Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and

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 ...

Viken Viken may refer to: *Viken, Scandinavia, a historical region *Viken (county), a Norwegian county established in 2020 *Viken, Sweden, a bimunicipal locality in Skåne County, Sweden *Viken (lake), a lake in Sweden, part of the part of the Göta cana ...

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. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad. Fredrikstad Cathedral01

Ferrari 355 F1 Berlinetta on the Fredrikstad Bridge

The city of Fredrikstad was founded in 1567 by King Frederick II, and established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see '' formannskapsdistrikt''). The rural municipality of Glemmen was merged with Fredrikstad on 1 January 1964. The rural municipalities of Borge,

Onsøy Onsøy is a peninsula and a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre was Gressvik. History The parish of ''Onsø'' was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). A part of Onsøy ...

, Kråkerøy, and Rolvsøy were merged with Fredrikstad on 1 January 1994. The city straddles the river

Glomma The Glomma, or Glåma, is Norway's longest and most voluminous river. With a total length of , it has a drainage basin that covers fully 13% of Norway's surface area, all in the southern part of the country. Geography At its fullest length, the ...

where it meets 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 ...

, about from the Sweden border. Along with neighboring

Sarpsborg Sarpsborg ( or ), historically Borg, is a city and municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg. Sarpsborg is part of the fifth largest urban area in Norway when paired with neigh ...

, Fredrikstad forms the fifth largest city in Norway: Fredrikstad/Sarpsborg. As of 30 September 2021, according to Statistics Norway, these two municipalities have a total population of 141,708 with 83,761 in Fredrikstad and 57,947 in Sarpsborg. Fredrikstad was built at the mouth of Glomma as a replacement after Sarpsborg ( upstream) was burnt down by the Swedish Army in the 1500s. Some of the citizens stayed behind and rebuilt their old town at its original site and got their city status back in 1839. The city centre is on the west bank of the Glomma, while the old town on the east bank is Northern Europe's best preserved

fortified town A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

. Fredrikstad used to have a large sawmill industry and was an important harbour for timber export, then later on

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befo ...

, until the main yard was closed in 1988. The main industries are currently various

chemical A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by physical separation methods, i.e., w ...

plants and other light industry. In 2005, Fredrikstad was the final host port for the Tall Ships' Race, attracting thousands to the city. In 2019, it was the first host port. In 2017, Fredrikstad won the national award for most attractive city. The award is given yearly by the Norwegian government on the basis of social, economic and environmental factors.

General information

Name

The city was named after the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

king Frederick II in 1569. The last element ''stad'' means "city". Prior to 1877, the name was spelled ''Frederiksstad'', then from 1877 to 1888 it was written as ''Fredriksstad'', and finally since 1889 it has been spelled in its current form: ''Fredrikstad''.

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 w ...

is from modern times. They were granted on 21 April 1967. The old arms are based on the oldest known seal of the city, which dates from 1610. They showed a fortress being guarded by a bear. Strangely, Fredrikstad had no fortifications in 1610 (it received some at the end of the 17th century). Fredrikstad was founded by citizens of Sarpsborg and both the fortress and the bear are taken from the old arms of Sarpsborg. The composition of the seal was also used as arms since the beginning of the 19th century. The new arms were granted at the 400th anniversary of the city in 1967 and show a more modern variation on the fortress and bear.

History

After

was burned to the ground during the

Northern Seven Years' War The Northern Seven Years' War (also known as the ''Nordic Seven Years' War'', the ''First Northern War'' or the ''Seven Years War in Scandinavia'') was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden (1523–1611), Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition of Denm ...

, the ruling king, Frederik II, decided by

royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

to rebuild the city south of the original location. This new site's proximity to the sea and the accessible open land surrounding it made it a better location than the old one. The name Fredrikstad was first used in a letter from the King dated 6 February 1569. The temporary fortification built during the

Hannibal War The Torstenson war, Hannibal controversy or Hannibal War ( no, Hannibalsfeiden) was a short period of conflict between Sweden and Denmark–Norway from 1643 to 1645 towards the end of the Thirty Years' War. The names refer to Swedish general L ...

(1644–1645) between Sweden and Denmark-Norway, became permanent in the 1660s. The work on the fortifications was first led by Willem Coucheron and later

Johan Caspar von Cicignon Johan Caspar von Cicignon (c. 1625 - 12 December 1696) was a Luxembourg-born soldier and military engineer who spent most of his career in the service of Denmark–Norway. He is most associated with the reconstruction of Trondheim, Norway after th ...

