resort city
A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...
and
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 ...
in
Agder
Agder is a county (''fylke'') and traditional region in the southern part of Norway. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties were merged. Since the early 1900s, the term Sørlandet ("south ...
county,
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 ...
. 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 of the municipalities of
Søgne
Søgne is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 2020 when it was merged with the municipalities of Songdalen and Kristiansand into the "new" Kristiansand municipality in what is now ...
and
Songdalen
Songdalen is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1964 until 2020 when it was merged with Søgne and Kristiansand municipalities to form a new, much la ...
into the greater Kristiansand municipality. In addition to the city itself,
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 ...
counts four other densely populated areas in the municipality: Skålevik in
Flekkerøy
Flekkerøy or Flekkerøya is an island and residential district in Kristiansand municipality in Agder county, Norway. The district is located within the borough of Vågsbygd, and it consists of 4 main neighborhoods: Berge/Andås, Kjære, Lindeb ...
with a population of 3,526 in the Vågsbygd borough,
Strai
Strai is a village and a district in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder, Norway. It is located in the borough of Grim. Its population (2014) is about 1,000. The district of Mosby lies to the north, the districts of Lund, Kvadraturen, and ...
with a population of 1,636 in the Grim borough,
Justvik
Justvik or Gjusvik is a village and district in the municipality of Kristiansand in Vest-Agder county, Norway. Its population (as of January 2014) is 2,770. The village of Justvik is located on the west shore of the Topdalsfjorden, just north of ...
with a population of 1,803 in the Lund borough, and
Tveit
Tveit is a village and surrounding district in Oddernes borough in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The Tveit district is located in the northeastern part of Kristiansand, northeast of the Topdalsfjorden along the lower part of t ...
with a population of 1,396 () in the Oddernes borough. Kristiansand is divided into five boroughs:
Grim
Grim may refer to:
People
* Grim (surname)
* Myron Grim Natwick (1890–1990), American artist, animator and film director best known for drawing Betty Boop
Mythical or fictional characters
* Grim, Old Norse ''Grímr'', from the Norse saga '' Gr ...
, which is located northwest in Kristiansand with a population of 15,000; Kvadraturen, which is the centre and downtown Kristiansand with a population of 5,200;
Lund
Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, across the Øresund, Öresund strait from Copenhagen. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of Lund Municipali ...
, the second largest borough;
Søgne
Søgne is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 2020 when it was merged with the municipalities of Songdalen and Kristiansand into the "new" Kristiansand municipality in what is now ...
, with a population of around 12,000 and incorporated into the municipality of Kristiansand as of January 2020;
Oddernes
Oddernes is a borough in the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The borough covers eastern Kristiansand on the east side of the Topdalsfjorden and the Varodd Bridge. The borough include ...
, a borough located in the west; and
Vågsbygd
Vågsbygd is a borough and disrict in the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It is the largest borough and district in Kristiansand. Until 1965, Vågsbygd was a part of Oddernes municipal ...
, the largest borough with a population of 36,000, located in the southwest.
Kristiansand is connected by four main roads:
European Route E18
European route E18 runs from Craigavon in Northern Ireland to Saint Petersburg in Russia, passing through Scotland, England, Norway, Sweden and Finland. It is about in length.
Although the designation implies the possibility of a through jour ...
from
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
,
Aust-Agder
Aust-Agder (, en, "East Agder") was a county (''fylke'') in Norway until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Vest-Agder to form Agder county. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which was 2.2% of Norway's population. Its area was . The ...
and covers the eastern part of Kristiansand;
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 ...
from
Stavanger
Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...
,
Flekkefjord
is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Flekkefjord. The villages of Sira, Gyland, Rasvåg, Kirkehavn, and Åna-Sira are lo ...
and the coast towns and villages in
Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder (; "West Agder") was one of 18 counties (''fylker'') in Norway up until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Aust-Agder to form Agder county. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total population of Norway. I ...
;
Norwegian National Road 9
Norwegian National Road 9 ( no, Riksvei 9, ) is often called the ''Setesdal Road'' ( no, Setesdalsveien) and it is the main thoroughfare through the Setesdalen valley. It runs from the city of Kristiansand in the southern coast of Norway, throu ...
from
Evje
Evje is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1877 until 1960. It was located in what is now the eastern part of the present-day municipality of Evje og Hornnes in the Setesdal valley of Ag ...
,
Setesdal
Setesdal (; older name: Sætersdal) is a valley and a traditional district in Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes.
The Otra river flows through the valley of ...
and Grim; and
Norwegian National Road 41
Norwegian National Road 41 (''Rv 41''; also known as the ''Telemarksveien'') is a Norwegian national road that runs through Vestfold og Telemark and Agder counties in Norway. The road runs between the village of Brunkeberg (Telemark), Brunkeberg ...
from
Telemark
Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...
, northern Aust-Agder, Birkeland, Tveit and the airport
Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik
Kristiansand Airport ( no, Kristiansand lufthavn; ) is an international airport serving Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. The airport is located in the district of Tveit in the Oddernes borough, about by road and by air from th ...
. Varodd Bridge is a large bridge and a part of E18, which stretches over
Topdalsfjorden
Topdalsfjorden or Tofdalsfjorden is a fjord in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The long fjord runs from the village of Ålefjær south to the city centre of Kristiansand. The river Topdalselva empties into the fjord at ...
.
Tourism is important in Kristiansand, and the summer season is the most popular for tourists.
Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement park
The Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park ( no, Kristiansand Dyrepark) is a zoological garden and amusement park situated in of Kristiansand, Norway. It is Norway's most frequently visited attraction, covering an area of . Established in 1966, it ha ...
is the largest zoo in Norway. It receives over 900,000 visitors every year. Markens Street is the main pedestrian street in downtown Kristiansand. Bystranda is a city beach located in Kvadraturen; Hamresanden beach is the longest beach in Kristiansand. Hamresanden Camping is a popular family camp during the summer season. The city hosts a free weekly concert in downtown Kristiansand in the summertime. Outside the city is the industrial park
Sørlandsparken
Sørlandsparken is a power center in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The park covers an area of about and it has over 5,000 work positions. The park area is located just off the European route E18 highway in the distri ...
, which includes
Sørlandssenteret
Sørlandssenteret is among the largest shopping centres in Norway and Northern Europe. It lies 12 km east of Kristiansand, close to the popular Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park
The Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park ( no, Kristiansand Dy ...
, Norway's largest mall.
Name
The city is named after the Dano-Norwegian King
King Christian IV
Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and king of Norway, Norway and List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is t ...
, who founded it on 5 July 1641. The second part of the city's name, ''sand'', refers to the sandy headland the city was built on (see also
Lillesand
Lillesand () is municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Lillesand. Some of the larger villages in Lillesand municipality include ...
).
The name was often written ''Christianssand'' until 1877, although the map of the mapmakerPontoppidan from 1785 spelled the name ''Christiansand'' (with a single 's'). That year, an official spelling reform aimed at making city names "more Norwegian" changed it to ''Kristianssand''. Kristiansund and Kristiania, now
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
, had their spellings changed under the same reform. Despite that, a number of businesses and associations retain the "Ch" spelling. The name was again changed to its present form, ''Kristiansand'' (single "s"), in 1889.
In 2012, the city's mayor, Arvid Grundekjøn, proposed that the city be renamed Christianssand, arguing that "Kristiansand" is grammatically meaningless and that Christianssand stands for tradition. This proposal was not well received by the locals and the mayor has not pushed this further.
History
Prehistory and early history
The Kristiansand area has been inhabited since prehistoric times. In 1996, the well-preserved skeleton of a woman dating to approximately 6500 BC was discovered in
Søgne
Søgne is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 2020 when it was merged with the municipalities of Songdalen and Kristiansand into the "new" Kristiansand municipality in what is now ...
in western Kristiansand. This demonstrates very early habitation of the archipelago. Grauthelleren (''Grathelleren''), located on Fidjane, is believed to be a
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...
settlement. The first discovery in Norway of a Sarup enclosure (a
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
form of ritual enclosure first identified at Sarup on the Danish island of
Funen
Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...
) was made in 2010 at Hamresanden and dates to c. 3400 BC. Archaeological excavations to the east of
Oddernes Church
Oddernes Church ( no, Oddernes kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the district of Lund in the borough of Lund in the city of Kristiansand. It is one of the ch ...
have uncovered rural settlements that existed during the centuries immediately before and after the start of the
common era
Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the or ...
. Together with a corresponding discovery in
Rogaland
Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...
, these settlements are unique in the Norwegian context; isolated farms, rather than villages, were the norm in ancient Norway. Other discoveries in
grave mound
A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...
s around the church, in the Lund section of the city, indicate habitation beginning c. 400 AD, and 25 cooking pits that were found immediately outside the church wall in 1907 are probably even older. One of the largest pre-Christian burial grounds in South Norway was formerly located to the south and west of the church. A royal centre is thought to have existed at Oddernes before 800, and the church was built around 1040.
Before the stone church was built, one or perhaps two wooden
post church
Post church (Norwegian: ''stolpekirke'') is a term for a church building which predates the stave churches and differ in that the corner posts do not reside on a sill but instead have posts dug into the earth. Posts are the vertical, roof-bearin ...
es are believed to have stood on the same spot. A few years ago, excavations were carried out under and around the runestone when it was moved to the church porch; the grave finds indicated that the churchyard must already have been unusually large in the
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...
. This means that the area must have had a large population before it was reduced by the
Black Death
The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, there was already a busy port and a small village on the
Otra
The Otra is the largest river in the Sørlandet region of Norway. It begins in Setesdalsheiene mountains at the lake Breidvatnet in Bykle municipality in Agder county, just south of the border with Vinje municipality in Vestfold og Telemark count ...
at the lowest point of today's Lund neighbourhood (Lahelle). Another important element in the development of Kristiansand was the harbor on the island of
Flekkerøy
Flekkerøy or Flekkerøya is an island and residential district in Kristiansand municipality in Agder county, Norway. The district is located within the borough of Vågsbygd, and it consists of 4 main neighborhoods: Berge/Andås, Kjære, Lindeb ...
, which was the most important on the
Skagerrak
The Skagerrak (, , ) is a strait running between the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, the southeast coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area through the Danish Straits to the Baltic Sea.
The ...
beginning in the 16th century and was first fortified under King
Christian III
Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established ...
in 1555. In 1635, King
Christian IV
Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...
ordered his feudal seigneur, Palle Rosenkrantz, to move from Nedenes and build a royal palace on the island.
Foundation to 1900
Christian IV (renowned for having founded many towns) visited the location in 1630 and 1635, and on 5 July 1641 formally founded the town of ''Christianssand'' on the "sand" on the opposite bank of the Torridalselva (Otra). The town was laid out in
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
style on a
grid plan
In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid.
Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogona ...
(the central section now known as ''Kvadraturen'' = The Quarters), and merchants throughout Agder were commanded to move to the new town. In return, they were to receive a variety of trading privileges and a ten-year tax exemption.
In 1666, Christianssand became a
garrison
A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...
town and was heavily fortified. In 1682, King
Christian V
Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699.
Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree ...
decided to relocate the
bishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
there from
Stavanger
Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...
. Hence, the young city became the main city of the Christiansand Stift.
Christianssand experienced its first fire in 1734, which was devastating to the city. Later in the 18th century, after the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, the town's shipbuilders experienced a boom that lasted until the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, when the
continental blockade
The Continental Blockade (), or Continental System, was a large-scale embargo against British trade by Napoleon Bonaparte against the British Empire from 21 November 1806 until 11 April 1814, during the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon issued the Berlin ...
and naval warfare struck a severe blow to trade.
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway (Danish and Norwegian: ) was an early modern multi-national and multi-lingual real unionFeldbæk 1998:11 consisting of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway (including the then Norwegian overseas possessions: the Faroe I ...
supported France in the Wars and was therefore subjected to relentless attack by Britain, as recounted in
Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...
's ''
Terje Vigen
''Terje Vigen'' is a poem written by Henrik Ibsen, published in 1862. Much of the story and setting is from the area around the town of Grimstad in southern Norway where Ibsen lived for a few years in his youth. It describes the dramatic saga o ...
''. Only in the 1830s did the economy begin to recover, and the growth in the Norwegian shipping industry was important for Christianssand. It was the only part of Norway where oak trees flourished, a major resource for the shipbuilding industry. Large numbers of lobsters were taken off the coast and sent to the London market by the mid 19th century. The population was about 12,000 by 1848.
The City of Kristiansand had a quarantine station for maritime traffic and hospital at Odderøy Island for
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
patients that opened in 1804. The city had far fewer deaths than the surrounding area, largely attributable to the quarantine station and the hospital. For example, during the period of 1833–1866,
Drammen
Drammen () is a city and municipality in Viken (county), Viken, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and village ...
had 544 cholera patients, of which 336 died. During this same period, Kristiansand only experienced 15 deaths from cholera.
Another important development during the 19th century was the foundation in 1881 of '' Sindssygeasyl'', the second central psychiatric institution in Norway (after
Gaustad
Gaustad is a neighborhood in Nordre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. It is located between Vinderen and Kringsjå. At Gaustad are The National Hospital and Gaustad Hospital, as well as residential areas that border to Nordmarka.
