Grimstad () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

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 A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a 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 Jan Mayen and the ...

. It belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet. The

administrative center 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 is the town of Grimstad. Some of the villages in Grimstad include

Eide Parallel ATA (PATA), originally , also known as IDE, is a standard interface designed for IBM PC-compatible computers. It was first developed by Western Digital and Compaq in 1986 for compatible hard drives and CD or DVD drives. The connection ...

, Espenes,

Fevik Fevik is a Seaside resort and village in Grimstad municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the Skaggerak coast about northeast of the town of Grimstad and about south of the city of Arendal. The village of Vik lies j ...

Fjære Fjære is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1846 until 1971. It was located to the north of the town of Grimstad. The name is still used to refer to that area, which is now a part of Gr ...

, Håbbestad,

Hesnes Hesnes is a village in Grimstad municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located on the Skaggerak coast about northeast of the village of Rønnes and about southeast of the village of Vik Vik (Old Norse: vík) means wick or bay in ...

Homborsund Homborsund is a village in Grimstad municipality in Agder county, Norway. Location The village is located on the Skagerrak coast in the Eide area of southern Grimstad. The village of Jortveit is located just north of Homborsund. For statisti ...

, Jortveit, Kroken,

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 ...

, Nygrenda, Prestegårdskogen, Reddal,

Roresand Roresand or Roresanden is a village in Grimstad municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located on the southwestern end of the lake Rore along the Norwegian County Road 404. The village sits about northwest of the town of Grimstad ...

Rønnes Rønnes is a village in Grimstad municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located on the eastern shore of the ''Vikkilen'' bay, directly across the bay from the harbour of the town of Grimstad. The village of Hesnes Hesnes is a vill ...

Skiftenes Skiftenes is a small village in Grimstad municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the Norwegian County Road 404, about north of the village of Roresand in the Landvik Landvik is a former municipality in the old Aust- ...

, Tjore,

Vik Vik (Old Norse: vík) means wick or bay in Norwegian and Swedish (''vig'' in Danish), and it may refer to the following: Places Iceland *Vík í Mýrdal, a village in southern Iceland Iran *Vik, Iran, a village in Zanjan Province, Iran Norway *V ...

, and Østerhus. The municipality is centered around the little maritime town of Grimstad which is surrounded by many small

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

s ('' Skjærgård''). There is a

harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

, a main street, a small market square, Grimstad Church, and a museum dedicated to the early life of Henrik Ibsen, who served as an

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

to Grimstad's local pharmacist Reimann, from 1844 to 1847, before leaving Grimstad in 1850. Ibsen's intimate knowledge of the local people and surroundings can be seen in his poem '' Terje Vigen''. The majority of the inhabitants live in and around the town, while the rest of the municipality is rural and heavily forested. The municipality is the 264th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Grimstad is the 51st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 24,017. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

is and its population has increased by 12.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The town of Grimstad was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1878, part of the neighboring municipality of

(population: 948) was transferred to Grimstad. Again, on 1 January 1960, another part of Fjære (pop: 344) was transferred to Grimstad. On 1 January 1971, the rural municipalities of Fjære (pop: 6,189) and

(pop: 2,781) were merged with the town of Grimstad (pop: 2,794) to form a significantly larger municipality of Grimstad with a total population of 11,764 at the time of the merger.

Name

The city'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 ''Grøm'' farm. The exact meaning of the name ''Grøm'' is uncertain, but it is derived from a river name ''Gró'' or ''Gróa'' which means "the growing one".

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

was granted in 1899 and was based upon a seal of the city dating back to 1847. The blue and yellow arms show a brig as a symbol for the importance of fishing and shipping to the city.

Churches

The Church of Norway has four parishes () within the municipality of Grimstad. It is part of the Vest-Nedenes prosti ( deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

History

Grimstad lies within the boundaries of the ancient parish of

. 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 ...

Christian II Christian II (1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union who reigned as King of Denmark and Norway, from 1513 until 1523, and Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was concurrently Duke ...

of Denmark–Norway (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, Grimstad became a recognized harbor under the town of Arendal. By 1747, Grimstad was identified as a sailing community and a recognized haunt of

smuggler Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

s. 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 Fren ...

, 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. In 1811, an English brig entered the harbor to capture blockade runners, but was vigorously repulsed and did not return. John Frederik Classen, who owned the Frolands Værk (an ironworks), obtained concessions to export and import through Grimstad and bypass Arendal with its customs dues. Grimstad was awarded market town status in 1816. The Nørholm farm in Grimstad was the home of

Knut Hamsun Knut Hamsun (4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952) was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to consciousness, subject, Point of view ...

in the early 20th century.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Grimstad, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services,

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...

and other social services,

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elect a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. The municipality falls under the Agder District Court and the

Agder Court of Appeal The Agder Court of Appeal ( no, Agder lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the town of Skien. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Vestfold og Telemark and Agder (except for Si ...

