is a

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

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

, Norway. It is 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. T ...

coast in the

traditional region Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which at some point in time had a cultural, ethnic, linguistic or political basis, regardless of latterday borders. They are used as delimitations for studying and analysing social ...

of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of Risør municipality is the town of Risør. There are many villages in Risør such as

Akland Akland is a village in Risør municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located at the southwestern end of the Søndeledfjorden. The village sits at the junction of the European route E18 highway, the Norwegian County Road 416, and th ...

Bossvika Bossvika is a village in Risør municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the southern shore of the Søndeledfjorden. The village lies at the junction of the Norwegian County Road 416 Norwegian county road 416 (Fv41 ...

, Fie,

Hødnebø Hødnebø is a village in Risør municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located about east of the village of Røysland and about north of the northern shore of the Søndeledfjorden Søndeledfjorden is a fjord in Risør municipali ...

Krabbesund Krabbesund is a village in Risør municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located, along the Skaggerak The Skagerrak (, , ) is a strait running between the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, the southeast coast of Norway and the west ...

, Moen,

Nipe Nipe is a village in Risør municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located near the Skaggerak coast, about south of the village of Sandnes and the Sandnesfjorden and about northeast of the village of Gjeving in Tvedestrand ...

Røysland Røysland is a village in Risør municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the lake Skarvann, about west of the village of Hødnebø and about north of the northern shore of the Søndeledfjorden Søndeledfjorden is a fj ...

Sandnes Sandnes () is a city and municipality in Rogaland, Norway. It lies immediately south of Stavanger, the 4th largest city in Norway and together, the Stavanger/Sandnes area is the third-largest urban area in Norway. The urban city of Sandnes lies ...

Sivik Sivik is a village in Risør municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the northern shore of the Søndeledfjorden Søndeledfjorden is a fjord in Risør municipality in Agder county, Norway. The long fjord begins at the ...

Søndeled Søndeled is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964 when it was merged into the municipality of Risør in what is now Agder county. The municipality encom ...

, and

Stamsø Stamsø or Stamsøy is a village in Risør municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the north shore of the Søndeledfjordne, about east of the village of Søndeled and about west of the village of Sivik Sivik is a v ...

. Risør is a tourist destination, and the surrounding area includes many small lakes and hills. Together with its coastline, Risør is known for its

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that 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 natural ...

s such as the wooden boat festival which is staged during the first week of August every year. It also has a growing reputation as the regional capital of arts and crafts, which culminates in the "Villvin-festival" during the summer holiday. The municipality is the 302nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Risør is the 147th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 6,735. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 2.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The town of Risør was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1901, a part of the neighboring

municipality (population: 658) was transferred to Risør. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

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

. On 1 January 1964, the rural municipality of Søndeled (population: 3,134) was merged into the town of Risør (population: 3,002) to form a new municipality of Risør which had a population of 6,136. On 1 January 1984, the uninhabited Folevatnet area of neighboring

Tvedestrand is municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the town of Tvedestrand. There are many villages in the municipality including Dypvåg, Fiane, Gjeving, Gødders ...

was transferred to Risør.

Name

The name for the town (and municipality) of Risør likely comes from the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

name . The first element is ''rís'' which means "

thicket A thicket is a very dense stand of trees or tall shrubs, often dominated by only one or a few species, to the exclusion of all others. They may be formed by species that shed large numbers of highly viable seeds that are able to germinate in t ...

" and the last element is ''eyjar'' which is the plural form of "island". The relatively more modern Danish version of ''eyjar'' is ''øer'', hence the current spelling of Risør. The name originally referred to the nearby island of ''Risøya'' which is located just outside the town of Risør. The old name of the town (prior to 1909) was ''Øster Riisöer'' or ''Østerrisør'' (meaning "eastern Risør"). After 1909, it was simply called ''Risør''. The first element was added in the 16th century to distinguish the town from ''Vesterrisør'', the old name of Mandal.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 18 July 1891. The blue, black, and white arms show a lighthouse on a rocky island surrounded by water. There are two white stars in the top corners of the arms. The lighthouse was chosen to symbolize the Holmen fortress built in 1788. The history of these arms is quite curious. It is said that on 18 July 1891 King Oscar II visited the town of Risør so a menu had to be printed. It was printed with a coat of arms on the top, which was probably designed by the printer. That afternoon the King approved the new arms, mainly because his name was printed under the arms on the menu.

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes () within the municipality of Risør. It is part of the Aust-Nedenes prosti ( deanery) 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 ...

Politics

In the 2007 municipal elections, Risør had the highest vote for the

Red Electoral Alliance Red Electoral Alliance ( nb, Rød Valgallianse, nn, Raud Valallianse, RV) was an alliance of far-left groups formed into a Norwegian political party to promote revolutionary socialism ideals into the Norwegian parliament. The party dissolved itse ...

in Norway at 13.7 per cent. Also, Knut Henning Thygesen was elected as the only mayor from the Red Party through a direct mayor election.

