Brekkestø is a small village on the southern coast of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is located on the island of Justøya within the municipality of

Lillesand Lillesand () is municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Lillesand. Some of the larger villages in Lillesand municipality include ...

Agder Agder is a counties of Norway, county () and districts of Norway, traditional region in the southern part of Norway and is coextensive with the Southern Norway region. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Au ...

county, in the region known as

Sørlandet Southern Norway (; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical List of regions of Norway, region (''landsdel'') along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any governmental function ...

. The village is mainly on Justøya, but there are houses and docks spread over several adjacent rocky islands. Many of the homes built around its compact harbor are white, wooden cottages with red tiled roofs, typical of the area. Brekkestø has a small general store, a filling station that provides fuel for boats only, and an ice cream kiosk open during the summer season. The village post office, located near the waterfront, was closed in 2002. Justøy Chapel is located just north of the village. The small village of

Åkerøyhamn Åkerøyhamn is a village in Lillesand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located on the small island of Ågerøya, about southwest of the village of Brekkestø. Åkerøyhamn is only accessible by boat, with the Blindleia stra ...

lies about to the southwest on the small, nearby island of Ågerøya. The nearest town is

, accessible by road via a network of bridges, and the closest international airport is Kjevik Airport near

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...

. Brekkestø is also reached by boat via the

Blindleia Blindleia is an long inland waterway in the municipality of Lillesand in Agder county, Norway. The strait starts in the ''Gamle Hellesund'' or ''Ulvøysund'' areas in southern Høvåg in the southwest (near Kristiansand) and it continues north ...

strait, which passes nearby. Brekkestø has a reputation for being both rustic yet exclusive, and as such, it is a popular destination for summer vacationing. Brekkestø is often cited as an “idyllic pearl” of Southern Norway. Due to its popularity however, the small village is often overcrowded with Norwegian and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

tourists Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

during the peak summer months, while during the winter months, the village is virtually deserted.

History

Brekkestø started off as a protected harbour for the Stutthei-farms in early 17th century, mainly due to the threats of Dutch pirates and corsairs. During the time of sailing ships in the 18th and 19th century, Brekkestø the most commonly used winter harbour on the south coast along the

Skaggerak The Skagerrak (; , , ) is a strait running between the North Jutlandic Island of Denmark, the east coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea. The Skagerrak contains some of the busiest shipping ...

. The harbour saw ships from many Northern European countries, and it was common that they had to wait several months before they could continue their journey. They were waiting for good weather and sailing conditions, and for the ice to disappear, or they were waiting for cargo. In the winter of 1862, there were 92 sailing ships in the harbour, so it was said that they could walk safely from island to island. Ship traffic created a lot of activity, and there were shops, apartments, hotels and duty station in the small outport.

Historic buildings

The following buildings are listed for cultural and historic protection: * Brekkestø landhandel (the landstore) * Tollboden (the customs house) * Main house on Gaupholmen, built in 1764

Name

The name derives from ''brekke'' (which means "hillside") and ''stø'' (meaning the landing area for a boat).

Attractions

Brekkestø is located close to the

strait, and there are numerous small islands to visit in the area. The village is also close to Lillesand, a pretty Norwegian town full of the white painted houses you see in Brekkestø.

Notable residents

Many Norwegian artists retreated to Brekkestø for inspiration: *

Christian Krohg Christian Krohg (13 August 1852 – 16 October 1925) was a Norwegian naturalist painter, illustrator, author and journalist. Krohg was inspired by the realism art movement and often chose motifs from everyday life. He was the director and s ...

(13 August 1852 – 16 October 1925), was a Norwegian naturalist painter, illustrator, author and journalist. *

Nils Kjær Nils Kjær (11 September 1870 – 9 February 1924) was a Norwegian playwright, short story writer, essayist, literary critic and theatre critic. Personal life Kjær was born in Holmestrand as the son of Nils Henrik Kjær and Christine Smes ...

(11 September 1870 – 9 February 1924) was a Norwegian playwright, short story writer, essayist, literary critic and theatre critic. Wrote ''Brekkestøbreve'' (Brekkestø letters). *

Gabriel Scott Gabriel Scott (8 March 1874 – 9 July 1958) was a Norwegian poet, novelist, playwright and children's writer. Personal life Gabriel Scott Jensen was born in Leith in Scotland as the son of sailors' priest Svend Holst Jensen and his wife wri ...

(8 March 1874 – 9 July 1958) was a Norwegian poet, novelist, playwright and children's writer.

References

External links

Brekkestø Vel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brekkesto Lillesand Villages in Agder