Kragerø () is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

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 ...

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 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 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 ...

. It is part of 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 ...

s of

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 ...

and the smaller Vestmar. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kragerø. The city of Kragerø lies furthest south in the county of Telemark. The

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

-based

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'', published an article on Kragerø stating that "When Norwegians want to get away from it all they head for Kragero.

Forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...

s and islands await them at the place where Edvard Munch found peace and relaxation." The population of Kragerø quadruples during its summer months due to high tourism. Edvard Munch fell in love with Kragerø in his time, and called it "The Pearl of the Coastal Towns" (''Perlen blandt kystbyene''). In 2002, ''The Independent'' published an article on the region's coastline saying that "It may not have many sandy beaches, but the coast of Norway offers sophistication and stunning scenery."

General information

Name

The Norse form of the name was ''Krákarey''. The first element is (probably) the genitive of ''kráka'' '

crow A crow is a bird of the genus '' Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifica ...

', the last element is ''ey'' 'island'. ''Kragerø'' is a Danish form of the name, established in the 17th Century. For a similar name see Kråkerøy.

Coat-of-arms

The

coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...

is from modern times. They were granted on 28 January 1938. The arms are black with a silver galley in the center. Kragerø received

town privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

in 1666, but was dependent on

Skien Skien () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. In modern times it is regarded as part of the traditional region of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the ...

until 1842. The town used a seal which was identical to that of Skien. The galley in the arms is derived from the fact that since 1666, Kragerø had to supply a galley with five guns to the King.

History

The town of Kragerø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). In the days of the

sailing ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships ...

s, Kragerø was one of Norway's largest port cities. The rural municipalities of Sannidal and Skåtøy were merged into the municipality of Kragerø on 1 January 1960. The municipality now includes 495

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...

s, and skerries along with 4,000 leisure houses. There are also 190 freshwater lakes in the municipality.

1694 murder

On 17 August 1694

Christian Hansen Ernst Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ (title), Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive ...

was killed at present-day ''Knivstikkersmauet'' ("knife stabber alley"). He was an employee of the postal service, and a former servant Ulrik Fredrik Gyldenløve, and one of few Africans of the time living in Norway, whose identity is known.

Geography

Kragerø is the southernmost municipality in Telemark. To the southwest, it borders the municipality of

Risør is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located on the Skagerrak coast in the traditional region of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of Risør municipality is the town of Risør. There are many villages in Risør such as Akland, ...

(in Aust-Agder county); to the west is Gjerstad (also in Aust-Agder county); to the northwest is Drangedal; and to the northeast is

Bamble Bamble is a municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Langesund. General information Name The Old Norse form of the na ...

. Kragerø is popular among Norwegians (as well as foreigners) as a vacation destination during the summer, when the population swells considerably (approx. 250% increase).

Villages

Villages in Kragerø include Helle, Sannidal, Skåtøy, Stråholmen, Jomfruland, and Portør.

Notable residents

Anton Martin Schweigaard Anton Martin Schweigaard (11 April 1808 – 1 February 1870) was a Norwegian educator, jurist, economist and member of the Norwegian Parliament. Background Schweigaard was born at Kragerø in Telemark, Norway. He was one of three children of ...

(1808–1870), Norwegian jurist and economic reformer *

Nels Anderson Nels Anderson (July 31, 1889 – October 8, 1986) was an early American sociologist who studied hobos, urban culture, and work culture. Biography Anderson studied at the University of Chicago under Robert E. Park and Ernest Burgess, whose ...

(born 1828), member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

* Johan Christian Heuch (1838–1904) a Norwegian Bishop of the Diocese of Agder *

Theodor Kittelsen Theodor Severin Kittelsen (27 April 1857 – 21 January 1914) was a Norwegian artist. He is one of the most popular artists in Norway. Kittelsen became famous for his nature paintings, as well as for his illustrations of fairy tales and legend ...

(1857–1914), painter; also illustrated fairy tales, legends and trolls * Hans Daae (1865–1926) a Norwegian physician, military officer and sports official *

Johan Søhr Johan Olaus Søhr Member of the Royal Victorian Order, MVO (né Sørensen; 6 September 1867 – 1 January 1949) was a Norwegian jurist and police officer. Commonly known as Joh. Søhr. Personal life Søhr was born in Oterøy, Sannidal, as th ...

(1867–1949) a Norwegian jurist and police officer *

Thomas Krag Thomas Peter Krag (28 July 1868 – 13 March 1913) was a Norwegian novelist, playwright and writer of short stories. He was born in Kragerø, grew up in Kristiansand, and settled in Copenhagen. Some of his books were bestsellers in Denmark whe ...

(1868–1913) a Norwegian novelist, playwright and writer of short stories *

Samson Eitrem Samson Eitrem (28 December 1872 – 8 July 1966) was a Norwegian philologist, an expert in ancient literature, religion and magic. Personal life Eitrem was born in Kragerø to Samson Eitrem (1832–1923) and Anine Marie Nielsen, and he was a brot ...

(1872–1966) a philologist, expert in ancient literature, religion and magic * Edvard Amundsen (1873–1928) a Lutheran missionary in China and

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, Taman ...

and an explorer * Ronald Fangen (1895–1946) a novelist, playwright, psalmist, journalist and literary critic * Eugen Skjønberg (1889–1971) a Norwegian actor * Kirsten Heiberg (1907–1976) a Norwegian/German actress and singer * Else Heiberg (1910–1972) a Norwegian actress * Ole Myrvoll (1911–1988), professor of

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

, liberal politician,

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

* Carsten Hopstock (1924–2014) art historian, curator of

Norwegian Museum of Cultural History Norsk Folkemuseum (Norwegian Museum of Cultural History), at Bygdøy, Oslo, Norway, is a museum of cultural history with extensive collections of artifacts from all social groups and all regions of the country. It also incorporates a large op ...

* Alf Cranner (1936-2020) folk singer, lyricist and painter; lived in Kragerø from the 1960s * Robert Mood (born 1958),

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 ...

, Head of the

United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria The United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) was a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Syria, set up in 2012 as a result of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2043 in response to the Syrian Civil War. It was commanded by ...

(UNSMIS)

Sport

Olaf Ørvig Olaf Ørvig (born 26 November 1889 in Kragerø – died 25 June 1939 in Bergen) was a Norwegian sailor who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen ...

(1889–1939) a sailor, team gold medallist at the 1920 Summer Olympics * Knut Lundstrøm (born 1951), athlete, winter paralympian *

Geir Borgan Paulsen Geir Borgan Paulsen (born 9 April 1957) is a Norwegian weightlifter and IFBB Pro bodybuilder active in the 1990s. His highest placings in professional bodybuilding were at the 1991 Night of the Champions on New York, placing third, and at the Mas ...

(born 1957), IFBB Pro bodybuilder *

Preben Fjære Brynemo Preben Fjære Brynemo (born 14 August 1977) is a Norwegian Nordic combined skier. He was born in Porsgrunn and represented the club Sannidal IL. He competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Sa ...

(born 1977) a Nordic combined skier, competed at the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Kragerø:

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway *
Kragerø Municipality

Kragerø city

Gigapan from Kragerø
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kragero Municipalities of Vestfold og Telemark Cities and towns in Norway Populated places in Vestfold og Telemark Port cities and towns in Norway Port cities and towns of the North Sea Islands of Vestfold og Telemark