The area is serve ...
). The psychiatric hospital drew highly specialized doctors to the city and also provided many jobs for women.
The most recent major fire, in 1892, left half the original section of the city in ashes. It burned buildings as far as the cathedral, which had been rebuilt in brick after a previous fire in 1880.
1900 onward
With the development of
hydropower
Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...
in southern Norway, the city gradually developed an industrial base, particularly with the establishment in 1910 of the nickel refinery Kristiansands Nikkelraffineringsverk AS (later Falconbridge Nikkelverk, now Glencore Nikkelverk). From an economic perspective, the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
was a good time for Kristiansand, as a neutral shipping city. The crises that followed with the
gold standard
A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the early 1920s, and from the la ...
politics of the 1920s and the world economic crisis of the 1930s were also deeply felt in a trading city like Kristiansand.
The labour movement had important pioneers in the city, and
Leon Trotsky
Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian ...
spent about a year of his exile in the archipelago offshore from Kristiansand.
Arnulf Øverland
Ole Peter Arnulf Øverland (27 April 1889 – 25 March 1968) was a Norwegian poet and artist. He is principally known for his poetry which served to inspire the Norwegian resistance movement during the German occupation of Norway during World ...
took him from
Randesund
Randesund is a village and district within the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The district is located within the borough of Oddernes along the southern coastline between the two fjords Kvåsefjorden and Topdalsfjorden and south of ...
to
Ny-Hellesund
Ny-Hellesund is a village area and outport in Kristiansand municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village area is located on a cluster of three main islands about south of the main harbour at Høllen. The three islands are Monsøya, Helgøya, ...
in
Søgne
Søgne is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 2020 when it was merged with the municipalities of Songdalen and Kristiansand into the "new" Kristiansand municipality in what is now ...
in 1936. In the interwar period Kristiansand was a centre for intellectuals, especially after the architect Thilo Schoder settled there in 1932.
Kristiansand was attacked by German naval forces and the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
during the
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung (german: Unternehmen Weserübung , , 9 April – 10 June 1940) was Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign.
In the early morning of 9 Ap ...
on 9 April 1940. The naval forces met fierce resistance from Norwegian
coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications.
From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...
at
Odderøya
Odderøya is an island and neighborhoods in Kristiansand municipality in Agder county, Norway. The island lies immediately to the south of the city centre of Kristiansand and it is connected to the mainland by four bridges. The island creates a ...
. Bombs and grenades also hit the downtown and the 70 meter high church tower of the
Kristiansand Cathedral
Kristiansand Cathedral ( no, Kristiansand domkirke) is a cathedral of the Church of Norway in Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the Kvadraturen area in the central part of the city of Kristiansand. It is the ch ...
was hit by accident. The third attack attempt on the city succeeded because a signal flag was confused with a French national flag and the misunderstanding was not discovered until it was too late. The city was occupied by a force of 800 men.
Post-war construction included further development of the Lund section, and in the 1960s and 1970s
Vågsbygd
Vågsbygd is a borough and disrict in the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It is the largest borough and district in Kristiansand. Until 1965, Vågsbygd was a part of Oddernes municipal ...
to the west was developed into a section with 20,000 inhabitants. In the 1980s, industry and business in the city declined, in part because of the 1986 fire at the Hotel Caledonien. But beginning in the second half of the 1990s, business increased in momentum with the development of enterprises for marine and offshore equipment, security technology and drilling.
The older municipal archives for Kristiansand (and the former municipalities) are currently held at the Inter-Municipal Archives in Vest-Agder (IKAVA). This includes documents concerning, for example, local councils, chairmanships, poor boards, school boards and archives including among other things personal documents in the form of client records, tax records, and also school records.
On 1 January 2020, the three neighbouring municipalities of Kristiansand,
Songdalen
Songdalen is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1964 until 2020 when it was merged with Søgne and Kristiansand municipalities to form a new, much la ...
, and
Søgne
Søgne is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 2020 when it was merged with the municipalities of Songdalen and Kristiansand into the "new" Kristiansand municipality in what is now ...
were merged to form one large municipality called ''Kristiansand''.
Coat-of-arms
The arms of Kristiansand were granted on 8 December 1909 and are based on the oldest seal of the city, dating from 1643. In 1643 King Christian IV granted the young town the right to use a seal with the Norwegian lion and the royal crown. The crown indicates that the city was founded by the king. The other major element in the arms is a tree. As the species of tree is not specified, there are several known versions with differently shaped trees. A second seal, from 1658, shows a tree with leaves and what look like pine cones. On the base of the crown are the letters R. F. P., standing for ''Regna Firma Pietas'', "Piety strengthens the realm"; this was Christian IV's
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
. Around the seal of the city is its motto, ''Cavsa Triumphat Tandem Bona'', "A good cause prevails in the end".
Geography
Kristiansand is strategically located on the
Skagerrak
The Skagerrak (, , ) is a strait running between the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, the southeast coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area through the Danish Straits to the Baltic Sea.
The ...
, and until the opening of the
Kiel Canal
The Kiel Canal (german: Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, literally "North- oEast alticSea canal", formerly known as the ) is a long freshwater canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The canal was finished in 1895, but later widened, and links the N ...
between the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
and the
Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
* Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian
*Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...
was very important militarily and geopolitically. This meant that for centuries it served as a military stronghold, first as
Harald Fairhair
Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagre Modern Icelandic: ( – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from 872 to 930 and was the first King of Nor ...
's royal residence, then as a Danish-Norwegian fortress, and later as a garrison town. Kristiansand is a gateway to and from the continent, with ferry service to Denmark and a terminus of the railway line along the southern edge of South Norway.Geologically, this part of Agder is part of the Swedo-Norwegian Base Mountain Shield, the southwestern section of the
Baltic Shield
The Baltic Shield (or Fennoscandian Shield) is a segment of the Earth's crust belonging to the East European Craton, representing a large part of Fennoscandia, northwestern Russia and the northern Baltic Sea. It is composed mostly of Archean and ...
, and consists of two main geological formations of
Proterozoic
The Proterozoic () is a geological eon spanning the time interval from 2500 to 538.8million years ago. It is the most recent part of the Precambrian "supereon". It is also the longest eon of the Earth's geologic time scale, and it is subdivided ...
rocks that were formed in the Gothic and later Swedo-Norwegian
orogenies
Orogeny is a mountain building process. An orogeny is an event that takes place at a convergent plate margin when plate motion compresses the margin. An ''orogenic belt'' or ''orogen'' develops as the compressed plate crumples and is uplifted t ...
, with significant
metamorphism
Metamorphism is the transformation of existing rock (the protolith) to rock with a different mineral composition or texture. Metamorphism takes place at temperatures in excess of , and often also at elevated pressure or in the presence of chem ...
during the latter. There is a substrate of 1,600–1,450 million-year-old
slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
,
quartzite
Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...
,
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
and
amphibolite
Amphibolite () is a metamorphic rock that contains amphibole, especially hornblende and actinolite, as well as plagioclase feldspar, but with little or no quartz. It is typically dark-colored and dense, with a weakly foliated or schistose (flaky ...
with some
hornblende
Hornblende is a complex inosilicate series of minerals. It is not a recognized mineral in its own right, but the name is used as a general or field term, to refer to a dark amphibole. Hornblende minerals are common in igneous and metamorphic rocks ...
gneiss
Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...
, and overlaid on this acidic surface structures of both
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
and
granodiorite
Granodiorite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock similar to granite, but containing more plagioclase feldspar than orthoclase feldspar.
The term banatite is sometimes used informally for various rocks ranging from gra ...
(in general 1,250–1,000 million years old, in some places 1,550–1,480 million years old). The ''Bamblefelt'' geological area starts to the east of the municipality and extends to
Grenland
Grenland is a traditional district in the county of Vestfold og Telemark, in the south-east of Norway. Located in the southeastern part of the county, Grenland is composed of the municipalities Skien, Porsgrunn, Bamble, and Siljan. Sometimes the ...
.
The last Swedo-Norwegian formations are evident in large formations of granite. There are also incidences of
gabbro
Gabbro () is a phaneritic (coarse-grained), mafic intrusive igneous rock formed from the slow cooling of magnesium-rich and iron-rich magma into a holocrystalline mass deep beneath the Earth's surface. Slow-cooling, coarse-grained gabbro is che ...
and
diorite
Diorite ( ) is an intrusive igneous rock formed by the slow cooling underground of magma (molten rock) that has a moderate content of silica and a relatively low content of alkali metals. It is intermediate in composition between low-silic ...
, less commonly
eclogite
Eclogite () is a metamorphic rock containing garnet (almandine-pyrope) hosted in a matrix of sodium-rich pyroxene (omphacite). Accessory minerals include kyanite, rutile, quartz, lawsonite, coesite, amphibole, phengite, paragonite, zoisite, dol ...
. The
Caledonian orogeny
The Caledonian orogeny was a mountain-building era recorded in the northern parts of the British Isles, the Scandinavian Mountains, Svalbard, eastern Greenland and parts of north-central Europe. The Caledonian orogeny encompasses events that occ ...
did not affect this area. Faults run southwest–northeast. In ancient times there was a volcano off Flekkeroy, which left deposits of volcanic rock just north of central Kristiansand, on the site of the estate of , now occupied by the
Hospital of Southern Norway
Hospital of Southern Norway ( no, Sørlandet sykehus Helse Foretak, shortened SSHF) is the trust which runs the hospitals in the counties of Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. The general hospitals in the Agder counties were joined together under one ...
.
Near the city, there are deep woods. In
Baneheia
Baneheia is a recreational area in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The park is mostly known at the national level from the Baneheia case as the scene of a notorious murder of two girls ages 8 and 10 that took place in 20 ...
and at the former
coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications.
From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...
fortress on
Odderøya
Odderøya is an island and neighborhoods in Kristiansand municipality in Agder county, Norway. The island lies immediately to the south of the city centre of Kristiansand and it is connected to the mainland by four bridges. The island creates a ...
, there are lighted ski trails and walking paths specially prepared for
wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...
users.
Two major rivers, the
Otra
The Otra is the largest river in the Sørlandet region of Norway. It begins in Setesdalsheiene mountains at the lake Breidvatnet in Bykle municipality in Agder county, just south of the border with Vinje municipality in Vestfold og Telemark count ...
and the
Tovdalselva
Tovdalselva (also known as the ''Tofdalselva'', ''Tovdalsåna'', ''Tovdalsåni'', literally: the ''Tov valley river'') is long and is one of the longest rivers in Southern Norway. The river flows through Agder county from the mountains on the nor ...
, flow into the Skagerrak at Kristiansand.
Climate
Kristiansand has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen: ''Cfb'') in the 1991-2020 period. The coastal parts of the
Skagerrak
The Skagerrak (, , ) is a strait running between the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, the southeast coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area through the Danish Straits to the Baltic Sea.
The ...
coast, which includes Kristiansand, is the sunniest part of Norway. Snow generally occurs in late December and in January and February; it may be heavy (the snow record at Kjevik airport is ) but rarely stays long on the coast; see Climate of Norway. Due to warming in the more recent decades, snow often melts after a few days.
In the summer most locals go to the Fiskebrygga, the archipelago opposite the city, and Hamresanden Beach, which is located about 10 minutes from the city centre near Kjevik airport. People from Denmark, Sweden, Germany, the UK and other European countries also visit this beach in the summer during their travels.
The all-time high at Kristiansand airport was recorded August 1975. The all-time low at the airport was recorded January 1982. The temperature seldom reaches , but most days in July reaches or more. The warmest month ever was July 1901 with mean at an earlier weather station (''Kristiansand S - Eg''). The warmest month at the airport was July 2018 with 24-hr average and average daily high . July 2018 was also the sunniest month on record with 422 sunhours, and the year 2018 recorded 2126 sunhours - despite December recording just 1 sunhr as cloudiest month on record in Kristiansand. The cloudiest July recorded 156 sunhours (2007). Kristiansand has the national record for the sunniest February (153 sunhrs in 1986), sunniest April (323 hrs in 2021), sunniest August (343 hrs in 1995) and sunniest September (241 hrs in 1959).
The wettest month on record was October 1976 with 560 mm precipitation, and the driest was April 1974 with no precipitation at all.
}
Popular beaches
*
Bystranda
Bystranda (''The City Beach'') is a Blue Flag beach in the southeastern part of the downtown of the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It is located just east of the mouth of the river Otra. The shallow sandy beach by the Kristiansa ...
is a beach located at the city centre. It is east on Kvadraturen and at Tangen. Nearby the beach is the swimming complex Aquarama with both outdoor and indoor pools. Aquarama is next door to the "
Scandic
Scandic Hotels is a hotel chain headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, with its main operations in the Nordic countries. Alongside hotels in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark, the company also has a presence in Germany and Poland. As of 31 Decem ...
Hotel Bystranda", which is
Southern Norway
Southern Norway ( no, Sørlandet; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical region (''landsdel'') along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any governmental function. It roughl ...
's largest hotel. Some of Kristiansand's most expensive apartments are located east of the beach and near to Tangen. Some of Bystranda's facilities are beach volleyball, playgrounds, skateparks, stairs to the water at deeper ground and its easy design for handicapped people and children. In the middle of the bay, there is a sculpture in the water. Palmesus is a yearly beach festival held on Bystranda, it is
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
's largest beach festival.
