Rakkestad is a
municipality|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in
Østfoldis a county in southeastern Norway, bordering Akershus and southwestern Sweden , while Buskerud and Vestfold is on the other side of the bay. The county administration is in Sarpsborg, and Fredrikstad is the largest city....
county||-|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 431 municipalities...
,
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rakkestad. It is divided into the parishes of Rakkestad,
DegernesDegernes is a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway.Degernes was separated from Rakkestad as a municipality of its own January 1, 1917, but it was again merged with Rakkestad January 1, 1964....
, and
OsOs is one of three parishes in the municipality of Rakkestad in southeastern Norway.The parish was separated from the Tolga clerical district in 1926....
. The municipality is the county's second largest by area and one of Norway's largest agricultural areas.
Rakkestad was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see
formannskapsdistriktFormannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
). 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, AastorpRakkestad Airport, Aastorp is located by the farm Aastorp, 4km from Rakkestad, Norway. It is Norrønafly's main overhaul base.Rakkestad Airoprt is the home of Rakkestad Flyklubb....
.
The municipality (originally the
parishA parish is a territorial unit that was usually historically served by a local church. This administrative unit is typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Sweden, United Methodist, and Presbyterian churches...
) is named after the old
Rakkestad farm (
Old NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
:
Rakkastaðir).
Rakkestad is a
municipality|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in
Østfoldis a county in southeastern Norway, bordering Akershus and southwestern Sweden , while Buskerud and Vestfold is on the other side of the bay. The county administration is in Sarpsborg, and Fredrikstad is the largest city....
county||-|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 431 municipalities...
,
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rakkestad. It is divided into the parishes of Rakkestad,
DegernesDegernes is a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway.Degernes was separated from Rakkestad as a municipality of its own January 1, 1917, but it was again merged with Rakkestad January 1, 1964....
, and
OsOs is one of three parishes in the municipality of Rakkestad in southeastern Norway.The parish was separated from the Tolga clerical district in 1926....
. The municipality is the county's second largest by area and one of Norway's largest agricultural areas.
Rakkestad was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see
formannskapsdistriktFormannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
). 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, AastorpRakkestad Airport, Aastorp is located by the farm Aastorp, 4km from Rakkestad, Norway. It is Norrønafly's main overhaul base.Rakkestad Airoprt is the home of Rakkestad Flyklubb....
.
Name
The municipality (originally the
parishA parish is a territorial unit that was usually historically served by a local church. This administrative unit is typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Sweden, United Methodist, and Presbyterian churches...
) is named after the old
Rakkestad farm (
Old NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
:
Rakkastaðir). The first element is the
genitive caseIn grammar, the genitive case is the case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
of the Norse male name (nickname)
Rakki and the last element is
staðir meaning "
homesteadA homestead is either a single building, or collection of buildings grouped together on a large agricultural holding - such as a ranch, station or a large agricultural operation of some other designation....
" or "
farmA farm is an area of land, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibers and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single individual, family, community, corporation...
".
Coat-of-arms
The
coat-of-armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
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
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
. It shows a
lineThe lines of partition used to divide and vary fields and charges in heraldry are by default straight, but may have many different shapes. The lines of partition used to divide and vary fields and charges in heraldry are by default straight, but may have many different shapes. The lines of...
of
cloverClover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes on...
-shapes yellow on top and green on the bottom. The two lower leaves are symbols for the farming and
forestryForestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. The main goal of forestry is to create and implement systems that allow forests to continue a sustainable continuation of environmental supplies and services...
, 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
grainCereals, grains or cereal grains, {as a collective} are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their fruit seeds - the endocarp, germ and bran...
,
raising cattleA ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
, and
dairy farmingDairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
. Rakkestad has also developed a diversified economy based on agriculture and forestry such as
poultryPoultry is the category of domesticated birds that people keep for the purpose of collecting their eggs, or killing for their meat and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as...
slaughterhouseA slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir ,or freezing works , is a facility where animals are killed and processed into meat foods...
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 yearround recreational and leisure opportunities. There are marked forest paths for
hikingHiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking have been confirmed in studies...
and
cross-country skiingCross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles. It is popular in many countries with large snowfields, primarily Northern Europe, Canada, Alaska and the upper midwest United States...
.
Hunting
Rakkestad municipality offers
small gameGame is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
huntingHunting is the practice of pursuing living animals for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
as well as
roe deerThe European Roe Deer is a deer species of Europe, Asia Minor, and Caspian coastal regions. There is a separate species known as the Siberian Roe Deer that is found from the Ural Mountains to as far east as China and Siberia...
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
fishingFishing is the activity of catching fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. 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
meanderA meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a river erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternatively eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
s its way along, mainly through farmland, providing excellent river fishing for
pikeEsox is a genus of freshwater fish, the only living genus in the family Esocidae — the esocids which were endemic to North America, Europe and Eurasia during the Paleogene through present from 65—0 mya, existing for approximately ....
,
roachRutilus is a genus of fishes in the family Cyprinidae, commonly called roaches. Locally, the name "roach" without any further qualifiers is also used for particular species, particularly the Common Roach Rutilus (Latin for "ruddy") is a genus of fishes in the family Cyprinidae, commonly called...
, and
perchPerca is the genus of fish referred to as perch or, sometimes, yellow perch, a group of freshwater fish belonging to the family Percidae...
.
Rakkestad is bordered to the west by River
GlommaGlomma, also known as Glåma is the longest and largest river in Norway, 598 kilometers long. Its drainage basin covers fully 13% of Norway's area, all in the Southern part of Norway....
, 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
NOKThe krone is the currency of Norway. The plural form is kroner. It is subdivided into 100 øre . The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr...
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.
Right of access
Everyone in Norway has a right of access to and passage through uncultivated land in the countryside, regardless of who owns it. On uncultivated land, you may go anywhere you like on foot or on skis and picnic wherever you want. You may also put up a tent for the night, but you must keep at least away from the nearest house or cabin. If you want to stay for more than two nights in the same place, you must ask the landowner's permission. In the mountains or other remote areas you need no permission to camp.
Linnekleppen
A visit to the
fire lookout towerA fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. The fire lookout tower is a small building usually located on the summit of a mountain, or other high vantage point...
on Linnekleppen is recommended. Located at the one of the highest peaks in the county it overlooks the whole county, parts of neighbouring counties, and parts of Sweden. Linnekleppen is the only fire tower still in use in Norway.
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
automobileAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
and
motorcycleA motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are the most affordable form of...
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.
External links
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
Statistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway releases more than 800 Norwegian statistical publications every year on its web site...