Rakkestad is a

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

Østfold Østfold () is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Østfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other ...

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

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 administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rakkestad. It is divided into the parishes of Rakkestad,

Degernes Degernes is a village and parish in Rakkestad municipality in Østfold county, Norway. History Rakkestad was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). It was divided into the parishes of Rakkestad, Degernes, a ...

, and Os. The municipality is the county's second largest by area and one of Norway's largest

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

areas. Rakkestad was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () was the name of a Norwegian self-governing municipality. The name was used from the establishment these municipalities in 1838 until the name fell out of use in 1863. The municipalities had their legal basis from two laws enacted on 14 Jan ...

). Degernes was separated from Rakkestad as a municipality of its own on 1 January 1917, but it was merged back into Rakkestad on 1 January 1964. Rakkestad has a civil airport,

Rakkestad Airport, Aastorp Rakkestad is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rakkestad. It is divided into the parishes of Rakkestad, Degernes, and Os, Øst ...

General information

Name

The municipality (originally the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

) is named after the old ''Rakkestad'' farm (

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

: ''Rakkastaðir''). The first element is the

genitive case In grammar, the genitive case ( abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive ca ...

of the Norse male name (nickname) ''Rakki'' and the last element is ''staðir'' meaning " homestead" or "

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

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 last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achiev ...

is from modern times. They were granted on 11 July 1975. The arms symbolize the fact that the main source of income in Rakkestad is

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. It shows a line of

clover Clovers, also called trefoils, are plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversit ...

-shapes yellow on top and green on the bottom. The two lower leaves are symbols for the farming and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

, and the upper symbolize the newer industries, trade, and crafts. The three standing clovers also represent the three parishes of the municipality: Rakkestad, Degernes and Os.

Industry

Farming and forestry have always been important for settling and employment in Rakkestad. As a consequence the principal industries are growing

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...

, raising cattle, and

dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...

. Rakkestad has also developed a diversified economy based on agriculture and forestry such as

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, Eggs as food, eggs or feathers. The practice of animal husbandry, raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typ ...

slaughterhouse In livestock agriculture and the meat industry, a slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (), is a facility where livestock animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a mea ...

and egg packing station, grain silo and mill, woodworking factories and agricultural machinery retailers. Traditional mechanical industry has developed into advanced technical industry directed towards the process, maritime, and offshore industry.

Nature

Rakkestad's large areas of rolling, wooded hills offer excellent year round recreational and leisure opportunities. There are marked forest paths for

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

and

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

Hunting

Rakkestad municipality offers

small game Game or quarry is any wild animal hunted for animal products (primarily meat), for recreation (" sporting"), or for trophies. The species of animals hunted as game varies in different parts of the world and by different local jurisdictions, t ...

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

as well as roe deer hunting in the municipal forests, which cover about . There are possibilities for farm lodging as well as cabin lodging.

Fishing

Landowners, angling clubs, and others put much work into cultivating waters and lakes to ensure good

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

. Most lakes are limed each year, with support from the government. Fry and fingerlings are also re-stocked annually. Where the cultivation is carried out with governmental funding, the fishing shall be available for all, either by free fishing or through open information about fishing licence and opportunities. In Rakkestad more than 20 species of freshwater fish are registered. Many of these species lives in the Rakkestad River. The river

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the Channel (geography), channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erosion, erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank (cut bank, cut bank or river cl ...

s its way along, mainly through farmland, providing excellent river fishing for pike, roach, and

perch Perch is a common name for freshwater fish from the genus ''Perca'', which belongs to the family Percidae of the large order Perciformes. The name comes from , meaning the type species of this genus, the European perch (''P. fluviatilis'') ...

. Rakkestad is bordered to the west by River

Glomma The Glomma or Glåma is Norway's longest and most voluminous river. With a total length of , it has a drainage basin that covers 13% of Norway's surface area, all in the southern part of the country. Geography At its fullest length, the river r ...