* Hamresanden is located between
Hånes
Hånes is a district in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It has a population of about 4,000 (2014). Hånes is a part of the borough of Oddernes and it borders the districts of Søm and Randesund to south, the district of Tveit to ...
and the airport
Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik
Kristiansand Airport ( no, Kristiansand lufthavn; ) is an international airport serving Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. The airport is located in the district of Tveit in the Oddernes borough, about by road and by air from th ...
. It is long which makes it the longest beach in Kristiansand. There are three camping places and an apartment hotel at the beach. The name comes from the nearby subpart Hamre.
*Sømstranda is a nudist beach in Kristiansand located at
Søm
Søm is a district in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. With a population of about 9,500 (2022), it is the third largest district in Kristiansand. The district is a part of the borough of Oddernes. Søm has borders with the distri ...
.
Boroughs
Parts
Kristiansand is partitioned into 18 parts and 217 subparts. Kristiansand is also divided into 5 boroughs.
Kvadraturen is the city center of Kristiansand. The area belonged to the farms and Grim, and was a sandy plain covered with forest, and was called Sanden or Grimsmoen. Settlements were before the city was founded focused on loading and dumps at Lund, along Otra or Torridalselven and along Topdalsfjorden by
Odderøya
Odderøya is an island and neighborhoods in Kristiansand municipality in Agder county, Norway. The island lies immediately to the south of the city centre of Kristiansand and it is connected to the mainland by four bridges. The island creates a ...
Christian IV
Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...
's town plan outlined the city center with 56 rectangular squares with five long blocks and eight cross streets. It was the squares along the Otra and east and west harbor, which was built first.
Today Kvadraturen is a part of Kvadraturen/, which has (as of 1 January 2005) 5510 inhabitants. The area
Posebyen
Posebyen is a neighbourhood in the city of Kristiansand in Vest-Agder county, Norway. Posebyen is located in the downtown borough of Kvadraturen (Kristiansand), Kvadraturen, along the western shore of the river Otra. It consists mostly of large, ...
in Kvadraturen is Northern Europe's longest continuous wooden buildings.
In the parts are among others
Kristiansand Cathedral
Kristiansand Cathedral ( no, Kristiansand domkirke) is a cathedral of the Church of Norway in Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the Kvadraturen area in the central part of the city of Kristiansand. It is the ch ...
Hirtshals
Hirtshals is a town and seaport on the coast of Skagerrak on the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark, Europe. It is located in Hjørring municipality in Region Nordjylland. The town of Hirtshals has a po ...
and Kristiansand Station is located in the parts western corner.
Vågsbygd has considerable industry, who has survived major changes. The largest employer is all the same Elkem Solar producing super clean Silicon for
solar cells
A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physics, physical and Chemical substance, chemical phenomenon.Andøya
Andøya is the northernmost island in the Vesterålen archipelago, situated about inside the Arctic circle. Andøya is located in Andøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The main population centres on the island include the villages of ...
it established a significant and advanced mechanical industry which produces offshore and marine cranes and other marine equipment in Andøya Industrial Park. Amfi Vågsbygd is a major shopping center in Vågsbygd. Outside of Andøya in Vågsbygd is Bredalsholmen Shipyard and Preservation Centre, a Centre for protection of vessels at the former Bredalsholmen yard. Bredalsholmen Shipyard and Preservation Centre is a national hub for maintenance of museum ships and cherish worthy coastal culture, and a drydock with considerable capacity.
Lund is the second largest borough in Kristiansand with a population of 9,000 inhabitants in 2012. 14 June 1921 was the first 2.75 km2 of Lund transferred to Kristiansand and 1 January 1965 was also the rest of Lund part of Kristiansand in the municipal amalgamation. In Lund, there are traces of humans dating back to the early
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
, the
Viking Age
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 Ger ...
until the early
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
various locations. There has been a settlement here since the
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...
. During the Viking Age there was a great man's farm here. A Runestone at
Oddernes church
Oddernes Church ( no, Oddernes kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the district of Lund in the borough of Lund in the city of Kristiansand. It is one of the ch ...
provides a connection to this farm. A large field with burial mounds formerly existed south and west of the church, and may also be associated with this farm. In 1492 robbers from the sea came and attacked Lund. This is mentioned in two letters located in the National Archives. The letters describe the attack that took place with a lot of violence against both women and men and that on both sides suffered casualties. No one know who the robbers were, but their centurion was named Per Syvertsen. The name suggests that he and his crew came from
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 ...
or
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
.
Indre and Ytre
Randesund
Randesund is a village and district within the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The district is located within the borough of Oddernes along the southern coastline between the two fjords Kvåsefjorden and Topdalsfjorden and south of ...
is located between Kvåsefjorden in Høvåg and the Topdalsfjord in Oddernes. Several small islands are situated alongside the cost of Randesund, among them Randøya and Herøya, both popular with summer tourists. The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the island, Randøen (now known as Randøya). The first part of the name is rand (Old Norse: rǫnd) which means "boundary" or "edge" and the last part of the name is sund which means "strait". The name was previously spelled Randøsund.
Tveit
Tveit is a village and surrounding district in Oddernes borough in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The Tveit district is located in the northeastern part of Kristiansand, northeast of the Topdalsfjorden along the lower part of t ...
is a village and a former municipality in
Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder (; "West Agder") was one of 18 counties (''fylker'') in Norway up until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Aust-Agder to form Agder county. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total population of Norway. I ...
county. It is located in the present-day municipality of Kristiansand. Tveit is home to
Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik
Kristiansand Airport ( no, Kristiansand lufthavn; ) is an international airport serving Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. The airport is located in the district of Tveit in the Oddernes borough, about by road and by air from th ...
. Tveit is located along the lower part of the
Tovdalselva
Tovdalselva (also known as the ''Tofdalselva'', ''Tovdalsåna'', ''Tovdalsåni'', literally: the ''Tov valley river'') is long and is one of the longest rivers in Southern Norway. The river flows through Agder county from the mountains on the nor ...
river, known as Topdalselva from the border with
Aust-Agder
Aust-Agder (, en, "East Agder") was a county (''fylke'') in Norway until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Vest-Agder to form Agder county. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which was 2.2% of Norway's population. Its area was . The ...
. The population of Tveit is approximately 2,900 (2014).
Subparts
Some of the most populous basic unions in the following boroughs:
Søgne
Søgne was a former municipality, located west of Kristiansand. The municipality was merged into a large municipality with the former municipality of
Songdalen
Songdalen is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1964 until 2020 when it was merged with Søgne and Kristiansand municipalities to form a new, much la ...
and the city of Kristiansand on January 1, 2020.
Songdalen
Songdalen was a former municipality, located northwest of Kristiansand. The municipality was merged into a large municipality with the former municipality of
Søgne
Søgne is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 2020 when it was merged with the municipalities of Songdalen and Kristiansand into the "new" Kristiansand municipality in what is now ...
and the city of Kristiansand on January 1, 2020.
Notable streets
*Dronningens gate (Queens street) is a street that has its run from Havnegata Vestre harbor to Lund Bridge and is 980 meters long. 86 properties are matrikulert to the street. The street had in the 1700s the name Sand Alley.
*Elvegata (River street) has its run from Østre Strandgate to Tordenskjolds gate. It has a mix of newer business and residential buildings schools and nursing homes as well as a large percentage of older residential buildings in wood and masonry. On the south side of Østre Strandgate called extension of Elvegata for Tangen. 70 meters of the street, in the quarter between Dronningens gate and Tollbodgata is designated county road 26.
*Festningsgata is a street in Kvadraturen. The name is connected with
Christiansholm Fortress
Christiansholm Fortress (''Christiansholm festning'') was a Norwegian fortress built to defend the city of Kristiansand.
Background
The fortress was finished in 1672 and formed a part of King Christian IV's plan for defense of Kristiansand when ...
from 1672 located in the street race extension towards the east harbor. The street stretches from Østre Strandgate to Tordenskjoldsgate and originally had the name Northern gate. The extension of the street during north of Tordenskjolds street is named Stener Heyerdahl street. The park south of Tordenskjolds street called Stener Heyerdahl park. This street stump and Festningsgata from Tordenskjolds street to Dronningens gate is part of the county road 28. From Vestre Strandgata to Tollbodgata buildings are listed by the walled green was introduced immediately after the fire in 1892 and forward.
*Henrik Wergelands gate is a street in Kvadraturen in Kristiansand. The street has its run from Vestre Strandgate to Elvegata. 118 properties are matrikulert to the street. It had previously named Consumer Julia Street. The street is named in honor of Norwegian poet
Henrik Wergeland
Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland (17 June 1808 – 12 July 1845) was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist. He is often described as a leading pioneer in the develop ...
. In 1808 he had his early childhood in the town until he at nine moved with her family to Eidsvold.
*
Tollbodgata
Tollbodgata is a street in Kristiansand, Norway. The street is one way westbound with sidewalks on both sides of the road. It consists mostly of apartments, houses and stores.
Places of note
Kristiansand and Vest-Agder main police station an ...
(Tollbooth street) has its run from Senior wharf at Vestre port to Elvegata by
Otra
The Otra is the largest river in the Sørlandet region of Norway. It begins in Setesdalsheiene mountains at the lake Breidvatnet in Bykle municipality in Agder county, just south of the border with Vinje municipality in Vestfold og Telemark count ...
and is identical with Route 27 in
Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder (; "West Agder") was one of 18 counties (''fylker'') in Norway up until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Aust-Agder to form Agder county. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total population of Norway. I ...
. 77 properties are matrikulert to the street. The street has previously had the name Sten Alley. Tolbooth.
*
Vestre Strandgate
Vestre Strandgate (Western Beach-street) is a street and a road in Kristiansand, Norway. The road is a part of National Road 471 and starts after Riksvei 9 ends in Kvadraturen.
Vestre Strandgate is a dual path and pavement on both sides of the ...
(Western Beach Street) is a street that has its run from Gravane to roundabout at Gartnerløkka where it meets E18 and continue to run in Rv9 (
Setesdal
Setesdal (; older name: Sætersdal) is a valley and a traditional district in Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes.
The Otra river flows through the valley of ...
sveien). It is part of the county road 471 from the roundabout at Gartnerløkka the junction with Dronnings gata. From Rådhusgata to Gravane has two parallel paths, an extension of Fv471 and a container that separates the harbor from including Tolbooth. The street has a number of key meeting places and city functions in terms of
Radisson Hotel
Radisson Hotels is an international hotel chain headquartered in the United States. A division of the Radisson Hotel Group, it operates the brands Radisson Blu, Radisson Red, Radisson RED, Radisson Collection, Country Inn & Suites, and Park In ...
,
Agder Theater
Kilden Teater is a Norwegian theatre based in Kristiansand. It was established in 1991, and has been the regional theatreAgd ...
, cinema,
Clarion Hotel
Choice Hotels International, Inc. is an American multinational hospitality company based in Rockville, Maryland. The company, which is one of the largest hotel chains in the world, owns several hotel brands ranging from upscale to economy. As o ...
,
Kristiansand Bus Terminal
Kristiansand Bus Terminal (Kristiansand Rutebilstasjon) is the main bus station, bus terminal serving Kristiansand, Norway. It has bus lines to many places, including Oslo and Stavanger. The bus terminal is located next to Kristiansand Station an ...
and Kristiansand Station. The street is characterized by restaurants, pubs and eating places, a number of shops and offices and a few apartments.
Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Kristiansand, are responsible for
primary education
Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...
(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
Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...
services,
unemployment
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for Work (human activity), w ...
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
road
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
s. 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 Elected may refer to:
* "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973
* ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008
*The Elected, an American indie rock band
See also
*Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a populatio ...
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
. Kristiansand has no local parliamentary government, but is managed by the
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 ...
and an executive committee. The
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
is the spokesman for the city, head of the council and leader of the executive committee. In Kristiansand the mayor has represented the center-right parties since the late 1940s. The municipality falls under the
Kristiansand District Court
Kristiansand District Court ( no, Kristiansand tingrett) was a district court in Agder county, Norway. The court was based in the town of Kristiansand. The court existed until 2021. It had jurisdiction over the southern part of the county which ...
and the
Agder Court of Appeal
The Agder Court of Appeal ( no, Agder lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the town of Skien. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Vestfold og Telemark and Agder (except for Si ...
.
Municipal council
The
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 Kristiansand is made up of 71 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:
Demographics
Kristiansand has the third largest
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
community in Norway.
Religion
Christianity
Kristiansand Cathedral
Kristiansand Cathedral ( no, Kristiansand domkirke) is a cathedral of the Church of Norway in Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the Kvadraturen area in the central part of the city of Kristiansand. It is the ch ...
is the largest church in Kristiansand. It is located in Kvadraturen with the town hall and Wergelandsparken. The church was built in 1885 and have the capacity of 1500 people. The church is the seat of the Bishop of Agder and Telemark in 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 ...