. During the next 60 years, several fortifications at the Fredrikstad Fortress were built, including Isegran, Kongsten, and Cicignon. In 1735, a suburb on the western side of Glomma, ''Vestsiden'', was founded. This part later grew faster than the old city, and became the dominant city centre. Most of the buildings in the old city burned down during a fire in 1764. In the 1840s, timber exporting from Fredrikstad started to gain momentum. In the 1860s, several steam powered saws were built along the river, and in 1879 the railway reached Fredrikstad, leading to further growth. With the decline of the timber exports as a result of the modernization of wood-processing industries in the early 1900s, Fredrikstad's production changed to other types of products. It later became one of Norway's most important industrial centres, famous for its large shipyard, Fredrikstad Mekaniske Verksted.

Education

Fredrikstad has three high schools. Frederik II secondary school offering general studies and financial / administrative studies. Frederik II high school is a merger of former ''Frydenberg'' gymnastic and ''Christianslund Handelsgymnasium.'' Glemmen high school offers professional training and study. Wang Toppidrett Fredrikstad offers sports, science, languages, social sciences and economics. In addition, one finds Steiner, which is a private educational alternative to primary school higher step. Østfold University College offers higher education (master's and bachelor's studies) at the Academy of Performing Arts, Faculty of Health and Social Care and the Faculty of Engineering at Kråkerøy. Here we also find Østfold College, which offers short professional courses built on a craft / journeyman, authorization or at least five years' experience in technical sciences and health / social science. Also the Department of Journalism has its seat in Fredrikstad. The department offers primarily continuing education of journalists and editors.

Fredrikstad Museum

Fredrikstad Museum is located in Old Fredrikstad. The museum shows the history of the city and the surrounding region. The museum also manages Elingaard Manor in Onsøy and Torgauten Fort. Fredrikstad Museum was founded in 1903. Since 2003, the museum's management has been located in Tøihuset in Old Town.

Sport

Fredrikstad is home to nine-time Norway football winners

Fredrikstad FK Fredrikstad Fotballklubb (also known as Fredrikstad or FFK) is a Norwegian football club from the town of Fredrikstad. With nine league championships and eleven Norwegian Cup wins, FFK is one of the most successful clubs in Norwegian footbal ...

who play at the

Fredrikstad Stadion The Fredrikstad Stadion is a football stadium in Fredrikstad, Norway and home of the Norwegian First Division team Fredrikstad FK. It is located in an area which formerly used to be a large shipyard (locally known as Værste or FMV), but which no ...

Egil Olsen Egil Roger Olsen (born 22 April 1942), nicknamed Drillo, is a Norwegian football manager and former footballer. He is best known as a highly successful manager of the Norway national football team. He has since been manager of the Iraq national ...

, manager for the Norwegian national football team, is from Fredrikstad. There is also an American football team, the Fredrikstad Eagles. Fredrikstad has a top-division handball team,

Fredrikstad BK Fredrikstad Ballklubb ''(also known as Fredrikstad Bkl.)'' is a handball club from Fredrikstad, Viken county, Norway. The women's team currently competes in Eliteserien Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association footb ...

, and a top-division ice hockey team,

Stjernen Hockey Stjernen Hockey is a Norwegian ice hockey team based in Fredrikstad, Norway. They currently play in the GET-ligaen. They play their home games in Stjernehallen. Their team colours are red and white. History Stjernen was founded in 1960 when th ...

. The city also has a number of floorball teams, including Slevik IBK, Fredrikstad IBK and St. Croix Pirates.

Notable residents

Public service

* Albert Andriessen Bradt (ca.1607 in Fredrikstad – 1686) a Norwegian settler in

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva P ...

Henrik Bjelke Henrik Bjelke (13 January 1615 – 16 March 1683) was a Norwegian military officer who served as Admiral of the Realm of Denmark-Norway from 1662 to 1679. He was in command of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy from 1657 to 1679. Early life and ...

(1615 on Onsøy – 1683) a Norwegian-Danish Admiral of the Realm 1662 to 1679 *

Jørgen Bjelke Jørgen Bjelke (2 June 1621 – 17 June 1696) was a Norwegian officer and nobleman. He was born at Elingaard Manor on Onsøy near Fredrikstad, in Østfold County, Norway and died in Kalundborg, Denmark. Early and personal life He was the son of ...

(1621 on Onsøy – 1696) an officer and nobleman from Elingaard Manor *

(ca.1625-1696) general and engineer, lived in Fredrikstad *

Hans Jacob Stabel Hans Jacob Stabel (27 August 1769 – 7 January 1836) was a Norwegian priest and elected official. Hans Stabel was born at the parsonage where his father was parish pastor in Onsøy at Fredrikstad in Østfold. In 1792, he took a job as pers ...

(1769 in Onsøy – 1836) priest and rep. at

Norwegian Constituent Assembly The Norwegian Constituent Assembly (in Norwegian ''Grunnlovsforsamlingen'', also known as ''Riksforsamlingen'') is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway, that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised t ...