Municipal council

The

() of Grimstad is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. Currently, the

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...

breakdown is as follows:

Education

Grimstad is home to ''Drottningborg'', a private

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

boarding preparatory school. It is also the location of the '' Bibelskolen in Grimstad (BiG)'', a private Lutheran bible school. The

University of Agder The University of Agder ( no, Universitetet i Agder), formerly known as Agder College and Agder University College, is a public university with campuses in Kristiansand and Grimstad, Norway. The institution was established as a university co ...

has its faculty of

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

seated here. A student dorm called "Grøm" is also in Grimstad.

Geography

Grimstad is a coastal municipality in

county bordering on the

Skagerrak The Skagerrak (, , ) is a strait running between the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, the southeast coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area through the Danish Straits to the Baltic Sea. T ...

. The municipality is bordered by Arendal in the east,

Froland Froland is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Blakst ...

and Birkenes in the north, and

Lillesand Lillesand () is List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality ...

in the west. The lakes

Syndle Syndle (historic: ''"Søndlevatn"'') is a lake in the municipality of Grimstad in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the Landvik area, about northwest of the center of the town of Grimstad. The lake Syndle flows into a small river on the ...

and Rore are found in the northern part of the municipality. Landviksvannet and Reddalsvannet lakes are found in the southern part of the municipality, near Reddal. The rivers

Nidelva Nidelva is a river in Trondheim Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The name of the long river translates to "the River Nid" since the suffix ''elva'' or ''elven'' is the Norwegian word for "the river". Location The Nidelva starts at th ...

and

Tovdalselva Tovdalselva (also known as the ''Tofdalselva'', ''Tovdalsåna'', ''Tovdalsåni'', literally: the ''Tov valley river'') is long and is one of the longest rivers in Southern Norway. The river flows through Agder county from the mountains on the nor ...

run through parts of the municipality. The Rivingen Lighthouse and Homborsund Lighthouse both sit on small islands just off the coast. Panoramic of Grimstad taken from the harbour

Panoramic of Grimstad taken from the harbour

Grimstad panoramic taken as the sun sets from Binabben

Climate

Grimstad has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb, marine west coast), with autumn and early winter as the wettest season and Apil - July as the driest season. The all-time high temperature was 11 August 1975; the all-time low is recorded 8 February 1966. The March record high recorded 27 March 2012 was new national heat record for March. Most of the record lows are old; 8 of 12 record lows from before 1970 (November 2021). In February and March 1970 a snow depth of was recorded at Landvik. In recent times, snow usually melts fast along the coast, but the right weather setup can sometimes give large snowfalls. The weather station in Landvik, inland from the town of Grimstad, has been recording since 1957.

Attractions

The Maritime Museum, the comprehensive City Museum and the Norwegian Horticultural Museum, are all popular among tourists, as are the wealth of exhibitions and concerts that the town hosts. The town is also a popular destination for summer vacationers, and supports a robust shopping milieu during the Christmas season. During summer, Grimstad plays host to the Norwegian Short Film Festival, which attracts film enthusiasts from far and near. Another popular attraction is the

Agder Teater Kilden Teater is a Norwegian theatre based in Kristiansand. It was established in 1991, and has been the regional theatreAgd ...

at Fjæreheia, an open-air stage located in a disused stone

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...

. Shopping is also available in Oddensenteret along the harbour. (The view from Oddensenteret is seen in the panorama photo above.) The Homborsund lighthouse is located within the municipality. Grimstad is also home to the

Nøgne Ø Nøgne Ø is a Norwegian brewery founded in January 2002 by Gunnar Wiig and Kjetil Jikiun. The name is Danish for "Naked Isle" and was selected from the 19th-century Norwegian poem Terje Vigen by Henrik Ibsen. In most years since 2006, the bre ...

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

Sports

The

1997 World Orienteering Championships The 1997 World Orienteering Championships, the 17th World Orienteering Championships, were held in Grimstad Grimstad () is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet. The administrative cente ...

were held in Grimstad. The

FK Jerv Fotballklubben Jerv is a Norwegian football club from Grimstad. ''Jerv'' is the Norwegian name for wolverine. They currently play in the Eliteserien. History The club was founded in 1921, as Vestergatens FK, named after the street in which the f ...

is the most important football club, and plays for first time at the top division in 2022.

Notable residents

The Arts

* Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906), playwright, wrote his first drama, '' Catalina'' in Grimstad in 1848/49 * Andreas Isachsen (1829-1903) a Norwegian actor and playwright *

(1859–1952) Nobel lauriate author, lived in Norholm from 1918 * Clara Thue Ebbell (1880–1971) a Norwegian author of young adult fiction * Roald Dahl (1916–1990), author, visited his grandparents and summered at the Strand Hotel in

in Grimstad *

Lillian Müller Lillian Müller (born 19 August 1951) is a Norwegian model and an actress in motion pictures and television. She was born in Grimstad, Norway. Career A " Page Three Girl" five times, her first appearance was in January 1974. Müller achieved h ...

