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Kristiansand
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(formerly "Christianssand") is a city and municipality, and the capital of the county of Vest-Agder, Norway and of the geographical region (landsdel) of Southern Norway (lit. "the southern land"), the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway consisting of the two counties Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder. Kristiansand municipality is the 5th largest in Norway with a population of 78,919 as of 1 January 2008. The Kristiansand urban area, entirely located in the municipality, had a population of 64,930 on 1 January 2006, and is thus the 8th largest urban area in Norway.
arms were granted on 8 December 1909 and are based on the oldest seal of the city, dating from 1643.
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Encyclopedia
(formerly "Christianssand") is a city and municipality, and the capital of the county of Vest-Agder, Norway and of the geographical region (landsdel) of Southern Norway (lit. "the southern land"), the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway consisting of the two counties Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder. Kristiansand municipality is the 5th largest in Norway with a population of 78,919 as of 1 January 2008. The Kristiansand urban area, entirely located in the municipality, had a population of 64,930 on 1 January 2006, and is thus the 8th largest urban area in Norway.
Coat-of-arms
The arms were granted on 8 December 1909 and are based on the oldest seal of the city, dating from 1643. In 1643 King Christian IV (of Denmark and Norway) granted the young city the right to use a seal with the Norwegian lion and the Royal crown. The crown indicates that the city was founded by the king. As the species of tree is not properly described, there are several images known with differently shaped trees. A second seal, from 1658, shows a tree with leaves and what looks like pine cones.
History
As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040. The first settlements near the modern city were located further down the river, in or near what is today the borough of Lund, and at Flekkerøy, an island outside the city centre.
Kristiansand was formally founded by King Christian IV in 1641. It was created as a market town to encourage growth in a strategically significant area, providing a local economic base for construction of fortifications and population for defence of the area. The centre of Kristiansand, in layout essentially unchanged since the 17th century, is called "Kvadraturen" due to its square gridline of streets.
The city experienced its first major town fire in 1734, when large parts of the city was destroyed. Kristiansand grew into a major port during the 18th century, both due to its expanding ship building industry and its trade fleet. The city burned again in 1892. As a neutral trade port, the economy of Kristiansand thrived during World War I, but the growth stagnated due to political decisions and the Great Depression of the late 1920s and 1930s.
Kristiansand was established as a municipality 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The rural municipalities of Oddernes, Randesund and Tveit were merged with Kristiansand on 1 January 1965.
Culture
The zoological garden, Kristiansand Dyrepark (Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park) just east of the city, has a wide selection of animals in, for the most part, natural habitats. This includes animals such as wolves, tigers and the lynx. Kristiansand is home to Agder Theatre. Outdoor concerts and other cultural arrangements are held at Odderøya and in Ravnedalen.
Economy and transport
Kristiansand is connected to continental Europe by air and sea. The local airport, Kjevik, is located 12 km (7 miles) east of the city and has routes to European and Norwegian cities. From the city centre, the ferry harbour has routes to Hirtshals (Denmark) and Hanstholm (Denmark). Road connections goes via E18 east to Arendal and Oslo, via E39 west to Mandal and Stavanger, and highway 9 north to Vennesla, Setesdal and Haukeli. The Sørlandsbanen railway has station in downtown Kristiansand which is a terminus station, were trains has to change direction. Trains go east to Oslo and west to Stavanger.
Kristiansand has major shipbuilding and repair facilities that support Norway's North Sea oil industry. Near Kristiansand there is the static inverter plant of the HVDC Cross-Skagerak.
Geography and climate
Kristiansand and the Agder counties usually have a lot of summer sunshine compared to most of Norway. There may be heavy snowfall in winter with south-southeasterly winds (snow record at Kjevik is 170 cm), but the snow rarely stays long at the coast; see climate. In the summer most locals go to the Fish Market and Hamresanden Beach which is located near Kjevik airport (about 10 mins from the city centre). People from Denmark, Sweden, Germany, the UK and other European countries also visit this beach in the summer during their travels. Many of these travellers also enjoy fishing in the many rivers that surround the city.
Education
The University of Agder's largest campus is located in Kristiansand; the university itself has about 8,000 students. Formerly a university college, it was granted status as a university on 1 September 2007. Study programs include business and economics, engineering and technology, the humanities, mathematics, nursing, teacher education, as well as fine arts.
Kristiansand is also home of one of the Norwegian School of Management's campuses, in addition to The Gimlekollen School of Journalism and Communication , which offers degrees in journalism and communication.
In 2006, 27% of those above 16 years in Kristiansand had higher education, compared to the national average of 24.2%.
People from Kristiansand
External links
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