History

Risør - no-nb digifoto 20151106 00042 NB MIT FNR 11714

The village of Risør was a small fishing village in the

prestegjeld A ''prestegjeld'' was a geographic and administrative area within the Church of Norway (''Den Norske Kirke'') roughly equivalent to a parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a di ...

when Dutch vessels began to call there to purchase

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

around the year 1570. By 1607, two inns had been opened to serve Dutch sailors. In 1630, Risør became a privileged port ('' ladested''). The town has a timber church, Risør Church which was built in the Baroque style in 1647. In 1723, Risør was granted town status which granted it a number of commercial privileges. By the end of the 18th century, 96 sailing vessels were owned by Risør merchants. It was the sixth largest shipping town and one of four shipbuilding centers in Norway. In '' Letters on Sweden, Norway, and Denmark'',

Mary Wollstonecraft Mary Wollstonecraft (, ; 27 April 1759 – 10 September 1797) was a British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights. Until the late 20th century, Wollstonecraft's life, which encompassed several unconventional personal relationsh ...

wrote extensively while visiting Risør in 1783, including the following remarks: * On entering Risør: "We were a considerable time entering amongst the islands, before we saw about two hundred houses crowded together under a very high rock—still higher appearing above." * While at Risør: "...seaports are not favorable to improvement. The captains acquire a little superficial knowledge by traveling, which their indefatigable attention to the making of money prevents their digesting; and the fortune that they thus laboriously acquire is spent, as it usually is in towns of this description, in show and good living." * While departing Risør: "The view of the town was now extremely fine. A huge rocky mountain stood up behind it, and a vast cliff stretched on each side, forming a semicircle. In a recess of the rocks was a clump of pines, amongst which a steeple rose picturesquely beautiful." Risør played a role in the

Napoleonic Wars 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 ...

in 1807–1814, when Denmark–Norway took France's side, and therefore became the enemy of Norway's most important trading-partner: Great Britain. (It is from this period that Henrik Ibsen took his subject, when he created his famous poem ''Terje Vigen''.) It was south of Risør, in

Lyngør Lyngør is a village area on a group of small islands in the municipality of Tvedestrand in Agder county, off the southeast coast of Norway. The village is about northeast of Tvedestrand and approximately southwest of the town of Risør.

(now in the neighboring

municipality) that several British warships, headed by of the

English navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fra ...

pursued and sank the last major vessel and the pride of Norway: the frigate HDMS ''Najaden''. On 1 January 1838, the new formannskapsdistrikt law came into effect, granting each parish and town in Norway the rights to have a self-governing council. Thus, Risør was a small town with a council to run it. Risør was almost wiped off the map in 1861. A great fire swept across the small town leaving just 85 houses and the 1647 Risør Church. The entire road network was re-worked after the fire to remove the small streets and alleys and have wider roads that are there today. The city was redesigned and rebuilt and today it presents a positive impression of a well kept town with white, wooden houses. White was chosen because it was an expensive paint and the residents wanted to give an expression of prosperity. Still today, most houses have white paint, although some have other colors on the sides and back of their houses. By the second half of the 19th century, over 100 sailing vessels were based at their home port in Risør and more than 1,000 sailors called Risør home. The transition to steamships and the economic damage of

World War I 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 ...

, however, destroyed Risør's shipping industry. On 1 January 1901, an area of the neighboring municipality of

(population: 658) was transferred to the city, greatly expanding Risør. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

. On 1 January 1964, the town of Risør (population: 3,002) and the entire municipality of Søndeled (population: 3,134) were merged to form a new, much larger municipality of Risør, with the town being the administrative centre.

Geography

Risør is the easternmost coastal municipality in

county, located on the peninsula between the mouths of the

Søndeledfjorden Søndeledfjorden is a fjord in Risør municipality in Agder county, Norway. The long fjord begins at the village of Søndeled and flows east into the Skaggerak. The large island of Barmen sits in the middle of the fjord, effectively separating i ...

and

Sandnesfjorden Sandnesfjorden is a fjord in Agder county, Norway. The long fjord is primarily in the municipality of Risør, but the innermost part of the fjord is actually in Tvedestrand municipality. The fjord originates at the large inland lake Vegår and ...

, providing ready access to the

. Risør municipality is bordered to the southwest by

, to the northwest by

Vegårshei Vegårshei is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Myra. Other villages in Vegårshei include Mo and Ubergsmoen. The municipality is the 2 ...

and

Gjerstad Gjerstad is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Sørlandet, in the southeastern part of the county, along the border with Telemark county. The administrative centre of the municipality is the vil ...

