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, Bossvika, Fie, Hødnebø, Krabbesund, Moen, Nipe, Røysland, Sandnes, Sivik, Søndeled, and Stamsøy.
The municipality is the 309th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Risør Municipality is the 149th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of . The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 3.4% over the previous 10-year period.
Risør Municipality is a tourist destination, and the surrounding area includes many small lakes and hills. Together with its coastline, the municipality is known for its tourist attractions such as the wooden boat festival which is staged during the first week of August every year. It also has a growing reputation as the regional capital of arts and crafts, which culminates in the "Villvin-festival" during the summer holiday.
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: ) 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: ) was dissolved and merged with Risør Municipality (population: ) 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 Røysland area (population: ) 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 . The first element is which means "thicket" or "brush". The last element is 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 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 () within Risør Municipality. It is part of the Aust-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.
Churches in Risør MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtRisørFrydendal ChurchRisør1879Risør ChurchRisør1647SøndeledSøndeled ChurchSøndeled
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 of the English navy pursued and sank the last major vessel and the pride of Norway: the frigate HDMS Najaden.
On 1 January 1838, the new formannskapsdistrikt law came into effect, granting each parish and town in Norway the rights to have a self-governing council. Thus, Risør was a small town with a council to run it.
Risør was almost wiped off the map in 1861. A great fire swept across the small town leaving just 85 houses and the 1647 Risør Church. The entire road network was re-worked after the fire to remove the small streets and alleys and have wider roads that are there today. The city was redesigned and rebuilt and today it presents a positive impression of a well kept town with white, wooden houses. White was chosen because it was an expensive paint and the residents wanted to give an expression of prosperity. Still today, most houses have white paint, although some have other colors on the sides and back of their houses.
By the second half of the 19th century, over 100 sailing vessels were based at their home port in Risør and more than 1,000 sailors called Risør home. The transition to steamships and the economic damage of World War I, however, destroyed Risør's shipping industry.
On 1 January 1901, an area of the neighboring Søndeled Municipality (population: 658) was transferred to the city, greatly expanding Risør. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the town of Risør (population: 3,002) and the entire municipality of Søndeled (population: 3,134) were merged to form a new, much larger municipality of Risør, with the town being the administrative centre.
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 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 () 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 () of Risør Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1837–1838: Niels Peter Bøyesen 1838–1839: Hans Eilert Steenfeldt 1839–1840: Rev. Ulrik Bugge 1841–1844: Frederik Christian Hagemann 1845–1845: Jacob Wetlesen Prebensen 1846–1846: Severin Vincent Heiberg Segelcke 1847–1847: Rev. Johan Dürendahl 1848–1848: Severin Vincent Heiberg Segelcke 1849–1849: Robert Nicolai Hornemann 1850–1850: Peter Holm 1851–1851: Jacob Wetlesen Prebensen 1852–1854: Peter Holm 1855–1858: Morten Kjersig Brogaard 1859–1859: Dr. Henrik Scheen 1859–1859: Rolf Olsen 1860–1860: Anders Olsen Huseland 1861–1861: Johan Christian Steen 1862–1866: Jacob Wetlesen Prebensen 1867–1867: Hans Bang 1868–1868: Johan Olivarius Horn 1868–1869: Johannes Henrik Aas Horn 1870–1870: Ole Halvorsen Neergaard 1871–1876: Peder Christian Bjørnsgaard 1877–1879: Søren Hess Lem Hille 1880–1880: Halfdan Torp 1880–1909: Jacob Christian Wetlesen Prebensen 1910–1910: Ole Petter Ohlsen 1911–1913: Anders Grasaas 1914–1916: Ole Petter Ohlsen 1917–1919: Anders Grasaas 1920–1921: Fritz Smith Prebensen 1922–1922: Andreas Hansson (V) 1923–1923: Fritz Smith Prebensen 1924–1927: Mathias J. Nervik 1928–1929: Anders Grasaas 1930–1930: Rolf Bergendahl 1931–1932: Anders Grasaas 1933–1934: Thomas Juell 1935–1937: Rolf Bergendahl 1938–1939: Alexander Prebensen 1940–1940: Harald Bjørseth 1941–1942: Johannes Kringlebotn (NS) 1943–1945: Nils Lønningdahl (NS) 1945–1945: Harald Bjørseth 1945–1947: Alexander Prebensen 1948–1950: Nils Grasaas 1951–1951: Leif Juell 1952–1952: Mathias Nervik 1953–1955: Olaf Larsen 1956–1957: Mathias Nervik 1958–1959: Arne Myhrvold 1960–1963: Mads Victor Norman (H) 1964–1967: Jakob Vik 1968–1979: Mads Victor Norman (H) 1979–1983: Kittil Røysland (H) 1983–1987: Odd Moen (KrF) 1987–1995: Laila Amalie Skarheim (Ap) 1995–2007: Lars Sæland Lauvhjell (Sp) 2007–2011: Knut Henning Thygesen (R) 2011–2023: Per Kristian Lunden (Ap) 2023–present: Kai Strat (H)
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.Ftenposten article on the election
Transportation