Haugesund () is a municipality on the North Sea 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 ...

county, Norway. While the population is greater in the neighboring Karmøy municipality, the main commercial and economic centre of the

Haugaland Haugaland or Haugalandet is a traditional district situated on the western coast of Norway. Haugaland is one of the 15 traditional districts located within the Vestlandet region. Geographically, Haugaland is a peninsula between Bømlafjorden in ...

region in northern Rogaland and southern Vestland is in Haugesund. The majority of the population of Haugesund lives in the Haugesund urban area in the municipality's southwest. The majority of the municipality outside this area is rural or undeveloped. The municipality is the 338th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Haugesund is the 28th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 37,444. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 6.7% over the previous 10-year period. The Haugesund urban area, which extends into the neighboring municipality of Karmøy, makes up about of the municipality. 8,884 people of the urban area live in Karmøy. Only about 1,000 residents of Haugesund municipality that live in the rural portion of the municipality.

Location

The town is situated on a strategically important sound, the Karmsundet, through which ships could pass without traversing heavy seas. In the early years, the coastal waters off Haugesund were a huge source of

herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, i ...

, and the town grew accordingly. Despite being barely a village back then, King Harald Fairhair lived at

Avaldsnes Avaldsnes is a village in Karmøy municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located on the northeastern part of the island of Karmøy, along the Karmsundet strait, just south of the town of Haugesund. The village was an ancient ...

, very close to the modern town of Haugesund. In the last decades, the town, like its neighbours, has been turning towards the petroleum industry, with the herring being long gone. During the last 20 years, the municipality has established its position as the main trading centre for the

region and southern parts of Vestland county. It has several relatively large shopping centres, however, this has led to a decline of the trade and shopping activity in the town centre. The Haugesund Region, a statistical metropolitan area, which consists of the municipalities Karmøy, Haugesund,

Tysvær Tysvær is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the Haugalandet region. The municipality is located on the Haugalandet peninsula on the northern side of the Boknafjorden, just east of the towns of Kopervik and Haugesund. Th ...

, Sveio and

Bokn Bokn is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Haugaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Føresvik, the only urban area in Bokn. Other villages in Bokn include Ars ...

, has a population of approximately 100,000 people (as of 2009).

History

Despite being a fairly young town, the areas surrounding Haugesund were lands of power during the Viking Age. Harald Fairhair was the first king of Norway. He had his home in

, also known as Homeland of the Viking Kings, only 8 km (4.9 mi) from the present town. After his death in c. 940, it is believed Fairhair was buried at Haraldshaugen, a burial mound adjacent to the Karmsundet strait. This site is the namesake of the town and municipality of Haugesund. The national monument at Haraldshaugen was raised in 1872, to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872. The Battle of Hafrsfjord has traditionally been regarded as when western Norway was unified under a single monarch for the first time. Karmoya-stolav

Haugesund has a strong historical bond to the sea and especially the

. In the earlier years, the coastal waters of Haugesund were a huge source for fishing

, and the town grew accordingly. The protective

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

s of Smedasund and Karmsund gave the town potential to grow in both fishing and shipping. Even to this day, Karmsund is one of Norway's busiest waterways. The town is still growing geographically even though the population has increased only moderately the last decade. Today the herring is long gone, and the town is turning more and more towards the petroleum industry, like its neighbouring town to the south,

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 ...

Municipal history

The urban village area of Haugesund (population: 1,066) was declared to be a " town" and it was separated from the surrounding municipality of Torvastad on 1 February 1855 to become a separate municipality of its own. On 1 January 1911, a small urban area of Skåre (population: 3,847) that directly abutted the town of Haugesund was transferred to Haugesund. On 1 January 1958, the remainder of the municipality of Skåre was merged with the town of Haugesund, creating a larger Haugesund municipality. On 1 January 1965, the island of

Vibrandsøy Vibrandsøy or Vibrandsøya is an island in Haugesund municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The island lies west of the densely built-up island of Hasseløy and northwest of the island of Risøy in the town of Haugesund. The island is now use ...

(population: 70) was transferred from Torvastad municipality to Haugesund.