. Grim Church was built in 1969 and has a capacity of 750 people. Vågsbygd Church is the church of Vågsbygd, it is located in the centrum of Vågsbygd and was built in 1967 and has a capacity of 650. Lund Church was built in 1987 and has a capacity of 600 people. Søm Church was built in 2004 and has a capacity of 600. The church was Kristiansand municipality 1000 year building and is the largest church in Oddernes. The windows of Søm Church was designed by
Kjell Nupen
Kjell Nupen (September 5, 1955 – March 12, 2014) was a Norwegian contemporary artist. He was a painter, sculptor and graphic artist.
Early years
Kjell Nupen had his professional breakthrough very early.
At just 17 years old, he was admitted to ...
.
There are also churches located at
Flekkerøy
Flekkerøy or Flekkerøya is an island and residential district in Kristiansand municipality in Agder county, Norway. The district is located within the borough of Vågsbygd, and it consists of 4 main neighborhoods: Berge/Andås, Kjære, Lindeb ...
,
Hellemyr
Hellemyr is a district in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It has a population of 2,990 (in 2014). The district is located in the borough of Grim. The district of Tinnheia lies to the east, the district of Slettheia lies to the so ...
,
Hånes
Hånes is a district in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It has a population of about 4,000 (2014). Hånes is a part of the borough of Oddernes and it borders the districts of Søm and Randesund to south, the district of Tveit to ...
,
Justvik
Justvik or Gjusvik is a village and district in the municipality of Kristiansand in Vest-Agder county, Norway. Its population (as of January 2014) is 2,770. The village of Justvik is located on the west shore of the Topdalsfjorden, just north of ...
, Oddemarka (
Oddernes
Oddernes is a borough in the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The borough covers eastern Kristiansand on the east side of the Topdalsfjorden and the Varodd Bridge. The borough include ...
),
Randesund
Randesund is a village and district within the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The district is located within the borough of Oddernes along the southern coastline between the two fjords Kvåsefjorden and Topdalsfjorden and south of ...
, Strai (
Torridal
Torridal is a V-shaped valley in Agder county, Norway. The valley passes through portions of the municipalities of Kristiansand and Vennesla in an area that was historically a part of the former Oddernes municipality. Today it includes areas north ...
),
Tveit
Tveit is a village and surrounding district in Oddernes borough in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The Tveit district is located in the northeastern part of Kristiansand, northeast of the Topdalsfjorden along the lower part of t ...
chapeau
A chapeau is a flat-topped hat once worn by senior clerics.
In heraldry
In European ecclesiastical heraldry, it is used as a mark of ecclesiastical dignity, especially that of cardinals, where it is called the ''red chapeau''. It is worn over th ...
s all over the city. Christianity are strongest in Flekkerøy and Søm, even though
Southern Norway
Southern Norway ( no, Sørlandet; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical region (''landsdel'') along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any governmental function. It roughl ...
is called the Norwegian Bible belt, Christianity doesn't play a big part in the rest of the city.
There is a
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 ...
Latter-day Saint
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
church and at Tinnheia, there is an
Orthodox church
Orthodox Church may refer to:
* Eastern Orthodox Church
* Oriental Orthodox Churches
* Orthodox Presbyterian Church
* Orthodox Presbyterian Church of New Zealand
* State church of the Roman Empire
* True Orthodox church
See also
* Orthodox (dis ...
.
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 twelve parishes (''sokn'') within the municipality of Kristiansand. It is part of the
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 ...
arch-
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 Agder og Telemark
The Diocese of Agder og Telemark ( no, Agder og Telemark bispedømme) is a diocese of the Church of Norway, covering all of Agder county and most of Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. The cathedral city is Kristiansand, Norway's fifth larges ...
.
Buddhism
There is a Buddhist centre in Vågsbygd with
Ternevig
Ternevig is a neighbourhood in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The neighborhood is located in the borough of Vågsbygd and in the district of Voiebyen. Ternevig is northeast of Møvik, southeast of Voie, east of Møviklia, and we ...
. There is also a Buddhist meditation centre located in the neighbouring municipality
Songdalen
Songdalen is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1964 until 2020 when it was merged with Søgne and Kristiansand municipalities to form a new, much la ...
.
Islam
There is a
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
in Kvadraturen.
Economy
Christianssands Bryggeri
Christianssands Bryggeri (or CB, Kristiansand's Brewery) is a Norwegian brewery centred in Kristiansand. Together with Hansa Bryggeri in Bergen and Borg Bryggerier in Sarpsborg it makes up Hansa Borg Bryggerier AS, which is the second largest gro ...
is a producer of beer and soft drinks with a long history in the city. The brewery was established in 1859, and all products are made with
spring water
A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fresh w ...
from the company's own spring, called ''Christian IVs kilde'' (Christian IV's spring).
Hennig-Olsen is an ice cream factory with headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Kristiansand. The factory opened in 1960, but the Hennig-Olsen family has produced ice cream in Kristiansand since 1924, when Sven Hennig-Olsen started doing so in the back of his tobacco kiosk.
Glencore Nikkelverk (nickel factory) was founded in 1910 as Kristiansand Nikkelraffineringsverk A/S. The company is owned by the Anglo-Swiss company
Glencore
Glencore plc is a Swiss multinational commodity trading and mining company with headquarters in Baar, Switzerland. Glencore's oil and gas head office is in London and its registered office is in Saint Helier, Jersey. The current company was c ...
and has about 500 employees.
The
Korsvik
Korsvik (former: Korsvig) is an urban area in Kristiansand municipality in Agder county, Norway. The urban area is located on the east side of the Topdalsfjorden, about east of the city center of Kristiansand. It is located in the districts of S ...
industrial area on the east side of the Kristiansandsfjord is home to companies working on drilling technology, cranes, winches and other equipment for the worldwide petroleum industry, among them
National Oilwell Varco
NOV Inc., formerly National Oilwell Varco, is an American multinational corporation based in Houston, Texas. It is a worldwide provider of equipment and components used in oil and gas drilling and production operations, oilfield services, and ...
Elkem
Elkem is a company that produces silicones, silicon, alloys for the foundry industry, carbon and microsilica, and other materials. Elkem was founded in 1904, has more than 7,000 employees and fields 30 production sites worldwide. Elkem has an oper ...
, owned by China National Bluestar since 2011, operated a refining plant for
ferrosilicon
Ferrosilicon is an alloy of iron and silicon with a typical silicon content by weight of 15–90%. It contains a high proportion of iron silicides.
Production and reactions
Ferrosilicon is produced by reduction of silica or sand with coke in th ...
and
microsilica
Silica fume, also known as microsilica, (CAS number 69012-64-2, EINECS number 273-761-1) is an amorphous (non-crystalline) polymorph of silicon dioxide, silica. It is an ultrafine powder collected as a by-product of the silicon and ferrosilicon a ...
Vågsbygd
Vågsbygd is a borough and disrict in the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It is the largest borough and district in Kristiansand. Until 1965, Vågsbygd was a part of Oddernes municipal ...
for many years and was replaced in the beginning of the 20th century by Elkem Solar which produces
polycrystalline silicon
Polycrystalline silicon, or multicrystalline silicon, also called polysilicon, poly-Si, or mc-Si, is a high purity, polycrystalline form of silicon, used as a raw material by the solar photovoltaic and electronics industry.
Polysilicon is produ ...
for
wafers
A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light and dry biscuit, often used to decorate ice cream, and also used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. They ...
used in the
solar cell
A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon.
industry. It has about 225 employees.
Sørlandschips is a
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
*Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
*Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including the ...
produced crisps brand. The potatoes often come from
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
. Sørlandschips owned by Scandza AS and is one of Norway's most popular
potato chip
A potato chip (North American English; often just chip) or crisp (British and Irish English) is a thin slice of potato that has been either deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy. They are commonly served as a snack, side dish, or appe ...
brands today. It has a variety of tastes and spices.
Dampbageriet is a large bakery chain based in
Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder (; "West Agder") was one of 18 counties (''fylker'') in Norway up until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Aust-Agder to form Agder county. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total population of Norway. I ...
, it was established in Kristiansand in 1862 and has 4 stores in Kristiansand.
Sparebanken Sør
Sparebanken Sør is a savings bank based in Kristiansand, Norway. Sparebanken Sør´s main market is located in the counties of Agder
Agder is a county (''fylke'') and traditional region in the southern part of Norway. The county was estab ...
is a savings bank serving
Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder (; "West Agder") was one of 18 counties (''fylker'') in Norway up until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Aust-Agder to form Agder county. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total population of Norway. I ...
,
Aust-Agder
Aust-Agder (, en, "East Agder") was a county (''fylke'') in Norway until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Vest-Agder to form Agder county. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which was 2.2% of Norway's population. Its area was . The ...
and
Telemark
Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...
. It was established in 1824 when Christiansand Sparebank opened up, it was one of the first in Norway.
Hennig-Olsen Iskremfabrikk is a major Norwegian ice-cream company based and started up in Kristiansand. The factory is located in Hannevika.
As a relatively large shipping town, Kristiansand was a profitable location for shipbuilders Kristiansands Mekaniske Verksted and P. Høivolds Mekaniske Verksted. At one time, shipping companies were the backbone of the local economy, but not many survive. The Rasmussen Group, previously a shipping firm, is now an investment company. Kristiansand continues to have major shipbuilding and repair facilities that support Norway's North Sea oil industry. The
static inverter plant
An HVDC converter station (or simply converter station) is a specialised type of substation which forms the terminal equipment for a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line.Arrillaga, Jos; High Voltage Direct Current Transmission, se ...
of the
HVDC
A high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electric power transmission system (also called a power superhighway or an electrical superhighway) uses direct current (DC) for electric power transmission, in contrast with the more common alternating curren ...
Cross-Skagerrak
Skagerrak is the name of a 1,700 MW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission facility between Tjele (Denmark) and Kristiansand (Norway). It is owned and operated by Statnett in Norway, and Energinet in Denmark. The lines connect the hydr ...
giraffe
The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...
in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
.
Sørlandsparken
Sørlandsparken (The Southern Norway Park) is an industrial shopping park outside of Kristiansand city in the municipality. The park is also 17 kilometers from
Lillesand
Lillesand () is municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Lillesand. Some of the larger villages in Lillesand municipality include ...
. The park has an area of and over 5,000 workplaces.
The main part of the industrial park is in Kristiansand, including the mall
Sørlandssenteret
Sørlandssenteret is among the largest shopping centres in Norway and Northern Europe. It lies 12 km east of Kristiansand, close to the popular Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park
The Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park ( no, Kristiansand Dy ...
with 195 stores and Kristiansand Zoo, it is the largest mall and zoo in Norway. The racetrack of Southern Norway is also located in Kristiansand while
IKEA
IKEA (; ) is a Dutch multinational conglomerate based in the Netherlands that designs and sells , kitchen appliances, decoration, home accessories, and various other goods and home services. Started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA has been t ...
is located technically in Lillesand municipality.
Others large chainstores is also located around the mall.
There are two hotels located in Sørlandsparken and some resorts nearby the zoo.
E18 goes past Sørlandsparken before continuing to downtown Kristiansand. Buses are available 6-8 times in the hours all day.
Culture
The
Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra
The Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra (KSO, Norwegian: ''Kristiansand Symfoniorkester'') is a Norwegian symphony orchestra based in Kristiansand. The KSO performs its concerts primarily at the Kilden Performing Arts Centre, and also at Kristians ...
, Chamber Orchestra and Wind Ensemble merged in 2003. The orchestra now performs at the
Kilden Performing Arts Centre
Kilden Performing Arts Centre (in Norwegian: ''Kilden teater og konserthus'') is a theater and concert hall on Odderøya in Kristiansand, Norway. It houses Kilden Teater, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra (KSO) and Opera Sør in a joint projec ...
, which opened in January 2012. This is also the new home of
Agder Theatre
Kilden Teater is a Norwegian theatre based in Kristiansand. It was established in 1991, and has been the regional theatreAgd ...
, founded in 1991.
Sørlandets Art Museum
The Southern Norway Art Museum ( no, Sørlandets Kunstmuseum) is located in Kristiansand, Norway in the building that until 1970 hosted the Kristiansand Cathedral School.
The museum is a foundation, and it was created in 1995, with the counties ...
is in the centre of Kristiansand, in the former buildings of the cathedral school. It was established in 1995 building on the former collection of Christiansands billedgalleri, and is the second-largest regional art museum in Norway. It includes both fine art and crafts and runs an extensive programme of activities that includes exhibitions of the permanent collection, temporary exhibitions of contemporary art, and touring exhibitions to schools and child-care facilities.
Christianssands Kunstforening, now renamed Kristiansand Kunsthall, is one of the oldest and largest art associations in Norway, founded in 1881, and has approximately of exhibition space for contemporary art in central Kristiansand. The association began assembling a permanent collection in 1902; this is now housed in Sørlandets Art Museum.
Cultiva, a local foundation, was established to ensure a portion of the profits made from selling shares in Agder Energy Ltd have lasting benefits to the community, focusing on art, culture, creativity and building competence; it supported projects in Kristiansand until the financial crisis forced cut-backs in 2011. In addition the
Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage
The Directorate for Cultural Heritage ( no, Riksantikvaren or ''Direktoratet for kulturminneforvaltning'') is a government agency responsible for the management of cultural heritage in Norway. Subordinate to the Norwegian Ministry of the Environm ...
endowed a cultural free port, Porto Rico, as one of the pilot projects of its "value creation project" in the 2000s.
