Kragerø is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

that is the

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of Kragerø Municipality in

Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...

county,

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

. The town is located on the shore of the Kilsfjord, about to the southeast of the villages of

Vadfoss Vadfoss is a village in Kragerø Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The village is located along the river Kammerfosselva, about midway betweenthe villages of Helle to the east and Kil to the west. It is also close to the town of Krager ...

and Helle. Kragerø Church is located in the town centre. The town has a population (2022) of 5,366 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

of .

History

Kragerø is located at the end of a peninsula between the Kilsfjorden and Hellefjorden. The peninsula to the south, the island of Skåtøy, and several other large islands provide for a sheltered harbor for the town. By the 1500, this area began to grow up as an important harbour for shipping timber from the vast forests of

. In 1666, the village was established as a

kjøpstad A (historically ''kjøbstad'', ''kjöbstad'', or ''kaupstad'', from ) is an old Scandinavian term for a "market town" in Denmark–Norway for several hundred years. Kjøpstads were places of trade and exporting materials (e.g. timber, flour, iron ...

, giving it "town" rights. The town's business life was characterized by timber exports, shipping, and

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

from then until the end of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Kragerø was one of Norway's largest shipping towns in the latter half of the 19th century. In addition to timber, later came shipping of wood pulp and products from quarries in the upland.

1694 murder

On 17 August 1694, Christian Hansen Ernst was killed at the present-day ''Knivstikkersmauet'' ("knife stabber alley"). He was an employee of the

postal service The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sy ...

, and a former servant of Ulrik Fredrik Gyldenløve. He was one of few

Africans The ethnic groups of Africa number in the thousands, with each ethnicity generally having their own language (or dialect of a language) and culture. The ethnolinguistic groups include various Afroasiatic, Khoisan, Niger-Congo, and Nilo-Sahara ...

of the time living in Norway, whose identity is known.

References

External links

Map of the town of Kragerø in 1900
{{use dmy dates, date=August 2023 Kragerø Cities and towns in Norway Populated places in Telemark 1666 establishments in Norway Port cities and towns in Norway Port cities and towns of the North Sea

History

1694 murder

See also

References

External links