Etymology

The town is named after the Haugesundet strait. The first element ( Hauge) goes back to the genitive plural of the Old Norse word ''haugr'' meaning hill or mound. The last element is ''sund'' meaning strait.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms for Haugesund was granted on 5 March 1930. They were designed by Hallvard Trætteberg. The arms are blue with three silver/white

seagull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...

s lined up vertically. The seagulls and blue color were chosen to represent the importance of the sea. These arms replaced the old coat of arms that were granted on 29 December 1862. The old arms showed three

barrels, an anchor, and three seagulls. The old arms showed the importance of herring fishing and processing in the town. The three barrels also represented the three parts of the municipality: the mainland and the islands of Hasseløy and Risøy. The new arms from 1930 removed the herring barrels due to the decline in the importance of that industry.

Geography and climate

Haugesund municipality has a coastline with the North Sea, however, the island of Karmøy and the archipelago of

Røvær Røvær is an island group in Haugesund Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The islands lie off the mainland shore about northwest of the town of Haugesund. There is regular express boat service between Røvær, the neighboring island of ...

shelter it from the rough waters of the ocean. The Karmsundet strait, located between Karmøy and Haugesund used to be very strategically important, since ships could pass without having to sail through heavy sea. Haugesund's city centre has a distinctive street layout, similar to those found in Kristiansand and Oslo. The municipality includes several islands. Risøy and Hasseløy are densely built, and connected to the mainland by bridges.

which lies further out and consists of a number of islands, is also populated and connected to the mainland by ferry.

and its neighboring islands are now mainly a recreational area.

Røværsholmen Lighthouse Røværsholmen Lighthouse ( no, Røværsholmen fyr) is a coastal lighthouse located in the Røvær islands in the municipality of Haugesund in Rogaland county, Norway. History The lighthouse was established in 1892 and automated in 1975. The light ...

sits just off the coast of the main

island. The lakes Vigdarvatnet and Stakkastadvatnet are located in the municipality. Haugesund has an oceanic climate (Cfb, marine west coast) with rainy winters and mild and pleasant summers. The all-time high was recorded July 2019, and the all-time low was set in January 2010 (extremes since 2003). The wettest time of year is autumn and winter, while April–July is the driest season. Haugesund Airport is situated in Karmøy municipality, about from the town of Haugesund, and it has been recording weather data since 1975.

Cityscape

The city hall, designed by

Gudolf Blakstad Gudolf Blakstad (19 May 1893 – 22 November 1985) was a Norwegian architect. He was noted for his work in the transition between neo-classicism and functionalism in Norwegian architecture. Biography Blakstad was born in Gjerpen, Norway. He ...

and

Herman Munthe-Kaas Herman Munthe-Kaas (25 May 1890 – 5 May 1977) was a Norwegian architect. He was primarily known for his functionalist building designs. Biography Munthe-Kaas was born at Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Marius William M ...

Haugesundsgate.JPG, Common street in Haugesund Haugesund2.jpg, Haugesund from the Risøy bridge Risøybrua sett fra Risøy.jpg, Risøybrua seen from Risøy. Photo: Knut Arne Gjertsen Haugesund1.jpg, Haugesund docks, with bridge to Risøy

Haugesund City Hall Haugesund City Hall is the city hall of Haugesund municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. History Funding for the city hall was donated in 1921 by shipping magnate Knut Knutsen (Knut Knutsen OAS) and his wife Elisabeth. In 1921 they donated 1 mi ...

was built in 1931, celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2006. The pink city hall, designed by

and

, is one of the finest neo-classical buildings in Norway, and has been elected the most beautiful building in Haugesund. It is also included in the new Norwegian edition of the game Monopoly after it was successful in a national vote. The building may not be altered in any way without permission from the national preservation agency. It overlooks the town square and a park which was inaugurated on 28 August 1949. During the last 20 years, the municipality has established its position as the main trading centre for the

region and southern parts of Vestland county. It has several relatively large shopping centres, however, this has led to a decline of the trade and shopping activity in the town centre. There are several churches in the town of Haugesund including Vår Frelsers Church, Udland Church,

Rossabø Church Rossabø Church ( no, Rossabø kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Haugesund Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the southern part of the town of Haugesund. It is the church for the Rossabø parish which i ...

, and

Skåre Church Skåre Church ( no, Skåre kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Haugesund Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the town of Haugesund. It is one of the two churches for the Skåre parish which is part of the ...