In 2007 Kristiansand was awarded the designation Norges kulturkommune (Norway's culture municipality), a distinction awarded every other year by the Norwegian Culture Forum.
Fiskebrygga is a former fish landing on either side of the Gravane Canal, which separates the city centre from
Odderøya
Odderøya is an island and neighborhoods in Kristiansand municipality in Agder county, Norway. The island lies immediately to the south of the city centre of Kristiansand and it is connected to the mainland by four bridges. The island creates a ...
; it was refurbished in the 1990s and now has wood-fronted buildings housing restaurants and shops including a fish market. It is very popular in summer, when the canal is also heavily used by boats.
The island of Odderøya is a former
fortress
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
and
quarantine station
A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
, now used for recreation and excursion purposes. At times there are also concerts and festivals on the island.
The municipality millennium is Tresse - Retranchement, the city party space in front of
Christiansholm Fortress
Christiansholm Fortress (''Christiansholm festning'') was a Norwegian fortress built to defend the city of Kristiansand.
Background
The fortress was finished in 1672 and formed a part of King Christian IV's plan for defense of Kristiansand when ...
, bottom Festningsgata the
Baltic sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
. The millennium was celebrated here include a large sign. A small sign to mark the Millennium for the future are made, but per. 2011 not installed in anticipation of the festival grounds shall be given a facelift. It should also dug a channel within the fortress, so this again is left on an island. These projects are waiting for political consideration and funding. Tusenårstreet were planted on the lawn between the festival grounds and playground/ice rink in Tresse.
Sport
The city's best known
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,
IK Start
Idrettsklubben Start (or simply IK Start, translates to The sports club Start ) is a Norwegian football club from the city of Kristiansand that currently plays in the 1. divisjon, the second tier of the Norwegian football league system. The clu ...
, moved in 2007 to a new home stadium,
Sør Arena
Sparebanken Sør Arena ("South Arena") is a football stadium located at Torsvika in Kristiansand, Norway. The all-seater has a capacity of 14,563 people, and serves as the home ground of Tippeligaen side IK Start. It was designed by Kjell K ...
. The city is also home to other football teams, including
Flekkerøy IL
Flekkerøy Idrettslag, also called Fløy is a Norwegian sports club from Flekkerøy in Kristiansand. It has sections for association football and team handball, in addition to cross-country skiing and racket sport.
Football
The men's football te ...
,
FK Vigør
FK Vigør is a Norwegian football club from Hellemyr, Kristiansand. ''Vigør'' is the Norwegian name for vigor. The club colors are brown and white, and the club was founded on 5 October 1918.
The men's team currently resides in the Third Divi ...
,
IK Våg
Idrettsklubben Våg is a Norwegian sports club from Vågsbygd in Kristiansand.
It has sections for association football, team handball, badminton and athletics. The club was founded on 12 January 1938, and the club colors are green and white.
T ...
, and
FK Donn
Fotballklubben Donn is a Norwegian football club from the neighbourhood Lund in Kristiansand, most notable for its women's football team. It was founded on 24 June 1909 and named after a dog.
Donn Toppfotball
The women's football team Donn Top ...
.
Kristiansand is also known for its handball teams (
Kristiansands IF
Kristiansands Idrettsforening is a Norwegian sports club from Kristiansand, founded in 1921. It has sections for athletics and handball.
The athletics team uses the stadium Kristiansand Stadion.
Its most prominent member is Andreas Thorkildsen, ...
and
Vipers Kristiansand
Vipers Kristiansand is a handball club from Kristiansand, Norway. They currently compete in REMA 1000-ligaen, the top division in the country, since its promotion in 2001.
They claimed there first Norwegian Championship in 2018, defeating 18 tim ...
), ice hockey ( Kristiansand Ishockeyklubb), basketball (Kristiansand Pirates) and volleyball (Grim VBK) clubs and has a baseball team (Kristiansand Suns).
Tourism
Kristiansand is a summer
tourist destination
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that Tourism, tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of ...
, attracting many visitors in particular to its zoo,
Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park
The Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park ( no, Kristiansand Dyrepark) is a zoological garden and amusement park situated in of Kristiansand, Norway. It is Norway's most frequently visited attraction, covering an area of . Established in 1966, it ha ...
, just east of the city. This is the second most visited attraction in Norway, after
Holmenkollen
Holmenkollen () is a mountain and a neighbourhood in the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. It goes up to above sea level and is well-known for its international skiing competitions.
Overview
In addition to being a residential area, the are ...
, and had 925,000 visitors in 2012. Its animals, most of which are housed in natural habitats, include
wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...
, tigers, lions and the
lynx
A lynx is a type of wild cat.
Lynx may also refer to:
Astronomy
* Lynx (constellation)
* Lynx (Chinese astronomy)
* Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory
Places Canada
* Lynx, Ontar ...
. The zoo is open 365 days a year, while the amusement park is open during the summer season only.
The
Quart festival
The Quart Festival was an annual popular music festival that took place in Kristiansand, Norway in the beginning of July, from 1991 to 2008. It was the most visited music festival in Norway.
It was first named ''Qvadradurmusivalen'' in 1991, but ...
was an annual music festival that took place in Kristiansand over five days in early July. There were large stages on Odderøya and smaller venues around the city. Founded in 1991 as Qvadradurmusivalen, the festival changed its name to the more catchy Quart Festival the following year. It included internationally known performers and was also known for booking acts that later became internationally known. For several years it was the largest music festival in Norway, but beginning in summer 2007 it was challenged by the Hovefestivalen on
Tromøya
Tromøya () or Tromøy () (historic: ''Tromø'') is the largest island in Southern Norway. The island is entirely located in the municipality of Arendal in Agder county, Norway. The island has about 5,300 residents (in 2015) which gives it a p ...
,
Arendal
Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...
, and some Oslo-based festivals. In early June 2008 the organization declared bankruptcy; the festival returned in 2009 under the name Quart, but again went bankrupt.
Kristiansand is home to many other festivals as well, running throughout the year.What's on in Kristiansand www.visitnorway.com Protestfestival, held in September, was launched in 2000 and aims to address apathy and indifference in politics, and includes debates, concerts and lectures combined with performance art and documentaries. Protestfestival claims to attract anarchists, communists,
hippies
A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
as well as conservative Christians and capitalists and to encourage communication among these radically different groups. Others include Southern Discomfort, also in September, the
Bragdøya
Bragdøya is an island in Kristiansand municipality in Agder county, Norway. The island is in the archipelago in the Kristiansandsfjorden, just south of the city of Kristiansand. The island is surrounded by the smaller islands of Svensholmen an ...
Kristiansand has three police stations. The one in the city center, the main one for Southern Norway,
Agder Police District
Agder Police District (Norwegian: Agder politidistrikt) covers the county of Agder except Sirdal municipality in Norway, approximately . The district is headquartered in Kristiansand and consists of five police stations, Kristiansand and in Flekk ...
. While on less serious crimes only covers some these parts of Kristiansand, Kvadraturen,
Grim
Grim may refer to:
People
* Grim (surname)
* Myron Grim Natwick (1890–1990), American artist, animator and film director best known for drawing Betty Boop
Mythical or fictional characters
* Grim, Old Norse ''Grímr'', from the Norse saga '' Gr ...
and
Lund
Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, across the Øresund, Öresund strait from Copenhagen. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of Lund Municipali ...
.
Vågsbygd
Vågsbygd is a borough and disrict in the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It is the largest borough and district in Kristiansand. Until 1965, Vågsbygd was a part of Oddernes municipal ...
police station covers the Vågsbygd district while
Randesund
Randesund is a village and district within the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The district is located within the borough of Oddernes along the southern coastline between the two fjords Kvåsefjorden and Topdalsfjorden and south of ...
police station covers Randesund,
Søm
Søm is a district in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. With a population of about 9,500 (2022), it is the third largest district in Kristiansand. The district is a part of the borough of Oddernes. Søm has borders with the distri ...
,
Hånes
Hånes is a district in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It has a population of about 4,000 (2014). Hånes is a part of the borough of Oddernes and it borders the districts of Søm and Randesund to south, the district of Tveit to ...
and
Tveit
Tveit is a village and surrounding district in Oddernes borough in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The Tveit district is located in the northeastern part of Kristiansand, northeast of the Topdalsfjorden along the lower part of t ...
.
Most crim-cases reported in Kristiansand takes place on Kvadraturen. In south of
Markens gate
Markens gate (English name: Markens street) is the main pedestrian street in Kristiansand, Norway. It is located in the west of the borough Kvadraturen and the length of the entire street is 1 kilometer, while the pedestrian part is 550 meters ...
with
Tollbodgata
Tollbodgata is a street in Kristiansand, Norway. The street is one way westbound with sidewalks on both sides of the road. It consists mostly of apartments, houses and stores.
Places of note
Kristiansand and Vest-Agder main police station an ...
and Dronningens gate which host stores that are open 24 hours as well as many nightclubs. In 2014 it was most reported cases there in the entire city.
There were over 56 cases reported in this area and 123 on Kvadraturen in 2013, a decrease from 150 cases in 2012 reported on Kvadraturen. In the Vågsbygd police district it was reported that there were over 50 cases, going down 27% since 2012. At Randesund police station it was 61 cases reported, so had gone down 9% from 2012 to 2013. Outside of Kvadraturen, Vågsbygd and Randesund there were 110 cases reported in the municipality, mostly from Grim.
, there were over 350 cases reported for all of Kristiansand. Of these, 34% were committed by minors on Kvadraturen. Most cases on Kvadraturen are narcotics, violence and nonprofit crimes; the majority being shop lifting. Six of the violent crime cases were against police and most violent acts were performed with knives.
Minors
In crime performed by people under 18, there were most reported 16-year-old boys in 2013. Although adding the numbers of boys and girls together, the largest number of crime for the age was 14. It is simultaneously more that reports a mixed sex image where girls show an equal activity as boys. Some Instead there are also girls who are leading the way. Several executives tells increased used of bullying, intimidation and violence among girls. It looks including out that girls make greater use of social media such behavior. Some also report increased cannabis use among girls. The figures from the police show that nearly one in three young people who commit crimes have minority backgrounds. Of the 163 youths who embarked offense first half is 47 immigrants or Norwegian-born to immigrant parents. This represents 29% of the total number. The decline in the number of young offenders apply primarily the oldest group from 15 to 17 years. Kristiansand has several 14-year-olds than 17-year-olds who commit offenses. Girls make up more current through increased use of threats and violence.
Contact from
Voiebyen
Voiebyen is a district in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The district has a population of about 6,000 people in 2014 and it is a part of the borough of Vågsbygd in the southwestern part of the city. The district of Vågsbygd li ...
, Vågsbygd, Grim,
Søm
Søm is a district in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. With a population of about 9,500 (2022), it is the third largest district in Kristiansand. The district is a part of the borough of Oddernes. Søm has borders with the distri ...
and Lund expressed concern about boys who challenge them with their behavior by breaking rules, commit vandalism, threaten classmates and try out various drugs. One of the schools have also been several incidents of violence against teachers and classmates. It is composed issues related to several of these students and they have various reasons major challenges in adapting to school requirements and expectations. Several executives from schools stated that they experience an increase in the number of pupils, both boys and girls, who are struggling mentally. They mention students with depression, social anxiety, eating disorder, self-mutilation and sleep problems. This worries them and they fear that some of these students, as a result of their poor mental health, are more vulnerable to make choices that can lead them into the environment with drugs and crime. To meet these challenges and provide these young people needed and customized follow-up, it is crucial to have a holistic focus and a good interdepartmental and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Health
Sørlandet Sykehus HF is a hospital group in
Southern Norway
Southern Norway ( no, Sørlandet; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical region (''landsdel'') along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any governmental function. It roughl ...
, they have three hospitals in
Flekkefjord
is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Flekkefjord. The villages of Sira, Gyland, Rasvåg, Kirkehavn, and Åna-Sira are lo ...
,
Arendal
Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...
and the main one on Eg in Kristiansand. It is only a 6 minutes drive from the city centrum Kvadraturen. The headquarter of Sørlandet Sykehus HF is also located in Kristiansand. The hospital has departments in
Vågsbygd
Vågsbygd is a borough and disrict in the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It is the largest borough and district in Kristiansand. Until 1965, Vågsbygd was a part of Oddernes municipal ...
and
Oddernes
Oddernes is a borough in the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The borough covers eastern Kristiansand on the east side of the Topdalsfjorden and the Varodd Bridge. The borough include ...
.
Eg hospital is an asylum/psychiatric hospital next to Sørlandet hospital. It was opened in 1881 by dr. Axel H. Lindboe, this became Norway's third insane asylum.
St. Josef hospital was a catholic hospital located at Kvadraturen, it was opened in 1885 and driven by his sisters. The hospital closed down in 1967.
There are 11 retirement homes in Kristiansand and most of them are located on Kvadraturen. One rehabilitation center, ca 15 fitness centers, 20 dentist offices, 10 medical centers and around 25 pharmacies.
