- Flekkefjord
Infobox_Kommune
name = Flekkefjord
county = Vest-Agder
idnumber = 1004
landscape = Sørlandet
capital = Flekkefjord
demonym = Flekkefjæring
language =Bokmål
munwebpage = www.flekkefjord.kommune.no
governor = Sigmund Krosslid (KrF)
governor_as_of = 2003
arearank = 197
area = 539
arealand = 482
areapercent = 0.17
population_as_of = 2004
populationrank = 118
population = 8,918
populationpercent = 0.19
populationdensity = 19
populationincrease = 2.4
lat_deg = 58 | lat_min = 19 | lat_sec = 38 | lon_deg = 6 | lon_min = 40 | lon_sec = 0
utm_zone = 32V | utm_northing = 6467516 | utm_easting = 0363357 | geo_cat = adm2ndAudio|Flekkefjord.ogg|Flekkefjord is a town and municipality in the county of
Vest-Agder ,Norway .The town of Flekkefjord was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see
formannskapsdistrikt ). The rural municipalities of Bakke,Gyland ,Hidra , and Nes were merged with Flekkefjord on 1 January 1965.Flekkefjord is the westernmost town of the geographical region
Sørlandet . The municipality is bounded bySokndal andLund inRogaland county to the west, bySirdal to the north, and byKvinesdal to the east.The municipal center lies near European highway E39, approximately midway between
Kristiansand andStavanger . In addition there are population centers at Sira,Gyland ,Rasvåg , andKirkehavn . [cite book|title=Adventure Roads in Norway|first=Erling|last=Welle-Strand|publisher=Nortrabooks|date=1996|isbn=82-90103-71-9]General information
Name
The town is named after the
fjord and the fjord is named after the old farm named Flikka (Old Norse "Flikkar"). The meaning of the name is unknown.Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms was granted in 1855. The arms were originally proposed in 1855 and described as a
pilot boat on thesea . The original proposal showed a boat on a very natural sea, all in natural colours. The present shape of the boat and the more heraldically correct arms date from 1899. [cite web|url=http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/f/flekkefj.htm|author=Norske Kommunevåpen|date=1990|title=Nye kommunevåbener i Norden|accessdaymonth=27 September|accessyear=2008]Geography
The town of Flekkefjord straddles the narrow sound which connects Flekkefjord to
Grisefjord . The port is ideal due to the tiny difference intide s experienced here. This is a result of its close proximity to theamphidromic point outsideEigersund .History
Flekkefjord was a landing place from early times. It was mentioned as a town as early as 1580. In 1589, James VI of Scotland landed there before travelling overland via
Tønsberg toOslo , where he married PrincessAnne of Denmark , daughter of Frederick II. [cite book|first=Ethel|last=Carleton Williams|title=Anne of Denmark|publisher=Longman|date=1970|isbn=0-582-12783-1|pages=20] When Kristiansand was founded in1641 , Christian IV wanted to assure the economic survival of his new city by moving Flekkefjord residents there. Twice it was sentenced to extinction by royaldecree . But many of the Flekkefjord inhabitants remained and continued to trade.Norway's plentiful stone was a Flekkefjord commodity. In 1736 over 300 Dutch ships are reported to carried paving stones from Flekkefjord. By 1750 the
herring fishery began in earnest, such that herring and timber dominated the trade. In the 1750s Flekkefjord was the most important Norwegian herring export harbor.In 1760 Flekkefjord petitioned Frederik V to grant a town charter. At that time several ships were home ported there and both sailors and herring fishermen had their homes in this small town that was not officially recognized. Barrel making (cooperage) was also an important local trade that served the fishing fleet.
During the
Napoleonic Wars Flekkefjord found a new life as asmuggler s port, exportingoak to theNapoleon -occupiedNetherlands during the period prior to 1807. The unusual tidal condition, the local timber abundance, and a long-term relationship with the Dutch were the reasons behind Flekkefjord's then serving as a smuggler's headquarters. They specialized in the lucrative oak trade, thewarship timber in those days. Ships could come and leave Flekkefjord at any hour of the day, without concern for the tides.Prior to 1807,
Denmark-Norway had followed a policy ofarmed neutrality , using its naval forces only to protect trade flowing within, into, and out of Danish and Norwegian waters. But this changed for the last phase of the Napoleonic Wars when, in the Battle of Copenhagen in 1807, the British preemptively captured large portions of the Danish naval fleet to prevent the French from doing the same. As a result, the Danish government declared war and built small gunboats in large numbers to attack the British. TheGunboat War (1807-1814) was the title given to naval conflict betweenDenmark-Norway against the British navy. It was natural for Flekkefjord to move from a smuggler's haven to blockade runner's headquarters. The unusual tides there were unknown to the British warships that were blockading the Norwegian coast against Napoleon-supporting ships and this provided the blockade runners a considerable advantage.After the war the Dutch maintained a strong presence in Flekkefjord, and continued exporting oak and
pine . The pine was used mainly to make foundations for the boom inAmsterdam house construction; as a result most of Amsterdam’s houses from the nineteenth century are constructed of pines from Flekkefjord exporters. A section of Flekkefjord called ‘Hollenderbyen’ (town of the Dutch) dates from the 1700s. cite book|title=South Norway|first=Frank Noel|last=Stagg|publisher=George Allen & Unwin, Ltd.|date=1958]Xenotime , a rareyttrium phosphate mineral whosechemical formula is YPO4, was discovered in 1832 atHidra (Hitterø), Flekkefjord.The herring fisheries deserted the coast in 1838, depriving Flekkefjord residents of their main export. Tanning replaced fishing and by 1866 five tanneries were operating in Flekkefjord.
The
Flekkefjordbanen (Flekkefjord railway) ran between Sira and Flekkefjord from 1904 to 1990.Today Flekkefjord has lost its previous smuggler-glory, and is a small, cosy, quiet, law-abiding city.
Twin town
*flagicon|Scotland
Burntisland ,Scotland ,United Kingdom Famous residents
*Jens Henrik Beer (1731-1808), smuggler and merchant
*Jens Henrik Beer (1799-), ship-owner, merchant and politician
*Anders Beer (1801-1863), industrialist and agriculturalist
*Anders Beer Wilse (1865-1949), photographer
*Marta Steinsvik (1877-1950), author
*Sigbjørn Hølmebakk (1922-1981), author
*Sverre Anker Ousdal , actor
*Eirik Verås Larsen , world-classkayak er
*Einar Rasmussen , world-class kayaker
*Gunvald Tomstad , wartime hero
*Peter Waage , (1833-1900), chemist
*Ole Petter Andreassen , musician, producerReferences
External links
* [http://www.kulturnett.no/geografisknavigering/geografisknavigering_visning.jsp?fylke=T922040&kommune=T910731 Map of Flekkefjord]
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