, and to the northeast by

Kragerø Kragerø () is a town and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Grenland and the smaller Vestmar. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kragerø. The city of Krager� ...

Vestfold og Telemark Vestfold og Telemark (; ) is a county under disestablishment in Norway. The county is the southernmost one of Eastern Norway and consists of two distinct and separate traditional regions: the former counties of Telemark and (most of) Vestfold ...

county. The Nordfjorden is a branch of the Søndeledfjorden that flows to the north of the large island of Barmen.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Risør, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior-citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a

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

of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the

Agder District Court Agder District Court ( no, Agder tingrett) is a district court located in Agder county, Norway. This court is based at three different courthouses which are located in Farsund, Kristiansand, and Arendal. The court serves most of Agder county and ...

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

() of Risør is made up of 29 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:

Transportation

Risør is located along the

Skaggerak 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. The Stangholmen Lighthouse sits just offshore, marking a shipping channel leading to the town harbour. The

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 jo ...

highway runs along the western edge of the municipality. The

Norwegian County Road 416 Norwegian county road 416 (Fv416) is a Norwegian county road in Agder county, Norway. The road runs between the town of Risør in Risør municipality and the Norwegian County Road 414 in the village of Myra in Vegårshei municipality. Ref ...

connects the E18 highway with the town centre in the eastern side of the municipality. Other main roads in Risør include Norwegian County Road 411 and

Norwegian County Road 418 Norwegian county road 418 (Fv418) is a Norwegian county road in Agder county, Norway. The long road runs between the junction of Norwegian County Road 416 at the Aspelund farm in Risør municipality and the junction with Norwegian County Road ...

Economy

Risør was a town built as a result of shipping and industrial interests. The historic timber and fishing industries thrived for a few hundred years, but now they have mostly vanished. Paper production served as an economic basis for a time, until the pulp factory was closed in 1970. Today Risør is more of a

tourist destination A tourist attraction is a place of interest that 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 natural ...

with a burgeoning art colony and music festivals. Summer vacationers account for a major part of the economy.

Attractions

Risør has many tourist attractions. * A world class chamber music festival, is held in late June * A bluegrass music-festival every mid-July. Norway's only festival of its kind. * A popular artists’ market (''Villvinmarked'' or "Villvin-festival") is held in July * A wooden boat festival (Trebåtfestival) is held in August. During the festival the population swells to 20,000 people. * ''Den Hellige Ånds'' Church, built in 1647 * The

citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. I ...

at Tangen, a fortification from the Napoleonic Wars (with modifications from the German occupation period) * ''Risør Akvarium'', salt water aquarium with over 100 different species. The only salt water aquarium in the south region of Norway.

Notable residents

* Isak Lauritssøn Falck (1601–1669), a land owner and timber merchant, developed Risør * Christian Jensen Lofthuus (1750-1797) led a peasant revolt in 1786 called ''Lofthusreisingen'' *

Henrik Carstensen Henrik Carstensen (30 October 1753 – 15 September 1835) was a Norwegian businessman, timber merchant and shipowner. He served as a representative at the Norwegian Constituent Assembly in 1814. Henrik Carstensen was born on the island of Risøy ...

(1753–1835) timber merchant, shipowner, rep.

Norwegian Constituent Assembly The Norwegian Constituent Assembly (in Norwegian ''Grunnlovsforsamlingen'', also known as ''Riksforsamlingen'') is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway, that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised t ...

* Carsten Henrik Bruun (1828–1907) shipmaster of whaling vessels, also involved in sealing * Nikolai Prebensen (1850–1938) politician and County Governor of Finnmark & Aust-Agder * Dikken Zwilgmeyer (1853–1913) a Norwegian fiction writer of children's literature * Isak Martinius Skaugen (1875–1962) a sea captain, founded '' I. M. Skaugen'' a shipping co. * Ove Ansteinsson (1884–1942), a journalist and author *

Per Sunderland Per Sunderland (9 October 1924 – 4 June 2012) was a Norwegian stage actor and film actor. He made his stage debut at Studioteatret in 1945. He performed at Det Norske Teatret from 1949, at Det Nye Teater from 1951, at Folketeatret from 1952, ...

(1924–2012) a Norwegian stage and film actor IMDb Database
retrieved 14 January 2021 * Victor D. Norman (born 1946) politician & professor of economy and rector at NHH * Carl Magnus Neumann (born 1944) jazz saxophonist, lived in Risør since 2000 * Knut Henning Thygesen (born 1953) author and politician, Mayor of Risør from 2007 *

Erik Mykland Erik Mykland (born 21 July 1971) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He was nicknamed ''Myggen'' (mosquito) during his career, as he used to flap his arms and hands like one when celebrating his goals. A ra ...

(born 1971) a

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

with 371 club caps and 78 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 the ...