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Haugesund, 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 services, unemployment and other

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

, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the

Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court ( no, Haugaland og Sunnhordland tingrett) is a district court located in Vestland and Rogaland counties in Norway. This court is based at two different courthouses which are located in Haugesund and Leir ...

and the

Gulating Court of Appeal The Gulating Court of Appeal ( no, Gulating lagmannsrett) is one of six Court of appeal (Norway), courts of appeal in the Norway, Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Bergen (city), Bergen. The court has jurisdiction over the cou ...

Municipal council

The municipal council () of Haugesund is made up of 49 representatives that are elected every four years. The government is located at the

. The party breakdown is as follows:

Transport

Haugesund Airport, located on the island of Karmøy to the southwest of Haugesund in Karmøy municipality, has year-round flights to Oslo and

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

in addition to some seasonal and charter destinations. The Norwegian airline

Coast Air Coast Air AS was a regional airline based at Haugesund Airport, Karmøy in Norway. It was Norway's fourth largest airline and operated domestic services within Norway, in addition to international services. Routes were concentrated along the Wes ...

was based at Haugesund airport, but filed for bankruptcy on 23 January 2008. The European Route E39 bypasses Haugesund to the east, passing through

Aksdal Aksdal is the administrative centre of Tysvær municipality, Norway. The village is located on the northern shore of the large lake Aksdalsvatnet, at the junction of the European route E134 and European route E39 highways. The village of Førr ...

. The European Route E134 leads eastwards to Drammen outside Oslo. The bus station in Haugesund is located at Flotmyr on the east side of the downtown area. Long-distance bus services are available to Stavanger, Bergen, and Oslo. The local bus transport is operated by Vy Buss, on a contract with

Kolumbus :This article is about a transport agency. "Kolumbus" is also Elisa's GSM brand. Kolumbus AS, formerly Rogaland Kollektivtrafikk FKF, is the public transportation administration in Rogaland, Norway and organised as a county agency. The agency is r ...

. The town is connected to the island of Utsira by car ferry, and to the islands of

and

Feøy Feøy is a small island group in Karmøy municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The island group lies west of the town of Haugesund and the island of Karmøy, southeast of the islands of Røvær, and northeast of the island of Utsira. The i ...

by passenger ferry. Until 2008, the

Newcastle–Bergen–Stavanger ferry The United Kingdom to Norway ferry service was a route connecting Newcastle in England with Stavanger, Bergen, and Haugesund in Norway. It existed for over 140 years until 2008, when it was last operated by DFDS Seaways. Between 2010 and 2015 the ...

operated here as well.

Healthcare

Haugesund Hospital Haugesund () is a municipality on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. While the population is greater in the neighboring Karmøy municipality, the main commercial and economic centre of the Haugaland region in northern Rogaland and southern ...

provides specialist health services to around 180,000 inhabitants in North Rogaland, Sunnhordland, Hardanger and Ryfylke. The hospital offers services in both medicine and surgery, radiology / X-ray, childbirth / maternity, gynecology and fertility, habilitation and specialized treatment in mental health care. There are also more than 10 public and private health centers in the municipality for either general or specialized care, including the

Privatsykehuset Haugesund Private Hospital (Norwegion: Privatsykehuset) Haugesund is a private hospital located in Haugesund 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 t ...

Culture

Haugesund is the main cultural centre for its region, and is home to several festivals, the largest being the Norwegian International Film Festival and Sildajazz, an international jazz festival with approximately 70 bands and close to 200 concerts. Every August, The Norwegian Trad-jazz festival, the '' Sildajazz'' is held. Both local and international musicians are presented at the Sildajazz. In the summer of 2004, the annual rock festival, ""RockFest"" started. It attracted local, national and international pop and rock bands, such as

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

, Madcon,

DumDum Boys DumDum Boys are a Norwegian rock band from Trondheim. They are one of the most successful Norwegian rock acts of all time, and are considered one of the "four great" bands who popularized modern rock with Norwegian lyrics in the mid-to-late 1980s ...

and

Kaizers Orchestra Kaizers Orchestra is a Norwegian alternative rock band formed on 1 January 2000. They are notable for being among the first non-black metal Norwegian artists singing in their native language to become popular beyond Scandinavia. In 2012, the gr ...

. The festival started as a part of the celebration of Haugesund's 150 year anniversary. In 2009, the last Rockfest was held, and got replaced by a new concept in 2010; Haugesund Live. Haugesund Live is a series of individual concerts, and has featured bands such as The Baseballs, Kim Larsen and

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...