Hans Nielsen Hauge Hans Nielsen Hauge (3 April 1771 – 29 March 1824) was a 19th-century Norwegian Lutheran lay minister, spiritual leader, business entrepreneur, social reformer and author. He led a noted Pietism revival known as the Haugean movement. Hauge is als ...

(1771 in Rolvsøy – 1824) revivalist preacher for the

Hauge Synod The Hauge Synod (formally Hauge's Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Synod in America) was the name of a Norwegian Lutheran church body in the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Background The Hauge Synod (Norwegian: ) wa ...

* Johannes Wilhelm Christian Dietrichson (1815 in Fredrikstad – 1883) a Lutheran Minister * Ole Jacob Broch (1818 in Fredrikstad – 1889) physicist, economist and Govt. minister *

Ole Peter Petersen Ole Peter Petersen (April 28, 1822 – December 20, 1901) was a Norwegian-American clergyman. He is credited as the founder of Methodism in Norway and co-founder of Norwegian and Danish Methodism in the United States. Biography Ole Peter Pe ...

(1822 in Fredrikstad – 1901) founder of

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

in Norway and co-founder of Norwegian and Danish Methodism in the United States * Katti Anker Møller (1868–1945) feminist and advocate for reproductive rights * Hieronymus Heyerdahl (1867 in Fredrikstad – 1959) lawyer and Mayor of Oslo, 1911 to 1914 * Waldemar Ager (1869 in Fredrikstad – 1941) newspaperman in

Eau Claire, Wisconsin Eau Claire (; ) (French for "clear water") is a city mostly located in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat, and with a small portion in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. It had a population of 69,421 in 2020, making it the stat ...

Johan Oscar Smith Johan Oscar Smith (October 11, 1871 – May 1, 1943) was a Norwegian Christian leader who founded the evangelical non-denominational fellowship now known as Brunstad Christian Church. Early life and career Smith was born in Fredrikstad, Norway an ...

(1871 in Fredrikstad – 1943) founder of the Brunstad Christian Church *

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 ...

(1872 in Borge – 1928) a Norwegian explorer of polar regions * Charles Anderson (1875 in Fredrikstad – 1949) Mayor of

Murray, Utah Murray () is a city situated on the Wasatch Front in the core of Salt Lake Valley in the U.S. state of Utah. Named for territorial governor Eli Houston Murray, Eli Murray, it is the state's fourteenth largest city. According to the 2020 census, M ...

1920–1923 *

Nils F. Ambursen Nils F. Ambursen (February 6, 1876 – January 17, 1953) was a Norwegian-American civil engineer and inventor. He was the founder of Ambursen Hydraulic Construction Company and was known for his influential dam designs in the early 20th century ...

(1876 in Fredrikstad – 1953) civil engineer and inventor, designed dams * Peder Kolstad (1878 in Borge – 1932)

Prime Minister of Norway The prime minister of Norway ( no, statsminister, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government department ...

, 1931 to 1932 * Johannes Brun (1891 in Fredrikstad – 1977) military officer and bridge champion * Tove Mohr (1891 in Thorsø – 1981) a physician, socialist and proponent for women's rights * Jens Gram Jr. (1897 in Fredrikstad – 1982) barrister and politician *

Ragnvald Marensius Gundersen Ragnvald Marensius Gundersen (10 August 1907 – 12 March 1985) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was born in Glemminge. He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from the "Market towns of Østfold and Akershus" in 1950 ...

(1907 in Glemmen – 1985) Mayor of Fredrikstad 1945–1965 * Rolf Jørgen Fuglesang (1909 in Fredrikstad – 1988) Govt. minister in WWII for

Vidkun Quisling Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (, ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Nazi collaborator who nominally list of heads of government of Norway, headed the government of Norway during t ...

* Bernt Karsten Øksendal (born 1945 in Fredrikstad) a Norwegian mathematician * Svein Aaser (born 1946 in Fredrikstad) former CEO of '' DnB NOR'', the large financial group * Tore Eriksen (born 1947 in Fredrikstad) economist, diplomat and civil servant; ''"Norway's most powerful bureaucrat"'' * Louise Kathrine Dedichen (born 1964 in Fredrikstad) Vice-admiral, rep. on the NATO Military Committee

Arts

Eyvind Alnæs Eyvind Alnæs (29 April 1872 – 24 December 1932) was a Norwegian composer, pianist, organist and choir director. Personal life Alnæs was born in Fredrikstad, as the son of headmaster Johannes Jørgen Lauritz Alnæs (1835–1916) and Elise Ma ...

(1872 in Fredrikstad – 1932) composer, pianist, organist and choir director * Harald Heide (1876 in Fredrikstad – 1956) violinist, conductor and composer *

Hans Jacob Nilsen Hans Jacob Nilsen (8 November 1897 – 6 March 1957) was a Norwegian actor, theatre director and film director. He was a theatre director at Den Nationale Scene, at Folketeatret, and for two separate periods at Det Norske Teatret. Personal lif ...

