Risør
Risør is the oldest, most beautiful, best kept and most complete of the towns in the
county of Aust-Agder. It has an outport of its own, Tangen, within the town limits. It has
exciting wooden architecture from the baroque to the contemporary. Moreover, it has an
outstanding location – out to the sea, just sheltered by a thin line of islets and skerries.
VICTOR D. NORMAN
Risør`s location made it a natural haven for Dutch trading ships 500 years ago. Some were on their way to the Baltic Sea and sought shelter here in bad weather to avoid the treacherous Danish coast. Others came to buy timber from the farmers along the Sandnesfjorden and the Søndeledfjorden. Eventually, the place developed into a small Dutch colony. The first settlement is supposed to have been built around the year 1570, probably at Tangen. From then on it went quickly. As early as in 1600, the shipping traffic in Risør was twice as high as in the older neighboring town of Kragerø. In 1647, Risør got its own church (a small, baroque gem), and in 1723 was granted town status.
1700s it was one of the biggest seaports in Norway. Forestry and shipping
constituted the economic basis of the town well into the 20th century. There was lots of
timber, many ships, and eventually both woodworking and furniture industry. First and
foremost, however, there were many seamen. In no other southern Norwegian town have they made up such a large share of the population as in Risør. So if you want to
explore Risør’s soul, combine a shopping trip in the town center with a stroll in the
seamen’s old neighbourhood at Tangen.