. The Norwegian International Film Festival has since 1973 been held in Haugesund, premiering and showing international and Norwegian films. The Amanda Award, Norway's variation of the Oscars, has been held in Haugesund since 1985 in concurrence with the film festival.

Haugesunds Avis ''Haugesunds Avis'' is a daily newspaper published in Haugesund, Norway, but with branches in Bømlo, Kopervik, Odda, Sauda and Stord. Founded in 1895, it is today owned by the investment group Mecom Group, and is as such part of the media group ...

is a daily newspaper published in Haugesund, but with branches in Bømlo, Kopervik,

Odda Odda () is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1913 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county. It was located in southeastern Hordaland c ...

, Sauda and Stord. Founded in 1895, it is today owned by the investment group Mecom Group, and is as such part of the

media group A media conglomerate, media group, or media institution is a company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises, such as music, television, radio, publishing, film, motion pictures, theme parks, or the Internet. According t ...

Edda Media. In 2006, Haugesunds Avis had a circulation of 33 448. As of 2007, the executive editor is Tonny Nundal. The newspaper owns the local radio channel ''Radio 102''.

Churches

The

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

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

Haugaland prosti This list of churches in Rogaland is a list of the Church of Norway churches in Rogaland county, Norway. The churches are all part of the Diocese of Stavanger. The diocese is based at the Stavanger Cathedral in the city of Stavanger. The list ...

(

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 Stavanger The Diocese of Stavanger ( no, Stavanger bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers all of Rogaland county in western Norway. The cathedral city is Stavanger, where the Stavanger Cathedral is located. The bishop is Anne Li ...

Education

The main campus of

Stord/Haugesund University College Stord/Haugesund University College (HSH), Norwegian: Høgskolen Stord/Haugesund) was a medium sized state university college in Norway before it was merged with Bergen University College and Sogn og Fjordane University College to becomHVL.The uni ...

is located in Haugesund. Established in 1994, it is the result of the merger between ''Haugesund Nursing College'', ''Stord Teachers College'', and ''Stord Nursing College''. The university college has approximately 2700 students and 260 employees, thus making it one of the smallest university colleges in Norway. The county of Rogaland operates four high schools in Haugesund. The schools Skeisvang and Vardafjell prepare pupils for further for college or university studies. The schools Haugaland and Karmsund are vocational high schools. In addition, the private Haugesund Toppidrettsgymnas has a sports-oriented high school program. The municipality has seven pure elementary schools of grades 1 to 7 (Saltveit, Gard, Austrheim, Solvang, Lillesund, Rossabø, and Brakahaug), two pure middle schools of grades 8 to 10 (Haraldsvang and Håvåsen) and three grade 1 to 10 schools (Hauge, Røvær, and Skåredalen). In addition, the Breidablik school offers elementary and middle school courses to new foreigners and refugees. The two private schools are Steinerskolen offering a Waldorf education program, and Danielsen, a Christian school offering courses for grades 8 and 9.

Sports

Football (soccer)

The strongest local football team is FK Haugesund that has stayed in the Norwegian Premier League since 2010. The team plays its home matches at

Haugesund Stadion Haugesund Stadion, currently named Haugesund Sparebank Arena for sponsorship purposes, is a soccer-specific stadium in Haugesund, Norway. Haugesund Stadion is the home ground of Eliteserien team FK Haugesund and 2. divisjon team SK Vard Haugesun ...

. Other local football teams are

Vard Haugesund Sportsklubben Vard Haugesund is a Norwegian football club located in Haugesund. The team currently plays in the 2. divisjon after being promoted from the 3. divisjon in 2019. The team reached the Norwegian Football Cup finals in 1962 and 1975. ...

Djerv 1919 Sportsklubben Djerv 1919 is an association football club located in Haugesund, Norway, established in 1919. The first team plays in the 3. divisjon, the fourth tier of Norwegian football, after being promoted from the 4. divisjon in 2018. Hist ...

and SK Haugar.

Other sports

Haugesund IL Haugesund Idrettslag is a Norwegian athletics club from Haugesund, founded in 1906. Its most prominent members are long-distance runners Susanne Wigene, Karl Johan Rasmussen and Bente Landøy as well as jumpers Eugen Haugland, Terje Haugland an ...

