Flekkerøy or Flekkerøya is an

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

and residential district in

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...

municipality in

Agder Agder is a counties of Norway, county () and districts of Norway, traditional region in the southern part of Norway and is coextensive with the Southern Norway region. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Au ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. The district is located within the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

Vågsbygd Vågsbygd is a List of boroughs of Kristiansand, borough and district in the Kristiansand (town), city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It is the largest borough and district in Kristiansand. ...

, and it consists of 4 main neighborhoods: Berge/Andås, Kjære, Lindebø/Skålevik, and Mæbø/Høyfjellet. The district covers all of the island of Flekkerøya which lies within the city of

. Since 1989, the island (and district) has been connected to the mainland through the Flekkerøy Tunnel, a long subsea road tunnel. The island has 3,632 inhabitants (as of 23 October 2013). Flekkerøy Church is located on the island.

History

Since the 15th century, Flekkerøy was an important harbour along the

Skagerrak The Skagerrak (; , , ) is a strait running between the North Jutlandic Island of Denmark, the east coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea. The Skagerrak contains some of the busiest shipping ...

, and since 1540 it has been considered as the most important outport in the whole region of

Southern Norway Southern Norway (; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical List of regions of Norway, region (''landsdel'') along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any governmental function ...

. In 1555, the first fortifications were built, but it was torn down in 1561.

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

and

James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

came to Flekkerøy in 1589. In the early 17th century, the harbour again became of strategic importance, and in 1635 the island was visited by King Christian IV who decided to build the Christiansø Fortress to protect the harbour. In 1656, the Fredriksholm Fortress was built, and the Christiansø Fortress was abandoned. In 1807, about 250 people lived on the island. On 18 September 1807 during the English Wars, a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

squadron led by HMS ''Spencer'' arrived on Flekkerøy and proceeded to slight the disused Fredriksholm Fortress by blowing it up. Four British servicemen were killed in the explosion after they went to check on the powder barrels'

fuses Munitions, Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems ...

. In 1848, a cannon battery was built, but in 1872 it was abandoned, and in 1874 the partially rebuilt Fredriksholm fortress was also closed down for good. In 2005, the remaining military properties on Flekkerøya were secured for public outdoor recreation by the Ministry of Climate and Environment.

Politics

The 10 largest politics parties in Flekkerøy (2015):

Transportation

The main bus stop on the island is at the roundabout where County Road 457 ends. Line 07 is the local line on the island.

Notable people

*Audun Laading, bassist of English-based

Her's Her's (also written as thatbandofhers) was an indie rock band from Liverpool, England composed of English guitarist and singer Stephen Fitzpatrick and Norwegian bassist and backing vocalist Audun Laading. They released a compilation album, '' ...

, died 2019

Media gallery

Norway - Flekkerøya.png, Flekkerøy (red) in the very southern part of Norway Skålevik1.jpg, Skålevik Skålevik2.jpg, Skålevik Flekkerøya1.JPG, Flekkerøy coast Kort Over Christiansand og Flæckerøe Havn - no-nb krt 00875.jpg, Old map of the Kristiansand harbour Flekkeroy-01.jpg, View of the coastline Tunnel under the sea.jpg, Inside the Flekkerøy Tunnel

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flekkeroy Geography of Kristiansand Islands of Agder Tourism in Kristiansand Populated places in Agder