly The Norwegian Constituent Assembly (in Norwegian ''Grunnlovsforsamlingen'', also known as ''Riksforsamlingen'') is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway, that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised th ...

Peter Christian Knudtzon Peter Christian Knudtzon (19 March 1789–17 November 1864) was a Danish businessman and ship-owner. He was one of the largest traders in Iceland in the middle of the 19th century. He owned Amaliegade 14 in Copenhagen. He was the father of Gover ...

(1789-1864) a Danish businessman and ship-owner *

Nicolai Hanson Nicolai Hanson (24 August 1870 – 14 October 1899) was a Norwegian zoologist and Antarctic explorer. Nicolai Hanson was a member of the Southern Cross Expedition led by Carsten Borchgrevink to Antarctica and he became the first person to be buri ...

(1870–1899) a Norwegian zoologist and Antarctic explorer *

Wollert Krohn-Hansen Wollert Krohn-Hansen (28 December 1889—3 April 1973) was a Norwegian theologian and pastor. He was the Bishop of the Diocese of Hålogaland from 1940 until 1952, and was instrumental in dividing it into two smaller dioceses. After the divi ...

(1889—1973) pastor, Bishop of Sør-Hålogaland, 1952-1959 *

Kaare Fostervoll Kaare Fostervoll (3 December 1891 – 6 July 1981) was a Norwegian educator and politician for the Labour Party. From 1949 to 1962 he was the director-general of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). Early career He was born in Kristia ...

(1891–1981) DG of

Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest ...

, 1949 to 1962 *

Niels Werring Niels Roth Heyerdahl Werring (4 August 1897 – 19 August 1990) was a Norwegian ship-owner. He was the senior director the shipping company Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding ASA. Werring was born at Kristiansund in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. He was the son ...

(1897–1990) a Norwegian ship-owner of Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding ASA *

Sigurd Frisvold Sigurd Frisvold (5 July 1947 – 29 November 2022) was a Norwegian general who served as Chief of Defence of Norway from 30 April 1999 until 1 April 2005. Frisvold was born in Kristiansund. He was educated in the Norwegian army, in addition to ca ...

(born 1947)

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

, former

Chief of Defence The chief of defence (or head of defence) is the highest ranked commissioned officer of a nation's armed forces. The acronym CHOD is in common use within NATO and the European Union as a generic term for the highest national military position withi ...

, 1999 to 2005

Sport

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Trondheim2011-1 crop

Ansgar Løvold Ansgar Løvold (19 November 1888 – 12 November 1961) was a Norwegian wrestler, butcher and philanthropist from Kristiansund. He is most known for participating at the 1912 Summer Olympics and for launching the idea for the Kristiansund a ...

(1888–1961) a wrestler, butcher and philanthropist * Arne Gaupset (1894–1976) a sport wrestler, competed at the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

* Robert Gaupset (1906–1964) a wrestler, he competed at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

Ivar Stokke Ivar Gunnar Stokke (26 January 1911 – 22 July 1993) was a Norwegian sport wrestler who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was born in Kristiansund, but represented the sports club SK av 1909. He participated in the bantamweight class in wr ...

(1911–1993) a sport wrestler who competed in the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

Babe Didrikson Zaharias Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias (; Didrikson; June 26, 1911 – September 27, 1956) was an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball and track and field. She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer Ol ...

(1914–1956), U.S. golfer, athlete and twice Olympic gold medalist; her father Ole came from Kr'sund *

Anders Giske Anders Giske (born 22 November 1959) is a retired Norwegian football player. He is the father of Madeleine Giske. He became the athletic director in Sogndal in 2005 after working in SK Brann. Honours * DFB-Pokal finalist: 1990–91 * Bundesli ...

(born 1959) footballer with 288 club caps and 38 for

Gøran Sørloth Gøran Sørloth (born 16 July 1962) is a Norwegian former footballer. He was one of the best strikers in Norwegian football during the late eighties and early nineties. Club career In the Norwegian top division he scored 74 goals in 174 matches ...

(born 1962) a former footballer with 250 club caps and 55 for

* Gudrun Høie (born 1970) amateur sport wrestler & four times world champion * Anne Holten (born 1972) a Norwegian sport wrestler, twice world champion *

Øyvind Leonhardsen Øyvind Leonhardsen (born 17 August 1970) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He retired after the 2007 season, ending a career with nine years in English football at clubs Wimbledon, Liverpool, Tottenham Ho ...

(born 1970) footballer with 402 club caps and 86 for

Petter Rudi Petter Normann Rudi (born 17 September 1973) is a retired Norwegian footballer. He finished his career at Belgian club K.A.A. Gent in 2007 after playing professionally in several countries in Europe during his career. Club career As midfielder, ...

(born 1973) a retired footballer with 350 club caps and 46 for

, * Ole Gunnar Solskjær (born 1973) footballer with 386 club caps and 67 for

, *

Trond Andersen Trond Andersen (born 6 January 1975) is a former Norwegian footballer, who played as a central defender or holding midfielder. He played professional for Molde, Wimbledon, AaB and Brøndby. Club career Andersen was born in Kristiansund and ...

(born 1975) a former footballer, with 334 club caps and 38 for

* Jonny Hansen (born 1981) footballer

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, abbreviated to ''SSB'') 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 yea ...

Some Photographs of a tour to Kristiansund in August 1986
* {{Use dmy dates, date=May 2018 Nordmøre Municipalities of Møre og Romsdal Populated coastal places in Norway 1838 establishments in Norway