Flekkerøy or Flekkerøya is an island and residential district in Kristiansand municipality in Agder county, Norway. The district is located within the borough of Vågsbygd, and it consists of 4 main neighborhoods: Berge/Andås, Kjære, Lindebø/Skålevik, and Mæbø/Høyfjellet. The district covers all of the island of Flekkerøya which lies within the city of Kristiansand. Since 1989, the island (and district) has been connected to the mainland through the Flekkerøy Tunnel, a 2,320-metre (7,612 ft) long subsea road tunnel. The island has 3,632 inhabitants (as of 23 October 2013). Flekkerøy Church is located on the island.

Distrikt Flekkerøy
Flekkerøya
View of the island
View of the island
Coat of arms of Distrikt Flekkerøy
Location of Distrikt Flekkerøy
Coordinates: 58°04′08″N 7°59′22″E / 58.0690°N 07.9895°E / 58.0690; 07.9895
Country Norway
RegionSouthern Norway
CountyAgder
CityKristiansand
BoroughVågsbygd
Area
 • Total6.2 km2 (2.4 sq mi)
Elevation13 m (43 ft)
Population
 (2014)
 • Total3,632
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-030112
Websitekristiansand.kommune.no

History edit

Since the 15th century, Flekkerøy was an important harbour along the Skagerrak, and since 1540 it has been considered as the most important outport in the whole region of Southern Norway. In 1555, the first fortifications were built, but it was torn down in 1561. Anne of Denmark and James VI of Scotland came to Flekkerøy in 1589.[2]

In the early 17th century, the harbour again became of strategic importance, and in 1635 the island was visited by King Christian IV who decided to build the Christiansø Fortress to protect the harbour.[3] In 1656, a new fortress called Fredriksholm was built, and Christiansø soon decayed.

In 1807, about 250 people lived on the island, and in September 1807, English ships anchored at the harbour. The local people fled, Fredriksholm fortress was blown up, and the island was pillaged.[4] In 1848, a cannon battery was built, but in 1872 it was abandoned, and in 1874 the partially rebuilt Fredriksholm fortress was also closed down for good.

In 2005, the remaining military properties on Flekkerøya were secured for public outdoor recreation by the Ministry of Climate and Environment.[5]

Politics edit

The 10 largest politics parties in Flekkerøy (2015):

Kristiansand city council votes from Flekkerøy 2015[6]
Christian Democratic Party 48,4% (704 votes)
Conservative Party 17,2% (250 votes)
Labour Party 12,6% (183 votes)
Progress Party 7,4% (107 votes)
The Democrats 5,8% (83 votes)
Green Party 2,3% (33 votes)
Liberal Party 2,1% (31 votes)
The Christians 1,2% (18 votes)
Socialist Left Party 1% (15 votes)
Centre 0,5% (7 votes)
Others 0,4% (5 votes)
Total 1431 votes

Transportation edit

The main bus stop on the island is at the roundabout where County Road 457 ends. Line 07 is the local line on the island.

Bus transportation from Flekkerøy
Line Destination [7]
M1 Flekkerøy - Sørlandsparken-Dyreparken IKEA
M1 Flekkerøy - Kvadraturen
N2 Flekkerøy - Voiebyen - Kvadraturen
07 Åshavn - Flekkerøy - Skålevik

Notable people edit

  • Audun Laading, bassist of English-based Her's, died 2019

Media gallery edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Flekkerøya, Kristiansand (Vest-Agder)". yr.no. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  2. ^ David Stevenson, Scotland's Last Royal Wedding (John Donald: Edinburgh, 1997), pp. 23-6.
  3. ^ "300 års militær aktivitet på Gammeløya" (in Norwegian).
  4. ^ "Historie om Flekkerøy" (in Norwegian).
  5. ^ "Forsvarseiendommer sikres til friluftsliv" (in Norwegian).
  6. ^ "VG - Valgnatt" (in Norwegian). vg.no. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  7. ^ "AKT".