(1897 in Fredrikstad – 1957) actor, theatre director and film director * Tore Segelcke (1901 in Fredrikstad – 1979) actress *

Georg Løkkeberg Georg Løkkeberg (20 November 1909 – 19 August 1986) was a Norwegian actor and theatre director. He appeared in 29 films between 1934 and 1978. He starred in the film '' The Master and His Servants'', which was entered into the 9th Berlin ...

(1909 in Fredrikstad – 1986) actor and theatre director * Herman Hebler (1911-2007) a printmaker and graphic artist, lived in Fredrikstad *

Karsten Andersen Karsten Anker Andersen (16 February 192015 December 1997) was a Norwegian conductor. Life Karsten Andersen was born in Fredrikstad. He graduated from the Oslo Music Conservatory (1938–39) and Accademia Musicale Chigiana (1947). He made his deb ...

(1920 in Fredrikstad – 1997) conductor * Arne Dørumsgaard (1921 in Fredrikstad – 2006) composer, poet and music collector * Bjørn Johansen (1940 in Fredrikstad – 2002) an influential Norwegian jazz musician * Gerd Brantenberg (born 1941) author, teacher and feminist writer, grew up in Fredrikstad *

Jon Mostad Jon Mostad (born 21 April 1942) is a composer from Fredrikstad, Norway. He received the Norwegian state three-year scholarship for artists from 1982 until 1984. Musical style In his early compositions Mostad is moving from a linear-expressionist s ...

(born 1942 in Fredrikstad) composer * Terje Formoe (born 1949 in Fredrikstad) singer/songwriter, actor, playwright and author *

Jørn Christensen Jørn Christensen (born December 29, 1959) is a Norwegian artist, actor, and record producer. He is known as a prominent and original guitarist of many leading Norwegian bands. Some of the more important projects have been those in conjunction wit ...

(born 1959) artist, actor and record producer * Dennis Storhøi (born 1960 in Fredrikstad) actor * Petronella Barker (born 1965) British-born Norwegian actress, grew up in Fredrikstad *

Harald Zwart Harald Zwart (born 1 July 1965) is a Dutch- Norwegian film director. Life and career Although born in the Netherlands, Zwart was raised in Fredrikstad, Norway. By age eight, he had started making short films. He attended the Dutch Film Academy ...

(born 1965) Dutch-Norwegian film director, grew up in Fredrikstad *

Andy LaPlegua Ole Anders Olsen (born 15 September 1975), known professionally as Andy LaPlegua, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter, originally known for being founder and lead vocalist of futurepop band Icon of Coil. He also gained fame in the aggrotech a ...

(born 1975 in Fredrikstad) singer / songwriter, founded Combichrist, Icon of Coil and Panzer AG

Sport

* Charles Hoff (1902 in Fredrikstad – 1985) athlete, coach, and sports journalist * Arne Pedersen (1931 in Fredrikstad – 2013) footballer with

, with 231 club caps and 40 for

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 ...

* Roar Johansen (1935 in Fredrikstad – 2015) footballer and manager with

, with 190 club caps and 61 for

* Egil "Drillo" Olsen (born 1942 in Fredrikstad) manager of Norway national football team * Per Egil Ahlsen (born 1958 in Fredrikstad) footballer with 350 club caps and 54 for

* Jørn Andersen (born 1963 in Fredrikstad) football manager with 454 club caps, 27 for

* Erik Lund (born 1979 in Fredrikstad) former rugby union footballer * Kari Mette Johansen (born 1979 in Fredrikstad) team handballer, twice Olympic team champion *

Isabell Herlovsen Isabell Lehn Herlovsen (born 23 June 1988) is a Norwegian former football player. She last played for Våleranga and Kolbotn after moving home from China and the club Jiangsu Suning. She plays as a midfielder and a striker. Herlovsen is the ...

(born 1988) footballer with 133 caps with Norway women; lives in Fredrikstad * Tarik Elyounoussi (born 1988) footballer, played for

, 60 caps with

* Oliver Solberg (born 2001 in Frederikstad) Swedish-Norwegian rally driver

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Fredrikstad:

References

Footnotes

Sources

* ''Aschehougs Konversasjonsleksikon'', Volume 7. Oslo: H. Aschehoug & Co, 1969. .

External links

Bratt Family from Fredrikstad
{{Authority control Municipalities of Østfold Municipalities of Viken (county) Cities and towns in Norway Populated coastal places in Norway Populated places on the Glomma River Port cities and towns in Norway Populated places established in 1567 1567 establishments in Norway

General information

Name

Coat-of-arms

History

Education

Fredrikstad Museum

Sport

Notable residents

Public service

Arts

Sport

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

See also

References

Footnotes

Sources

External links