, athletics. *

Haugesund Seagulls The Haugesund Seagulls are an ice hockey team in Haugesund, 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 ...

, ice hockey * Haugesund Turnforening, gymnastics

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Haugesund has sister city agreements with the following places: * Ekenäs, Uusimaa, Finland *

Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of E ...

, Lower Saxony, Germany * Søllerød, Hovedstaden, Denmark * Ystad,

Skåne Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne C ...

, Sweden Each of the sister cities (with exception of Emden) has given its name to a street in Haugesund. The streets are located in the same area near the border to the neighbouring municipality.

Notable people

Eivind Nielsen Eivind Nielsen (18 June 186413 July 1939) was a Norwegian painter, illustrator and teacher. He was born at Haugesund in Rogaland, Norway. He was the son of Byfogd Martin Nielsen (1823-1899) and Caroline Emilie Petersen (1830-1898). Nielsen was a ...

(1864–1939) a Norwegian painter and illustrator of children's books *

Egil Eide Egil Næss Eide (24 August 1868 – 13 December 1946) was a Norwegian silent film actor and director. He appeared in eighteen films between 1913 and 1935, and worked at the National Theatre between 1899 and 1939. Career He was born in Hau ...

(1868–1946) a silent film actor and director *

Henrik Børseth Henrik Børseth (30 April 1885 – 18 September 1970) was a Norwegian actor. He was born in Haugesund, and was married to actress Aagot Børseth. He made his stage debut at Det Norske Teatret in 1914, and was assigned to Nationaltheatret in Oslo ...

(1885–1970) a Norwegian actor * Ellen Sinding (1899–1980) a Norwegian actress and dancer *

Tollak B. Sirnes Tollak Bakke Sirnes (17 October 1922 – 15 October 2009) was a Norwegian physician, psychiatrist and pharmacologist. Sirnes was born in Haugesund, and had eleven siblings of whom ten were older. He finished his secondary education in Hauges ...

(1922–2009) a physician, psychiatrist and pharmacologist *

Olle Johan Eriksen Olle Johan Eriksen (12 August 1923 – 26 March 1999) was a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party. He was born in Haugesund. Eriksen, who belonged to Rogaland, was never elected directly to the Norwegian Parliament but served as a d ...

(1923–1999) politician, Mayor of Haugesund 1970's *

Odd Langholm Odd Langholm (born 8 November 1928) is a Norwegian economist and historian of economic thought. He spent his entire academic career at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, being a professor from 1966 to 1998. Personal l ...

(born 1928) an economist and historian of economic thought *

Jacob Stolt-Nielsen Jacob Stolt-Nielsen Jr. (12 May 1931 – 15 February 2015) was a Norwegian entrepreneur. The founder of Stolt-Nielsen Limited, he is widely credited as the creator of the parcel tanker concept. He also pioneered and built successful businesses in ...

(1931–2015) entrepreneur, founded Stolt-Nielsen, a parcel tanker firm * Hanne Krogh (born 1956) singer and actress, won the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 *

Jon Fosse Jon Olav Fosse (born 29 September 1959) is a Norwegian author and dramatist. Biography Jon Fosse was born in Haugesund, Norway. A serious accident at age seven brought him close to death; the experience significantly influenced his adulthood wr ...

(born 1959) is a Norwegian author and dramatist * Turid Birkeland (1962–2015) a cultural executive and former politician *

Steffen Kverneland Steffen Kverneland (born 14 January 1963) is a Norwegian illustrator and comics writer. He was born in Haugesund, and settled in Oslo from 1987. He has specialized on creating comics series based on classical literature. Among his early albums ar ...

(born 1963) a Norwegian illustrator and comics writer * Kjetil Steensnæs (born 1976) jazz musician, plays guitar, dobro and banjo * Captain Frodo (born 1976) a

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

breaking contortionist, lives in Australia *

Gunhild Stordalen Gunhild Anker Stoldalen (née Melhus, born 15 January 1979) is a Norwegian physician and environmental advocate. She is the founder and executive chair of EAT Foundation, the co-founder and chair of the philanthropic Stordalen Foundation, the fo ...