(born 1951) a Norwegian model and actress *

Even Benestad Even Benestad (born 16 September 1974 in Grimstad, Norway) is a Norwegian documentary film director. Benestad studied cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "t ...

(born 1974) a Norwegian documentary film director *

Kjetil Mørland Kjetil Mørland (born 3 October 1980), better known as simply Mørland, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. He represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 along with Debrah Scarlett with his song " A Monster Like Me". Career Mørl ...

(born 1980), singer, songwriter, competed in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2015 The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 was the 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Vienna, Austria, following the country's victory at the with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst. Organised by the European Broa ...

Public service & public thinking

Bent Salvesen Bent Salvesen (born 20 October 1787 at Hesnes in Grimstad, died 17 September 1820 in Santander, Spain) was a Norwegian ship's captain, Lieutenant (navy), lieutenant in the Royal Danish Navy (1510–1814), Royal Danish Navy and privateer authorized ...

(1787-1820) ship's captain, lieutenant in the

Royal Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy ( da, Søværnet) is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and Greenland). O ...

and

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

* Elisabeth Helmer (1854–after 1912) a professional photographer and women's rights activist * Sverre Hassel (1876–1928), polar explorer, accompanied

Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen beg ...

to the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...

* Marius Nygaard Smith-Petersen (1886–1953) an American physician and

orthopaedic surgeon Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

Tryggve Gran Jens Tryggve Herman Gran (20 January 1888 – 8 January 1980) was a Norwegian aviator, polar explorer and author. He was the skiing expert on the 1910–13 Scott Antarctic Expedition and was the first person to fly across the North Sea from ...

(1889–1980),

polar explorer This list is for recognised pioneering explorers of the polar regions. It does not include subsequent travelers and expeditions. Polar explorers * Jameson Adams * Stian Aker * Valerian Albanov * Roald Amundsen * Salomon August Andrée * Piotr ...

, flight pioneer and author * Christopher Grigson (1926-2001) developer of the scanning electron microscope * Thor Tjøntveit (1936–2017) a Norwegian-American aviator and convicted fraudster *

Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad (born 3 May 1949) is a Norwegian physician and sexologist who is also known as one of Norway's most prominent trans people. Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad was originally known as just Esben Benestad, but often publish ...

(born 1949) a physician, sexologist and prominent

trans Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning "across", "beyond", or "on the other side of". Used alone, trans may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Trans (festival), a former festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom * ''Trans'' (fil ...

person * Gunhild Vehusheia (born 1975) a Norwegian lawyer and women's rights leader

Sport

Jacob Gundersen Jacob Gundersen (29 October 1875 – 21 January 1968) was a Norwegian-American who represented Norway in the 1908 Olympics. He was a freestyle wrestler and Olympic medalist. Gundersen was born in Fjære (later incorporated into Gri ...

(1875–1968) a Norwegian-American freestyle wrestler, silver medallist (for Norway) at the 1908 Summer Olympics *

Dag Otto Lauritzen Dag Otto Lauritzen (born 12 September 1956) is a Norwegian television personality and retired professional cyclist. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles he won a bronze medal in the individual road race. He was the first Norwegian to win ...

(born 1956), road bicycle racer, bronze medallist at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

and the first Norwegian to win a stage in the Tour de France in 1987 *

Thor Hushovd Thor Hushovd (born 18 January 1978) is a Norwegian former professional road bicycle racer. He is known for sprinting and time trialing; Hushovd is a three-time Norwegian National Road Race Championships, Norwegian national road race champion ( ...

(born 1978), road bicycle racer; 2010 World Road Race Champion; the first Norwegian to wear the

yellow jersey The general classification is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey (french: maillot jaune ). History Th ...

and win the

green jersey In road bicycle racing (e.g. Grand Tour stage races) the green jersey is a distinctive racing jersey worn by the most consistent highest finisher in the competition. While the overall race leader in the Tour de France will wear the yellow j ...

in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Grimstad is twinned with: *

Asikkala Asikkala () is a municipality of Finland. Its seat is in Vääksy, at the shores of the Lake Päijänne. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Päijänne Tavastia region. Asikkala's neighboring municipalities are H ...

, Finland * Billund, Denmark *

Köping ''Köping'' was a Swedish denomination for a market town since the Middle Ages, derived from the Old Norse word ''kaupang''. The designation was officially abolished with the municipal reform of 1971, when Sweden was subdivided into the Municip ...

, Sweden

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway *
Visit Grimstad (Tourist Information)

Agder Theatre at Fjæreheia

Norway's Short Film Festival
{{use dmy dates, date=December 2020 Municipalities of Agder 1838 establishments in Norway