Transportation
Kristiansand is an important transport and communications node, connected to continental Europe by air and sea.
Sea
From the city centre, the ferry harbour has routes to
Hirtshals
Hirtshals is a town and seaport on the coast of Skagerrak on the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark, Europe. It is located in Hjørring municipality in Region Nordjylland. The town of Hirtshals has a po ...
(
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
Fjord Line
Fjord Line is a Norwegian ferry operator offering services between Norway and Denmark; in October 2020 the company announced a scale-back of operations whereby the ferry operations will only serve the ports of Kristiansand, Hirtshals, and St ...
. Color Line operates their MS ''Superspeed 1'', which entered into service in 2008 and spends approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes on the crossing. The route operates year-round with two crossings each way in one day. Fjord Line operates HSC ''Fjord Cat'', which is a 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 ...
covering the route in around 2 hours and 15 minutes. The ship was built between 1997 and 1998, and has sailed under several different operators on many different routes. It only operates during the high season in the summer.
A new catamaran built by Australian shipbuilding company
Austal
Austal is an Australian-based global ship building company and defence prime contractor that specialises in the design, construction and support of defence and commercial vessels. Austal's product range includes naval vessels, high-speed passeng ...
will enter service at the start of summer 2020 and replace ''Fjord Cat''. The new ship should double the capacity, while retaining the same travel duration of 2 hours and 15 minutes. Fjord Line also aims for the new ship to address complaints with seaworthiness and stability from its predecessor.
On 7 April 2022, a direct cruise-ferry service began with
Eemshaven
Eemshaven (; en, Ems Harbor) is a seaport in the province of Groningen in the north of the Netherlands.
In 1968, the Dutch government declared the Ems estuary (Eemsmond) to be an economic key region. One of the key developments for the region ...
, Netherlands, operated by startup company
Holland Norway Lines
Holland Norway Lines is a Dutch startup ferry operator which operates a passenger and car ferry service between Eemshaven, The Netherlands and Kristiansand, Norway three times a week since 7 April 2022.
The company has chartered the cruise ferry ...
.
Road
European Road 18 is the largest highway in Kristiansand. It starts after E39 goes to Denmark before the city bridge on Kvadraturen. E18 continues out Kristiansand municipality and through
Arendal
Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...
,
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
and ends in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
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 ...
and has it course through
Western Norway
Western Norway ( nb, Vestlandet, Vest-Norge; nn, Vest-Noreg) is the region along the Atlantic coast of southern Norway. It consists of the counties Rogaland, Vestland, and Møre og Romsdal. The region has no official or political-administrativ ...
before following the coastal municipalities in
Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder (; "West Agder") was one of 18 counties (''fylker'') in Norway up until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Aust-Agder to form Agder county. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total population of Norway. I ...
. When E39 comes to Kristiansand, it goes to the harbor and continues through Denmark.
Norwegian National Road 9
Norwegian National Road 9 ( no, Riksvei 9, ) is often called the ''Setesdal Road'' ( no, Setesdalsveien) and it is the main thoroughfare through the Setesdalen valley. It runs from the city of Kristiansand in the southern coast of Norway, throu ...
is a road starting in Kristiansand, through
Grim
Grim may refer to:
People
* Grim (surname)
* Myron Grim Natwick (1890–1990), American artist, animator and film director best known for drawing Betty Boop
Mythical or fictional characters
* Grim, Old Norse ''Grímr'', from the Norse saga '' Gr ...
and then through
Vennesla
Vennesla is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vennesla. Other villages in Vennesla include Grovane, Hægeland, Homst ...
municipality before leaving Vest-Agder. The national road ends in
Telemark
Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...
at Haukeli, and is the most important road connection for Setesdalen and the surrounding regions.
Norwegian National Road 41
Norwegian National Road 41
Norwegian National Road 41 (''Rv 41''; also known as the ''Telemarksveien'') is a Norwegian national road that runs through Vestfold og Telemark and Agder counties in Norway. The road runs between the village of Brunkeberg (Telemark), Brunkeberg ...
starts in
Hånes
Hånes is a district in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It has a population of about 4,000 (2014). Hånes is a part of the borough of Oddernes and it borders the districts of Søm and Randesund to south, the district of Tveit to ...
. It is the road out to
Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik
Kristiansand Airport ( no, Kristiansand lufthavn; ) is an international airport serving Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. The airport is located in the district of Tveit in the Oddernes borough, about by road and by air from th ...
, it continues to
Birkenes
Birkenes is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Birkeland, where about half the municipal population lives. Other villa ...
and ends in
Kviteseid Kviteseid is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Telemark in the Counties of Norway, county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative ...
, Telemark. County road 401 is the old E18 before it got upgraded. It starts on
Søm
Søm is a district in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. With a population of about 9,500 (2022), it is the third largest district in Kristiansand. The district is a part of the borough of Oddernes. Søm has borders with the distri ...
and ends in
Lillesand
Lillesand () is municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Lillesand. Some of the larger villages in Lillesand municipality include ...
, it goes via
Høvåg
Høvåg (historically: ''Høvaag'') is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1865 until its dissolution in 1962. It was located in the southern part of the present-day municipality of Lill ...
. County road 452 is the old road to
Vennesla
Vennesla is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vennesla. Other villages in Vennesla include Grovane, Hægeland, Homst ...
city centrum. It starts on
Lund
Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, across the Øresund, Öresund strait from Copenhagen. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of Lund Municipali ...
, then goes through
Justvik
Justvik or Gjusvik is a village and district in the municipality of Kristiansand in Vest-Agder county, Norway. Its population (as of January 2014) is 2,770. The village of Justvik is located on the west shore of the Topdalsfjorden, just north of ...
and
Ålefjær
Ålefjær is a village and district in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The village and district lies in the far northern part of the municipality within the borough of Lund. The population of the district in 2014 was 410 ...
before Vennesla municipality. County road 456 is the main road in
Vågsbygd
Vågsbygd is a borough and disrict in the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It is the largest borough and district in Kristiansand. Until 1965, Vågsbygd was a part of Oddernes municipal ...
and afterwards ending in
Søgne
Søgne is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 2020 when it was merged with the municipalities of Songdalen and Kristiansand into the "new" Kristiansand municipality in what is now ...
. County road 457 takes up from 456 in
Voiebyen
Voiebyen is a district in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The district has a population of about 6,000 people in 2014 and it is a part of the borough of Vågsbygd in the southwestern part of the city. The district of Vågsbygd li ...
and ends at
Flekkerøy
Flekkerøy or Flekkerøya is an island and residential district in Kristiansand municipality in Agder county, Norway. The district is located within the borough of Vågsbygd, and it consists of 4 main neighborhoods: Berge/Andås, Kjære, Lindeb ...
. County road 471 is the largest road in downtown Kristiansand. It ends at
Lund
Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, across the Øresund, Öresund strait from Copenhagen. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of Lund Municipali ...
and goes besides the university.
Bus
Buses in the city and surrounding region are operated by Boreal Buss AS, who won the tender from Agder Kollektivtrafikk in 2018 to operate routes for seven years, with an option to extend the period by three years. Previously,
Nettbuss
Vy Buss, formerly branded as Nettbuss, is the largest bus company in Norway, owned by Vy. It was established on 10 February 2000 as the continuation of the bus operations from former NSB Biltrafikk. In addition to bus services in major parts of N ...
Sør (South) operated buses in the region for eight years from 2010 to 2018. All regional bus lines goes through three stops in Kvadraturen. Some bus lines goes vice versa from the west coast to the east coast of the city.
Kristiansand Bus Terminal
Kristiansand Bus Terminal (Kristiansand Rutebilstasjon) is the main bus station, bus terminal serving Kristiansand, Norway. It has bus lines to many places, including Oslo and Stavanger. The bus terminal is located next to Kristiansand Station an ...
or Kristiansand Rutebilstasjon is the main bus terminal for the city, and also acts as a hub for express-buses connecting to Oslo, Stavanger and Haukeli. It is located by the train station Kristiansand S. The bus terminal has local, regional and long-distance bus routes. A new bus terminal was constructed in 2019, replacing the old and outdated building from 1960. The old terminal will be demolished and replaced by a small park and green-space.
The local city buses in Kristiansand has their main stop in Kvadraturen with city terminals in the streets Henrik Wergelands gate (eastbond or end for westbound) and
Tollbodgata
Tollbodgata is a street in Kristiansand, Norway. The street is one way westbound with sidewalks on both sides of the road. It consists mostly of apartments, houses and stores.
Places of note
Kristiansand and Vest-Agder main police station an ...
(westbound or end for eastbound), both streets crosses
Markens gate
Markens gate (English name: Markens street) is the main pedestrian street in Kristiansand, Norway. It is located in the west of the borough Kvadraturen and the length of the entire street is 1 kilometer, while the pedestrian part is 550 meters ...
. City bus lines 01, A1 starts in Kvadraturen and goes by UiA and Rona. M1, M2, M3, 12, goes by Vågsbygd centrum. 17, 18 joins M1, M2, M3 and 12 for Hannevika. 40, 42, 50 and 45, 46 goes only Hannevika. Line 40, 42, 45, 46 and 50 stops in Kristiansand Bus Terminal expect in the rush hours, while M1, M2, M3, 12, 17 and 18 continues to Henrik Wergelands gate, UiA, Rona, then their destinations. Line 13, 15, 19, 32 and 30 comes north for Kvadraturen and goes by Grim torv. Line 22, 23 only goes by UiA. Line 31 goes Line 35, 36 and 37 goes by Ve, Rona, UiA, Tollbodgata and ends in Kristiansand Bus Terminal. There are also local buses in some of the boroughs like Vågsbygd: Line 51, 52 and 55 goes from neighbourhoods in the borough to Vågsbygd centrum collaborating with M1 or M2 at selective times. Line 57 goes from east to west on the main road in Flekkerøy. Line 58 goes locally in Randesund to Rona.
Railway
Kristiansand Station opened in 1895 and is located in the city centre, close to the ferry terminal. It is owned by
Norwegian National Rail Administration
The Norwegian National Rail Administration ( no, Jernbaneverket) was a government agency responsible for owning, maintaining, operating and developing the Norwegian railway network, including the track, stations, classification yards, traffic m ...
. The
Sørlandet Line
The Sørlandet Line ( no, Sørlandsbanen) is a railway line between Drammen (though this is connected to Oslo by means of the Drammen Line) via Kristiansand to Stavanger. The line is long between Oslo and Stavanger.
History
The railway was cons ...
goes through small towns in
Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder (; "West Agder") was one of 18 counties (''fylker'') in Norway up until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Aust-Agder to form Agder county. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total population of Norway. I ...
and
Aust-Agder
Aust-Agder (, en, "East Agder") was a county (''fylke'') in Norway until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Vest-Agder to form Agder county. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which was 2.2% of Norway's population. Its area was . The ...
counties. Express trains go east to
Oslo S
Oslo Central Station ( no, Oslo sentralstasjon, abbreviated ) is the main railway station in Oslo, and the largest railway station within the entire Norwegian railway system. It connects with Jernbanetorget station. It's the terminus of Dramm ...
. Regional lines goes to
Stavanger
Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...
.
Aviation
The local airport,
Kjevik
Kristiansand Airport ( no, Kristiansand lufthavn; ) is an international airport serving Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. The airport is located in the district of Tveit in the Oddernes borough, about by road and by air from t ...
, is located east of the city centre and has routes to European and Norwegian cities. A new one-storey parking garage was constructed in 2019.
Travel distances
Distance from Kristiansand to other cities:
*
Mandal
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
36 kilometers (23 miles) (considerably shortened when new E39 opens in 2022)
*
Evje
Evje is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1877 until 1960. It was located in what is now the eastern part of the present-day municipality of Evje og Hornnes in the Setesdal valley of Ag ...
49 kilometers (30 miles)
*
Arendal
Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...
55 kilometers (34 miles)
*
Flekkefjord
is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Flekkefjord. The villages of Sira, Gyland, Rasvåg, Kirkehavn, and Åna-Sira are lo ...
81 kilometers (50 miles)
*
Stavanger
Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...
160 kilometers (100 miles)
*
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
250 kilometers (155 miles)
*
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 ...
292 kilometers (181 miles)
*
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 ...
601 kilometers (373 miles)
*
Tromsø
Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø.
Tromsø lies ...
1382 kilometers (859 miles)
*
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
391 kilometers (243 miles)
*
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
768 kilometers (477 miles)
Education
The
University of Agder
The University of Agder ( no, Universitetet i Agder), formerly known as Agder College and Agder University College, is a public university with campuses in Kristiansand and Grimstad, Norway. The institution was established as a university co ...
was established in 2007, based on Agder College, which had been founded in 1994 by the amalgamation of six previous institutions: Kristiansand Teacher Training College, Agder District College, Kristiansand College of Nursing, Arendal College of Nursing, Agder Engineering and District College (
Grimstad
Grimstad () is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Grimstad. Some of the villages in Grimstad include Eide, Espenes, Fevik, ...