(born 1979) a Norwegian physician and environmental advocate *

Susanne Sundfør Susanne Aartun Sundfør ( (local Haugesund dialect; ʉˈsɑ̀nːə ˈɔ̀ʈːʉːn ˈsʉ̀nføːrin Urban East ("standard") Norwegian); born 19 March 1986) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Haugesund, Su ...

(born 1986) a singer-songwriter and record producer Marilyn Monroe sculpture, Haugesund

US emigrants

* Gunvald Aus (1851–1950) an engineer, built the Woolworth Building in NYC *

Hannah Kallem Hannah A. Kallem (August 18, 1865 — June 16, 1937) was a Norwegian-born American army nurse. Early life Hannah A. Kallem was born in Haugesund, Norway, the daughter of Samuel Kallem and Anne Serina Nedrebøe Kallem. She moved to the United State ...

(1865-1937) American Army nurse, served in the Spanish–American War * Martin Edward Mortensen (1897–1981) the son of an emigrant from the village of Skjold near Haugesund, was listed as father on Monroe's birth certificate. A statue of Marilyn Monroe by

Nils Aas Nils Sigurd Aas (21 April 1933 – 10 February 2004) was a Norwegian sculptor. He was one of the most prominent artists in modern Norwegian sculpture and is particularly well known for his statue of Haakon VII, located in the June Seventh Squar ...

stands in the harbour of Haugesund. *

Sigmund R. Petersen Rear Admiral Sigmund R. Petersen (born ? ) is a retired career officer who served in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps, its successor, the Environmental Science Services Administration Corps (ESSA Corps), and the ESSA Corps's succ ...

(born ca.1940) emigrated in 1948 to the United States and became a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

and fourth Director of the

NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, known informally as the NOAA Corps, is one of eight federal uniformed services of the United States, and operates under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administ ...

Sport

Stig Traavik Stig Ingemar Traavik (born 19 December 1967 in Haugesund) is a Norwegian civil servant and diplomat. He is currently a Special Envoy for the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment. He has worked with venture capital and renewable energy ...

(born 1967) a former judoka at

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

and diplomat. * Egil Østenstad (born 1972) former footballer with 334 club caps and 18 for Norway * Trygve Nygaard (born 1975) a retired footballer with over 300 club caps *

Kenneth Høie Kenneth Høie (born 11 September 1979) is a Norwegian former professional 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 t ...

(born 1979) a former football goalkeeper with 330 club caps *

Svein Oddvar Moen Svein Oddvar Moen (born 22 January 1979) is a Norwegian Referee (association football), football referee. He took up refereeing in 1995, and made his debut in the Eliteserien in 2003. He represents SK Haugar. Career He was selected to officiate ...

(born 1979) a Norwegian football referee *

Susanne Wigene Susanne Wigene (born 12 February 1978 in Haugesund) is a Norwegian middle and long distance runner who specializes in the 5000 and 10,000 metres. She also competes over the 1500, 3000 and 3000 m steeplechase distances. She won the silver meda ...

(born 1978) a middle and long-distance runner *

Christian Grindheim Christian Grindheim (born 17 July 1983) is a Norwegian retired professional footballer who last played as a midfielder for Eliteserien club FK Haugesund. Grindheim is known as a hardworking midfielder with tough tackling and powerful shots. He ...

(born 1983) a retired footballer with 530 club caps and 54 for Norway *

Tor Arne Andreassen Tor Arne Andreassen (born 16 March 1983 in Haugesund) is a Norwegian former footballer who played in defence and midfield for Haugesund Haugesund () is a municipality on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. While the population is greate ...

(born 1983) former footballer, played 334 games with FK Haugesund *

Alexander Søderlund Alexander Toft Søderlund (born 3 August 1987) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Haugesund. He has represented the Norway national team. Club career After playing for Stegaberg IL in his youth, Søderlund played ...

(born 1987) a footballer with over 300 club caps and 32 for Norway *

Sven Erik Bystrøm Sven Erik Bystrøm (born 21 January 1992, in Haugesund) is a Norwegian road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He was the 2014 Under-23 World Road Race Champion. He signed with the Continental level in 2012. He signed for ...

(born 1992) a Norwegian road bicycle racer

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every yea ...

* *
Tourist information (English, German and Norwegian language)Municipality website (Norwegian language)Haugalandet.net
{{use dmy dates, date=June 2020 Municipalities of Rogaland 1855 establishments in Norway