Grimstad () is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an o ...
in
Grimstad
Grimstad () is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Grimstad. Some of the villages in Grimstad include Eide, Espenes, Fevik ...
municipality in
Agder
Agder is a county (''fylke'') and traditional region in the southern part of Norway. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties were merged. Since the early 1900s, the term Sørlandet ("south ...
county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...
. The town is also the
administrative centre
An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located.
In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...
of the municipality. It is located on the
Skaggerak coast in
Southern Norway
Southern Norway ( no, Sørlandet; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical region (''landsdel'') along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any governmental function. It rough ...
along the
Groosefjorden, between the towns of
Arendal
Arendal () is a municipality in Agder county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the region of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Arendal (which is also the seat of Agder county). Some of the notab ...
(to the northeast) and
Lillesand (to the southwest).
The town has a population (2019) of 13,543 and a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...
of .
In Norway, Grimstad is considered a which can be translated as either a "town" or "city" in English.
Grimstad Church
Grimstad Church ( no, Grimstad kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Grimstad Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the town of Grimstad. It is the church for the Grimstad parish which is part of the Vest-Nedenes ...
is located on a small hill overlooking the town's harbour. The
University of Agder is located in the town as well.
History
The village of ''Grømstad'' existed for a long time as part of the ancient
prestegjeld
A ''prestegjeld'' was a geographic and administrative area within the Church of Norway
The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of ...
of
Fjære. It is reportedly first mentioned as a harbor in the 16th century. Eight years after he was
deposed
Deposition by political means concerns the removal of a politician or monarch.
ORB: The Online Reference for Med ...
, King
Christian II of
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway ( Danish and Norwegian: ) was an early modern multi-national and multi-lingual real unionFeldbæk 1998:11 consisting of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway (including the then Norwegian overseas possessions: the Faroe ...
(1513–1523) attempted to recover his kingdoms. A tempest scattered his fleet off the Norwegian coast, and on 24 October 1531, they took refuge at Grimstad. On 1 July 1532, he surrendered to his rival,
King Frederick I of Denmark, in exchange for a promise of safe conduct. King Frederick failed to honor his promise and imprisoned Christian until he died.
An inn is recorded at Grimstad as early as 1607. In 1622, the village was granted
ladested status under nearby
Arendal
Arendal () is a municipality in Agder county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the region of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Arendal (which is also the seat of Agder county). Some of the notab ...
due to its growing harbour and trading which gave it certain trading rights.
By 1747, Grimstad was identified as a sailing community and a recognized haunt of
smugglers. During the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...
, England
blockade
A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force.
A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are leg ...
d Norway and in 1811, an English brig entered the harbor to capture
blockade runner
A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usua ...
s, but was vigorously repulsed and did not return.
John Frederik Classen, who owned the
Frolands Værk (an
ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''.
Ironworks succeeded bloomer ...
located nearby), obtained concessions to export and import through Grimstad and bypass Arendal with its
customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...
dues. Grimstad was awarded
kjøpstad
A (historically: ''kjøbstad'', ''kjöbstad'', or ''kaupstad'') is an old Scandinavian term for a " market town" that was used in the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway for several hundred years. The name comes from the on, kaupstaðr. Kjøpstads wer ...
status in 1816.
The town of Grimstad was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see
formannskapsdistrikt
() is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 Janu ...
law). On 1 January 1878, part of the neighboring municipality of
Fjære (population: 948) was transferred to Grimstad. Again, on 1 January 1960, another part of Fjære (pop: 344) was transferred to the town of Grimstad.
On 1 January 1971, the rural municipalities of Fjære (pop: 6,189) and
Landvik
Landvik is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1971. The municipality's area is now located in the western and central part of the present-day municipality of ...
(pop: 2,781) were merged with the town of Grimstad (pop: 2,794) to form a significantly larger municipality of
Grimstad
Grimstad () is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Grimstad. Some of the villages in Grimstad include Eide, Espenes, Fevik ...
with a total population of 11,764 at the time of the merger.
Name
The town's name was originally ''Grømstad'', when Norway belonged to the Danish kingdom. The name was misunderstood and became Grimstad during the registration of Norwegian cities and small places. The site of the town was originally the port ( non, stoð) of the old farm. The exact meaning of the name is uncertain, but it is derived from a river name or which means "the growing one".
Media gallery
Grimstad 41.JPG, View of the harbour.
Grimstad1.jpeg, Another view of the harbour.
Grimstad town center.jpg, Town centre
FV420 Grimstad.jpg, Overview of the town.
Grimstad-krk.jpg, Grimstad Church
Grimstad Church ( no, Grimstad kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Grimstad Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the town of Grimstad. It is the church for the Grimstad parish which is part of the Vest-Nedenes ...
Storgata Grimstad 2.jpg, Storgata road in Grimstad.
Grimstad - no-nb digifoto 20150218 00019 NB MIT FNR 17184.jpg, View of Grimstad before 1957.
Grimstad-4K.jpg, Expansion of Grimstad in 1971: Landvik, Fjære, Eide, and the town of Grimstad were all merged.
Tettsted Grimstad 2005.jpg, 2005 map of the "urban area" of Grimstad.
Panoramic of Grimstad taken from the harbour.jpg, Panorama of Grimstad
See also
*
List of towns and cities in Norway
Below is a list of towns and cities in Norway. The Norwegian word for town or city is ''by''. Cities were formerly categorized as ''kjøpstad'' (market town) or '' ladested'' (small seaport), each with special rights. The special trading rights fo ...
References
{{authority control
Cities and towns in Norway
Populated places in Agder
Port cities and towns in Norway
Grimstad
1622 establishments in Norway