, Norway's largest river. At Sutern in Os there is an outdoor recreation area equipped with toilet, open shelters, and areas for making a campfire. You can fish for 26 different species from a small jetty or from land along the river. Fishing licence for the area can be obtained fróm self-service boxes along the river. In the Rakkestad Hills a number of small lakes offer the angler to fish in sheltered solitude. Although the pursuit of the large trout draws a number of anglers to the lakes, you will only occasionally happen to meet fellow anglers. Most lakes can be reached by a short walk from the car. Some of the forest roads are private and one has to pay a small fee in a self-service box, normally about

NOK Nok is a village in Jaba, Nigeria, Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. The village is an archeological site. Archaeology The discovery of terracotta figurines at this location caused its name to be used for the Nok culture, ...

20. Fishing licences can be obtained in the same place. Normal price for the fishing licence is about NOK 40 for 24 hours or NOK 200 for a year.

Settlements

Ytterskogen

Ytterskogen is located in the agricultural area south of Rakkestad village and halfway to Ise. Ytterskog is also a

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the rea ...

Degernes

Degernes is a village and parish.

Attractions

Rakkestad Church

Rakkestad Church (''Rakkestad kirke'') is a medieval era church. It was built ca. 1200. The Church is of

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

style with rectangular ships and narrower and elongated choir. The building material is stone and brick. Rakkestad Church is first mentioned in written sources in 1370. In 1875, the church was extended with the sanctuary arch demolished and a new tower erected. The parish belongs to the Østre Borgesyssel deanery in the Diocese of Borg.

Linnekleppen fire lookout tower

A visit to the

fire lookout tower A fire lookout tower, fire tower, or lookout tower is a tower that provides housing and protection for a person known as a " fire lookout", whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. It is a small building, usually on the summit ...

on Linnekleppen is recommended. Located at one of the highest peaks in the county it overlooks the whole county, parts of neighbouring counties, and parts of Sweden. It is staffed by a human

fire lookout A fire lookout (sometimes also called a fire watcher) is a person assigned the duty to look for fire from atop a building known as a fire lookout tower. These towers are used in remote areas, normally on mountain tops with high elevation and ...

during summer months, when there is a higher fire risk. First established in 1908, it is the only currently active fire lookout tower in

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other ge ...

Rudskogen Motorsenter

Rudskogen Motorsenter is the oldest asphalt racing ground in Norway opened in 1990. In 2006, the government decided to make Rudskogen Motorsenter the main centre for

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

and

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

sport. The aim is to develop the centre to be a flexible facility where capacity can be increased and several different activities can be conducted simultaneously. In co-operation with Borg MC, Sarpsborg and Rakkestad municipalities Rudskogen Motorsenter will offer an environment for almost every series in automobile and motorcycle sport.

Notable people

* Dina Aschehoug (1861 in Rakkestad – 1956) a Norwegian painter of interiors and portraits *

Helga Eng Helga Kristine Eng (31 May 1875 – 26 May 1966) was a Norwegian psychologist and educationalist. She was the third woman to receive a doctor's degree in Norway, and the first to do so in psychology. Early life and education She was born in Rakke ...

(1875 in Rakkestad – 1966) a psychologist, the third woman to receive a doctor's degree in Norway * Odd Steinar Holøs (1922 in Rakkestad – 2001) a politician, Mayor of Rakkestad, 1955 to 1967 *

John Thune John Randolph Thune ( ; born January 7, 1961) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Dakota, a seat he has held since 2005. A Republican, Thune has been the Senate majority leader and Senate Republica ...

(born 1948) a politician, Mayor of Rakkestad, 1999 to 2007

Gallery

File:Rakkestad sentum.jpg, Rakkestad sentum File:Haugaard kraftverk.JPG, Haugaard kraftverk File:Rakkestad prestegård fra RA.jpg, Rakkestad prestegård File:Linnekleppen 2014.jpg, Linnekleppen

References

External links

Rakkestad kirke

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway (, 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 year on its web site. All rele ...

* {{authority control Municipalities of Østfold Villages in Østfold