) and Agder Conservatory of Music. The university has about 10,000 students, of whom 7,500 are in Kristiansand and the remaining 2,500 in Grimstad. In Kristiansand it is housed on a campus on the former parade ground of Gimlemoen in the Lund section. The university offers a wide range of studies at all levels, organised into five faculties: Humanities and Education, Engineering and Science, Health and Sport, Economics and Social Sciences, and Fine Arts. Gimlemoen is also the site of Sørlandet kunnskapspark, a research park built with funds from sources including the Cultiva foundation that houses a number of companies with a degree of professional affiliation with the university, such as Agderforskning, a social science research institute that is part of the publishing company
Cappelen Damm
Cappelen Damm AS is a Norwegian publisher established in 2007. The present company resulted from the merger of J.W. Cappelens Forlag, founded in 1829, and N.W. Damm & Søn, founded in 1843. Cappelen Damm is jointly owned by the Bonnier Group
...
.
Noroff
Noroff Education is a privately owned and operated university college and vocational school offering a variety of different study programmes including vocational programs and bachelor's degrees.
Noroff University College
Noroff University College ...
University College was established in 2012 and is a private university offering specialised degrees two in Interactive media (Games or Animation) and Applied Data Science and in Digital Forensics. The University College builds on Noroff's existing vocational school which originally opened in 1987. In addition to the Kristiansand Campus Noroff has facilities in Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger. Noroff has considerable experience in offering online courses and all of the degree courses offered at the University College are available online.
Kristiansand was a
garrison
A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...
and cathedral town from 1664;
Kristiansand Cathedral School
Kristiansand Cathedral School (''Kristiansand katedralskole Gimle''), known in Latin as ''Schola Christiansandensis'', is a high school in Kristiansand, Agder, Norway. It is the oldest high school on the southern coast of Norway, having been fo ...
was founded in 1684 and a
Latin school
The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Emphasis was placed, as the name indicates, on learning to use Latin. The education given at Latin schools gave gre ...
in 1734. There are currently four public senior secondary schools: Kristiansand Cathedral School Gimle,
Vågsbygd
Vågsbygd is a borough and disrict in the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It is the largest borough and district in Kristiansand. Until 1965, Vågsbygd was a part of Oddernes municipal ...
High School,
Kvadraturen skolesenter
Kvadraturen Upper Secondary , Kvadraturen videregående skole, former Kvadraturen skolesenter, is a public high school in Kristiansand, Norway. It is one of the largest high school in Southern Norway
Southern Norway ( no, Sørlandet; lit. "T ...
and Tangen High School
Private senior secondary schools include Sonans utdanning (education). The private school Sørlandets Maritime Senior Secondary School is also based in Kristiansand. This school offers two courses of study, Technology and Industrial Production and maritime subjects. It is a boarding school; students live and undergo training aboard the training ship MS Sjøkurs, a steamer that previously operated on the
Hurtigruten
''Hurtigruten'' (), formally Kystruten Bergen-Kirkenes ("coastal route Bergen- Kirkenes"), is a Norwegian public coastal route transporting passengers that travel locally, regionally and between the ports of call, and also cargo between ports no ...
.
Kristiansand is also host to an International School on Kongsgård Alle in Lund. The School opened in January 2008 to provide an international education through English to students from grade 1 to grade 10. This IB authorised school moved into a brand new purpose built building in Summer 2014, to house the expanding school which now has over 100 students.
List of schools in Kristiansand
Media
Fædrelandsvennen
''Fædrelandsvennen'' is a regional newspaper based in Kristiansand, Norway. It covers the southernmost part of the country, ( Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder), focusing especially on the area between Mandal and Lillesand (west and east of Kristians ...
is the main news paper in Kristiansand and the
Kristiansand Region
Kristiansand Region ( no, Kristiansandregionen) is a statistical metropolitan region in Agder county in southern Norway. It is centered on the city of Kristiansand. The region consist of six municipalities in the centre of Southern Norway. Vennes ...
. The paper has around 116 000 readers every day and was founded in 1875. From 2006, the newspaper went from broadsheet to tabloid. Fædrelandsvennen was located at Rådhusgata with Wergelandsparken (A park named after
Henrik Wergeland
Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland (17 June 1808 – 12 July 1845) was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist. He is often described as a leading pioneer in the develop ...
) until 02.27.192 when someone blew up the building and it burned down to the ground. Nobody lost their lives in the incident. The newspaper relocated to Fiskåtangen in
Vågsbygd
Vågsbygd is a borough and disrict in the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It is the largest borough and district in Kristiansand. Until 1965, Vågsbygd was a part of Oddernes municipal ...
where it located until 2015 when it moved back downtown to Henrik Wergelands gate. Fædrelandsvennen have ownership in many Southern Norway based newspapers, TV-Channels radio stations and other companies.
Kristiansand Avis (Kristiansand Newspaper) is a free newspaper paid by ads, and is delivered to all households in the region except Lillesand, Birkenes and Iveland. The newspaper is focused on staying closed to the local people. It comes out each Thursday and had 45 000 readers in 2014.
NRK Sørlandet has their main office in Kristiansand. It is the district office for the national broadcasting channel NRK. NRK Sørlandet covers Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder County. They produce 6 hours of radio and one and a half hour of television, in addition to their own website for news for Southern Norway.
Notable people
Education
*
Haldur Grüner
Haldur Ragnvald Grüner (born 17 October 1818 in Kristiansand, Norway, died 8 December 1858) was the founder of Grüners Handelsakademi, a business school in Copenhagen.
His father was a Norwegian lieutenant colonel, but the family moved to Copenh ...
(1818–1858), business school founder
Public Service & public thinking
*
Syvert Omundsen Eeg
Syvert Omundsen Eeg (21 August 1757 – 20 November 1838) was a Norwegian farmer and sea captain. He was a representative in the Norwegian Constitutional Assembly in 1814.
Eeg was born in Søgne in Vest-Agder, Norway. He worked as both a farmer an ...
(1757–1838) farmer and rep. the
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 ...
*
Marcus Gjøe Rosenkrantz
Marcus Gjøe Rosenkrantz (25 January 176211 May 1838) was a Norwegian Government Minister and Member of Parliament.
Biography
Marcus Gjøe Rosenkrantz was born at Vigvoll, Tveit near Kristiansand, Norway. His father, Otto Christian Rosenkrantz ...
(1762–1838) a Government Minister and Member of Parliament
*
Nicolai Wergeland
Nicolai Wergeland (9 November 1780 – 25 March 1848) was a Norwegian minister, writer and politician, and a member of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll that wrote the Constitution of Norway on 17 May 1814. He was elected as one of ...
(1780–1848) a Norwegian priest, writer and politician
*
Jens Lauritz Arup
Jens Lauritz Arup (20 April 1793 – 9 April 1874) was a Norwegian bishop and politician.
He was born at Kristiansand in Vest-Agder, Norway. His father was a sexton and a school teacher. In 1811 Arup was sent to Copenhagen to study, but ...
(1793–1874) a Norwegian bishop and politician
*
Hans Christian Petersen
Hans Christian Petersen (11 August 1793 – 26 September 1862) was a Norwegian politician and served as the ''de facto'' prime minister of Norway during the personal union of Sweden-Norway from 1858 to 1861.
Early life
Hans Christian Petersen ...
(1793–1862) de facto
Prime Minister of Norway
The prime minister of Norway ( no, statsminister, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government department ...
1858 to 1861
*
Jacob von der Lippe
Jacob von der Lippe (27 September 1797–2 October 1878) was a Norwegian politician and priest who served as Bishop of the Diocese of Agder og Telemark, Diocese of Christianssand from 1841 to 1875. He was also a member of the Parliament of ...
(1797–1878) a Norwegian politician and priest
*
Camilla Collett
Jacobine Camilla Collett (née Wergeland; 23 January 1813 – 6 March 1895) was a Norwegian writer, often referred to as the first Norwegian feminist. She was also the younger sister of Norwegian poet Henrik Wergeland, and is recognized as bein ...
(1813–1895) said to be Norway's first feminist and writer
*
Herman Wedel Major
Herman Wedel Major (23 February 1814 – 26 September 1854) was a Norwegian psychiatrist. He is regarded as the father of the first Norwegian psychiatric hospital, Gaustad Hospital (''Gaustad sykehus'') and of the Norwegian Mental Health Act ...
(1814–1854) psychiatrist, founded the
Gaustad Hospital
Gaustad Hospital ( no, Gaustad sykehus) is a psychiatric hospital in the neighborhood of Gaustad in Oslo, Norway. Founded in 1855, it is Norway's oldest purpose-built psychiatric hospital. It opened as the nation's first insane asylum designed ac ...
*
Joseph Frantz Oscar Wergeland
Joseph Frantz Oscar Wergeland (17 November 1815 – 19 August 1895) was a Norwegian military officer, cartographer and skiing pioneer.
Personal life
Wergeland was born in Christianssand and grew up at Eidsvold. He was the son of priest and ...
(1815–1895) military officer, cartographer and skiing pioneer
*
Einar Rosenqvist
Einar Terkel Christian Tamberskjelver Rosenqvist (7 February 1817 – 17 April 1885) was a Norwegian naval officer and politician.
He was born in Christianssand. His father was a teacher, and was later transferred to Volden as a vicar, where he ...
(1817–1885) a Norwegian naval officer and politician
*
Valdemar Knudsen
Valdemar Emil Knudsen (August 5, 1819 – January 5, 1898) was a sugarcane plantation pioneer on west Kauai, Hawaii.
Background
Valdemar Emil Knudsen was born in Kristiansand, in Vest-Agder county, Norway. He was college-trained in botany and sci ...
(1819–1898) sugarcane plantation pioneer on West
Kauai
Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...
,
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
* Jens Peter Broch (1819–1886) an orientalist and linguist in Semitic languages
*
Sofus Arctander
Sofus Anton Birger Arctander (22 January 1845 - 20 August 1924) was a politician with the Liberal Party who served as acting Prime Minister of Norway during 1905.
Background
Sofus Arctander was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the ...
(1845-1924) a politician, acting
Prime Minister of Norway
The prime minister of Norway ( no, statsminister, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government department ...
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
* Finn Støren (1893–1962) a businessperson and civil servant for
Nasjonal Samling
Nasjonal Samling (, NS; ) was a Norwegian far-right political party active from 1933 to 1945. It was the only legal party of Norway from 1942 to 1945. It was founded by former minister of defence Vidkun Quisling and a group of supporters such a ...
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
*
Gabriel Langfeldt
Gabriel Langfeldt (23 December 1895 – 28 October 1983) was a Norwegian psychiatrist. He was a professor at the University of Oslo from 1940 to 1965. His publications centered on schizophrenia and forensic medicine. He was involved as an expert ...
(1895–1983) a Norwegian psychiatrist and academic
*
Bernt Balchen
Bernt Balchen (23 October 1899 – 17 October 1973) was a Norwegian pioneer polar aviator, navigator, aircraft mechanical engineer and military leader. A Norwegian native, he later became an American citizen and was a recipient of the Distingu ...
(1899–1973) pioneer polar aviator, navigator & aircraft mechanical engineer
* Ole Wehus (1909–1947) a Norwegian
Nasjonal Samling
Nasjonal Samling (, NS; ) was a Norwegian far-right political party active from 1933 to 1945. It was the only legal party of Norway from 1942 to 1945. It was founded by former minister of defence Vidkun Quisling and a group of supporters such a ...
police official
* Leo Tallaksen (1908–1983) a politician, twice Mayor of Kristiansand
*
Bjørn Egge
Bjørn Egge CBE (19 August 1918 – 25 July 2007) was a Major General of the Norwegian Army and President of the Norwegian Red Cross (1981–1987). He served as deputy head of the NATO Defence College (1976–1980).
Egge was a soldier during th ...
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(1918–2007) a
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
of the
Norwegian Army
The Norwegian Army ( no, Hæren) is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway ...
*
Jan Vincents Johannessen
Jan Vincents Johannessen (born 25 May 1941) is a Norwegian physician, cancer researcher, hospital director, painter, text writer and composer.
He was born in Kristiansand. He is known for his research on cancer, and has published books on diagnost ...
(born 1941) a physician, cancer researcher, painter and composer
*
Tor Fuglevik
Tor Fuglevik (born 7 April 1950) is a Norwegian radio and television executive.
While Director General for Radio at the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, Fuglevik founded the very first all-digital radio channel ( DAB) in the world. The NRK Kla ...
(born 1950) a Norwegian radio and TV executive
*
Anne Berit Andersen
Anne Berit Andersen (born 2 December 1951 in Søgne) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party.
She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Vest-Agder in 2001, but was not re-elected in 2005. She served in the position of deputy r ...
(born 1951) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Søgne 1991 to 2001
* Terje G. Simonsen (born 1963) a Norwegian historian and nonfiction author
* Harald Furre (born 1964) an economist and Mayor of Kristiansand 2015–2019
*
Marie Benedicte Bjørnland
Marie Benedicte Bjørnland (born 30 April 1965) is a Norwegian lawyer. She is the current Director of Police since 2019, and was the head of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) from 2012 to 2019.
She was born in Kristiansand and grew up ...
(born 1965) head of
Norwegian Police Security Service
The Norwegian Police Security Service (, ) is the police security agency of Norway. The agency was previously known as ''POT'' (' or Police Surveillance Agency), the name change was decided by the Parliament of Norway on 2 June 2001.
