Risør Municipality

General information

Administrative history

The kjøpstad of Risør was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1901, a small part of the neighboring Søndeled Municipality (population: 658) was transferred into Risør Municipality.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Søndeled Municipality (population: 3,134) was dissolved and merged with Risør Municipality (population: 3,002) to form an enlarged Risør Municipality. On 1 January 1984, the uninhabited Folevatnet area of neighboring Tvedestrand Municipality was transferred to Risør Municipality.

In 2020, there were many municipal and county mergers across Norway due to the work of the Solberg cabinet. Historically, this municipality was part of the old Aust-Agder county. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly-formed Agder county (after Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder counties were merged).

On 1 January 2025, the 9.5-square-kilometre (3.7 sq mi) Røysland area (population: 100) was transferred from Risør Municipality to the neighboring Tvedestrand Municipality.

Name

The town and municipality is named after the small island of Risøya which is located on the sea, just off the coast of the town. The name likely comes from the Old Norse name Ríseyjar. The first element is rís which means "thicket" or "brush". The last element is eyjar which means "islands". The relatively more modern Danish language version of eyjar is øer, hence the current spelling of "Risør". The old name of the town (prior to 1909) was Øster Riisöer or Østerrisør (with øster meaning "eastern" Risør). After 1909, it was simply called Risør. The prefix was added in the 16th century to distinguish this town from the town of Vesterrisør, the old name of the nearby town of Mandal. After Vesterrisør was renamed Mandal, the prefix was dropped as it was no longer needed.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 18 July 1891. The blazon is "Azure, per fess a rocky island sable with lighthouse and two stars argent over barry wavy azure and argent". This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a black rocky island coming out of blue waves with a lighthouse on the island and two stars in the sky. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms often have a mural crown over the shield. 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.

The municipal flag does not has the same design as the coat of arms. The blue flag has one white star in the top left corner and three jagged horizontal white stripes.

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within Risør Municipality. It is part of the Aust-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

History

The village of Risør was a small fishing village in the prestegjeld of Søndeled when Dutch vessels began to call there to purchase timber 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 kjøpstad as a 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 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 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 (now in the neighboring Tvedestrand Municipality) that several British warships, headed by HMS Dictator of the English navy pursued and sank the last major vessel and the pride of Norway: the frigate HDMS Najaden.

Geography

Risør is the easternmost coastal municipality in Agder county, located on the peninsula between the mouths of the Søndeledfjorden and Sandnesfjorden, providing ready access to the Skagerrak. The highest point in the municipality is the 244.26-metre (801.4 ft) tall mountain Espehaugen in the western part of the municipality. The Nordfjorden is a branch of the Søndeledfjorden that flows to the north of the large island of Barmen. Risør Municipality is bordered to the southwest by Tvedestrand Municipality, to the northwest by Vegårshei Municipality and Gjerstad Municipality, and to the northeast by Kragerø Municipality in Telemark county.

Government

Risør Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Agder District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Risør Municipality is made up of 29 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Risør Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:

Politics

In the 2007 municipal elections, Risør had the highest vote for the Red Electoral Alliance 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.

Transportation

Risør is located along the Skagerrak coast. The Stangholmen Lighthouse sits just offshore, marking a shipping channel leading to the town harbour. The European route E18 highway runs along the western edge of the municipality. The Norwegian County Road 416 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.

Economy

Risør Municipality historically depended on shipping and industrial industries. 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 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 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.

Risør Underwater Post Office, is established in 2004.

Notable people

Isak Lauritssøn Falck (1601–1669), a land-owner and timber merchant who developed the growing town of Risør

Christian Jensen Lofthuus (1750-1797), a peasant who led a revolt in 1786 called Lofthusreisingen

Henrik Carstensen (1753–1835), a timber merchant, shipowner, rep. Norwegian Constituent Assembly

Carsten Henrik Bruun (1828–1907), a shipmaster of whaling vessels, also involved in sealing

Nikolai Prebensen (1850–1938), a politician and County Governor of Finnmark & Aust-Agder

Dikken Zwilgmeyer (1853–1913), a fiction writer of children's literature

Isak Martinius Skaugen (1875–1962), a sea captain who founded I. M. Skaugen a shipping co.

Ove Ansteinsson (1884–1942), a journalist and author

Per Sunderland (1924–2012), a stage and film actor

Victor D. Norman (born 1946), a politician & professor of economy and rector at NHH

Carl Magnus Neumann (born 1944), a jazz saxophonist who lived in Risør starting in 2000

Knut Henning Thygesen (born 1953), an author, politician, and mayor of Risør in 2007

Erik Mykland (born 1971), a footballer with 371 club caps and 78 for Norway