Flekkerøy or Flekkerøya is an

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 isla ...

and residential district in

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporati ...

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 district is located within the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

Vågsbygd Vågsbygd is a borough and disrict in the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It is the largest borough and district in Kristiansand. Until 1965, Vågsbygd was a part of Oddernes municip ...

, 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

. Since 1989, the island (and district) has been connected to the mainland through the Flekkerøy Tunnel, a long

subsea road tunnel An underwater tunnel is a tunnel which is partly or wholly constructed under the sea or a river. They are often used where building a bridge or operating a ferry link is unviable, or to provide competition or relief for existing bridges or ferry li ...

. The island has 3,632 inhabitants (as of 23 October 2013).

Flekkerøy Church Flekkerøy Church ( no, Flekkerøy kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Mæbø on the island of Flekkerøy in the city of Kristiansand. It is the ...

is located on the island.

History

Since the 15th century, Flekkerøy was an important harbour along 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 ...

, and since 1540 it has been considered as the most important outport in the whole region of

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 ...

. In 1555, the first fortifications were built, but it was torn down in 1561.

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and Eng ...

and

James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

came to Flekkerøy in 1589. In the early 17th century, the harbour again became of strategic importance, and in 1635 the island was visited by King

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...

who decided to build the Christiansø Fortress to protect the harbour. 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 Fredriksholm Fortress (''Fredriksholm festning'') was situated on an islet off Kristiansand, Norway. Today the former fortress is in ruins and the site is a popular place for sightseeing. Complex Fredriksholm Fortress was located one kilometer ...

was blown up, and the island was pillaged. 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.

Politics

The 10 largest politics parties in Flekkerøy (2015):

Transportation

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.

Media gallery

Norway - Flekkerøya.png, Flekkerøy (red) in the very southern part of Norway Skålevik1.jpg, Skålevik Skålevik2.jpg, Skålevik Flekkerøya1.JPG, Flekkerøy coast Kort Over Christiansand og Flæckerøe Havn - no-nb krt 00875.jpg, Old map of the Kristiansand harbour Flekkeroy-01.jpg, View of the coastline Tunnel under the sea.jpg, Inside the Flekkerøy Tunnel

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flekkeroy Geography of Kristiansand Islands of Agder Tourism in Kristiansand Populated places in Agder