History an ...
2012/2019.
*
Nicolai Tangen
Nicolai Tangen (born 10 August 1966) is a Norwegian hedge fund manager. He is credited with holding the biggest private collection of modernist Nordic art in the world. He has since September 2020 been CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management, t ...
(born 1966), hedge fund manager and philanthropist
*
Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway (born Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, , on 19 August 1973) is the wife of Crown Prince Haakon. Haakon is the heir apparent to the throne, which means that should he ascend to the throne, she will automaticall ...
(born 1972), the crown princess of Norway, married
Crown Prince Haakon
Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway (; Haakon Magnus; born 20 July 1973) is the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne. He is the only son of King Harald V and Queen Sonja.
Haakon represents the fourth generation of the sitting Norwegian royal famil ...
in 2001.
The Arts
*
Henrik Wergeland
Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland (17 June 1808 – 12 July 1845) was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist. He is often described as a leading pioneer in the develop ...
(1808–1845) writer, poet, playwright, polemicist, historian and linguist
*
Dan Weggeland
Danquart Anthon Weggeland, known as Dan (March 31, 1827 – June 2, 1918) was an artist and teacher in the early Utah Territory. He was sometimes referred to as the "Father of Utah Art".Anton Jörgen Andersen (1845–1926) a Norwegian composer and cellist
*
Octavia Sperati
Octavia Sperati, formerly known as Octavia, is a Norwegian gothic metal band from Bergen, Norway.
The group released their debut album '' Winter Enclosure'' in 2005. Their second album, '' Grace Submerged'', was released in May 2007. Both alb ...
(1847–1918) a Norwegian actress
*
Gerhard Schjelderup
Gerhard Rosenkrone Schjelderup (November 17, 1859 – July 29, 1933) was a Norwegian composer, known especially for his operas.
Biography
Schjelderup was born in Kristiansand. Norway. One of five children, each with an artistic bent, his tal ...
(1859–1933) a Norwegian composer of operas
* Oskar Textorius (1864-1938) a Swedish actor, singer and theater director
*
Nils Hald
Nils Mauritz Hald (October 12, 1897 – July 14, 1963) was a Norwegian actor.
Hald was born in Kristiansand, Norway, the son of the bookbinder Johan Christian Thor Hald (1865–1902) and Karen Marie Gundersen (1864–1944). He was married to t ...
(1897–1963) a Norwegian actor
*
Ellen Isefiær
Ellen Isefiær (7 December 1899 – 28 September 1985) was a Norwegian actress and stage director. She staged more than 200 productions during her career. Biography
Isefiær was born in Kristiansand, Norway to Thomas Engelhardt Isefiær and ...
(1899–1985) a Norwegian actress and stage director
*
Jens Bjørneboe
Jens Ingvald Bjørneboe (9 October 1920 – 9 May 1976) was a Norwegian writer whose work spanned a number of literary formats. He was also a painter and a Waldorf school teacher. Bjørneboe was a harsh and eloquent critic of Norwegian society an ...
(1920–1976), a novelist, writer and painter
*
Else Marie Jakobsen
Else Marie Jakobsen (28 February 1927 – 12 December 2012) was a Norwegian designer and textile artist.
Biography
Jakobsen was born and raised in Kristiansand, Norway. She graduated from Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry (n ...
(1927–2012), a textile artist and designer
*
Finn Benestad
Finn Benestad (30 October 1929, Kristiansand – 30 April 2012, Kristiansand) was a Norwegian musicologist and music critic. He was a professor at the University of Oslo from 1965 to 1998, and is probably best known for his long-term research o ...
(1929–2012) a Norwegian musicologist, music critic and academic
*
Eva Margot
Eva Margot born Johansen (1944 – 2019) was a Norwegian painter, active from the 1970s until her death in 2019. Her work is largely inspired by Norwegian nature and legends. She covers a diverse spectrum of styles: figurative, realism, symbolism, ...
(1944-2019), a painter used realism, symbolism and abstract styles
*
Terje Formoe
Terje Falk Formoe (born 6 December 1949) is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, actor, playwright and author.
Background
Born in Fredrikstad, Norway, he was educated as a schoolteacher. In the 1970s, he began making records of his music. He current ...
, (born 1949) a singer, songwriter and actor
*
Rolf Løvland
Rolf Undsæt Løvland (born 19 April 1955) is a Norwegian composer, lyricist, arranger, and pianist. Together with Fionnuala Sherry, he formed the Celtic-Nordic group Secret Garden, in which he was the composer, producer, and keyboardist. He beg ...
(born 1955) a Norwegian composer, lyricist, arranger and pianist
*
Terje Dragseth
Terje Dragseth is a Norwegian poet, author and film director, born in Kristiansand in 1955. Dragseth made his debut in 1980 with his collection of poems titled "Offerfesten" (The Sermony of Sacrifice). Since then, he's published seventeen poetry ...
(born 1955) a Norwegian poet, author and film director
*
Kjell Nupen
Kjell Nupen (September 5, 1955 – March 12, 2014) was a Norwegian contemporary artist. He was a painter, sculptor and graphic artist.
Early years
Kjell Nupen had his professional breakthrough very early.
At just 17 years old, he was admitted to ...
(1955–2014) a contemporary artist; painter, sculptor and graphic artist
*
Hilde Hefte
Hilde Hefte (born 1 September 1956 in Kristiansand, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz singer.
Biography
Hefte got much of her musical education from the well reputated Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo, Norway with piano as primary and voca ...
(born 1956), a jazz singer
*
Bjørn Ole Rasch
Bjørn Ole Rasch (born 28 July 1959) is a Norwegian artist (keyboards performer), composer, arranger and producer. He is a professor of popular music at the Agder University College. With his wife, Annbjørg Lien, he runs the Kongshavn Studios in ...
(born 1959) a keyboard performer, composer, arranger and academic
*
Sigurd Køhn
Sigurd Eystein Køhn (6 August 1959 – 26 December 2004) was a Norwegian jazz saxophonist and composer.
Career
Køhn was born in Kristiansand, Norway, and started playing the violin and the clarinet at the age of 9, and begun playing the alt ...
(1959–2004) a Norwegian jazz saxophonist and composer
*
Arne Hjeltnes
Arne Hjeltnes (born August 9, 1963) is a Norwegian writer, television personality, marketer and politician.
He was born in Kristiansand, but grew up in Voss. He now lives in Snarøya in Bærum together with former television host Cathrine Gehrken ...
(born 1963) a Norwegian writer and TV personality
*
Per Fronth
Per Fronth (formerly named ''Per Fronth Nygaard'', born 24 November 1963 in Kristiansand, Norway) is a Norwegian photojournalist, painter and photographer. Fronth is working with photography as his raw material. Then he creates and digests the pho ...
(born 1963), a visual artist, photographer and painter
*
Bjarte Tjøstheim
Bjarte Tjøstheim (born 26 July 1967) is a Norway, Norwegian comedian, radio host and actor. He is best known for his appearance as sidekick in the popular Norwegian radio show Radioresepsjonen, which has been running on NRK since 2006.
In 2014 h ...
(born 1967) a Norwegian comedian, radio host and actor
*
Lene Elise Bergum
Lene Elise Bergum (born November 19, 1971 in Kristiansand, Norway) is a Norwegian actress.
Her breakthrough as an actress came with her role as "Lene" in the movie ''Hodet over vannet'' (1993), which has later been remade as a Hollywood-movie, ...
(born 1971) a Norwegian actress
* Bjarte Breiteig (born 1974) a Norwegian short story writer
*
Anne Lilia Berge Strand
Anne Lilia Berge Strand (born 21 November 1977), known professionally as Annie, is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, record producer and DJ. She began her recording career in 1999 with the underground hit single " The Greatest Hit" and gained int ...
(born 1977) known as ''"Annie"'', a singer-songwriter
*
Tom Hugo
Tom Hugo Hermansen (born 27 October 1979 in Kristiansand), better known as simply Tom Hugo, is a Norwegian singer, songwriter and musician. He is currently living in Oslo.
Career Recording artist
In 2007, Hugo moved to Hamburg and started worki ...
(born 1979) a Norwegian singer-songwriter
*
Agnes Kittelsen
Agnes Elisabet Hilden Kittelsen (born 20 May 1980 in Kristiansand) is a Norwegian actress.
Biography
Agnes Kittelsen is known for her role as Anneli in the TV-series ''Skolen'' (2004), as the title character's wife Tikken in the 2008 film '' ...
(born 1980), an actress
*
Frida Aasen
Frida Aasen (born 5 December 1994) is a Norwegian fashion model best known for walking in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2017 and 2018.
Early life
She has won several ribbons in horseback riding competitions.
Donna Ioanna, a model agent, ...
, (born 1994) a Norwegian
fashion model
A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thoug ...
*
Thea Sofie Loch Næss
Thea Sofie Loch Næss (born 26 November 1996, Kristiansand) is a Norwegian actress.
Biography
She started acting at the age of 8. She played a leading role in Eirik Svensson’s coming-of-age film 'One Night in Oslo' in 2013, which premiered in ...
Gunn Margit Andreassen
Gunn Margit Aas Andreassen (born 23 July 1973 in Kristiansand) is a former Norwegian biathlete.
Biathlon career
She won two Olympic medals, bronze in Nagano 1998 and silver in Salt Lake City 2002, both in the relay. From the World ...
(born 1973) a former biathlete, twice Olympic relay team medallist
*
Steinar Pedersen
Steinar Pedersen (born 6 June 1975) is a former Norwegian association football, football Defender (association football), defender. He is the son of Erik Ruthford Pedersen and brother of Kjetil Ruthford Pedersen. Pedersen is the first Norwegian t ...
(born 1975) a former Norwegian footballer with 426 club caps
*
Katrine Lunde
Katrine Lunde (former Haraldsen; born 30 March 1980) is a Norwegian handball goalkeeper for Vipers Kristiansand and the Norway women's national handball team, Norwegian national team.
She is the twin sister of fellow handball player Kristine Lu ...
(born 1980) a handball goalkeeper, 305 caps with Norway women
* twins
Katrine Lunde
Katrine Lunde (former Haraldsen; born 30 March 1980) is a Norwegian handball goalkeeper for Vipers Kristiansand and the Norway women's national handball team, Norwegian national team.
She is the twin sister of fellow handball player Kristine Lu ...
&
Kristine Lunde-Borgersen
Kristine Lunde-Borgersen (born 30 March 1980) is a retired Norwegian handballer who played for the Norwegian national team. She is Olympic champion, World Champion and three times European champion. She is the twin sister of fellow handball pla ...
, (born 1980) handball players, twice Olympic champions
*
Andreas Thorkildsen
Andreas Thorkildsen (born 1 April 1982) is a retired Norwegian track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. He was the Olympic Champion in 2004 and 2008, European Champion in 2006 and 2010, and World Champion in 2009. He is the fir ...
(born 1982), a javelin thrower, Olympic gold medallist in 2004 and 2008
*
Kristoffer Hæstad
Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει ...
(born 1983) a former footballer with over 300 club caps and 27 for
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 ...
Gdynia
Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and ...
, Poland
*
Kerava
Kerava (; sv, Kervo) is a town and municipality within the Uusimaa region of Finland. The municipalities of Vantaa, Sipoo and Tuusula are adjacent to Kerava, which is part of the Helsinki metropolitan area.
The town has a population of () an ...
, Finland
*
Letchworth
Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is noted for being the first garden city. The population at the time of the 2011 census was 33,249.
Letchworth ...
, England, United Kingdom
*
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
, Germany
*
Orléans
Orléans (;"Orleans" (US) and Rajshahi
Rajshahi ( bn, রাজশাহী, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city and a major urban, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous Rajshahi Division, division and Rajshahi District ...
, Bangladesh
*
Reykjanesbær
Reykjanesbær () is a municipality on the Southern Peninsula (''Suðurnes'') in Iceland, though the name is also used by locals to refer to the suburban region of Keflavík and Njarðvík which have grown together over the years. The municipality ...
, Iceland
*
Trollhättan
Trollhättan () is the 23rd-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Trollhättan Municipality, Västra Götaland County. It is situated by Göta älv, near the lake Vänern, and has a population of approximately 50,000 in the city proper. It is locate ...
, Sweden
*
Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay ( en, lit. Whale Bay; af, Walvisbaai; ger, Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The c ...
, Namibia
See also
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Fortifications of Kristiansand In Kristiansand, Norway, there are 4 older fortifications and 5 fortresses built around World War II, in addition to Odderøya who has both older and younger fortifications.
Sources Coastal Artillery at the Coast of Agder 1899-1999 (Kystartiller ...
List of boroughs of Kristiansand
This is a list of boroughs of the city of Kristiansand which makes up a large part of the municipality of Kristiansand which is located in Agder county, Norway. The city is divided into 5 borough
A borough is an administrative division in v ...
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List of lighthouses in Norway
The following is a sortable, but partial list of active and some decommissioned lighthouses along the Norwegian coastline.
The sequence number follows the convention of listing lighthouses from the coastal border in the south with Sweden around ...
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Sørlandet
Southern Norway ( no, Sørlandet; 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 govern ...
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 ...