Risør is a Seaside resort , a town and the administrative centre of Risør municipality in Agder county, Norway . The town is located along the Skagerrak coast on a peninsula between the entrances to the Søndeledfjorden (to the north) and the Sandnesfjorden (to the south). The town is one of the oldest towns in Southern Norway . It was declared a ladested in 1630 and upgraded to a kjøpstad in 1723. It sits about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of the nearby coastal town of Kragerø (in Telemark county) and about the same distance northeast of the nearby coastal town of Tvedestrand . The nearest large town to Risør is the town of Arendal , about 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the southwest. The 2.92-square-kilometre (720-acre) town has a population (2019) of 4,609 and a population density of 1,580 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,100/sq mi).
32-538: Risør kammermusikkfest or the Risør Chamber Music Festival is an annually occurring festival in Risør , Norway . It was established in 1991 by Bernt Lauritz Larsen from Risør, in collaboration with Lars Anders Tomter . From 1992 Leif Ove Andsnes entered as artistic director with Tomter. Turid Birkeland , former Norwegian Culture minister , replaced Bernt Lauritz Larsen as festival manager in 2004. After
64-408: A fire on the ship. Dictator proceeded to bombard the two Danish brigs anchored nearby, causing them to lower their colours and surrender at 21:47 pm. The British captured Laaland and Kiel as prizes but abandoned them after the two vessels grounded. The British did not set fire to either as they still had their crews and wounded aboard. Najaden listed to port and started taking on water through
96-406: A pilot on board who was familiar with the waters. Still, she ran aground at Buskjærsteinen and Steward ordered Flamer to stay behind and assist the stricken brig. Several smaller Dano-Norwegian boats immediately attacked Podargus and Flamer . Among them were Lieutenant Parnemann with the armed launch Kiøge Bugt and gunboat No.3 under the command of Lieutenant Ring. Four additional gunboats from
128-622: A privileged port ( ladested ). The town's timber-framed church, Risør Church , was built in the Baroque style in 1647. In 1723, Risør was granted kjøpstad status which granted it a number of commercial privileges. By the end of the 18th century, 96 sailing vessels were owned by Risør merchants. It was the sixth largest shipping town and one of four shipbuilding centers in Norway. In Letters on Sweden, Norway, and Denmark , Mary Wollstonecraft wrote extensively while visiting Risør in 1783, including
160-491: A superior naval force, the Dano-Norwegian warships would be trapped, cornered in a geographic death trap in the skerries from which there was no apparent escape, except through the one entrance, which was inadequately protected by Dano-Norwegian coastal batteries. Najaden had anchored near the island of Sandøya near Tvedestrand , where the captain felt secure. His premise was that no British ship would risk running ashore in
192-544: A tour to Brussels, London and New York in 2010, Birkeland and Andsnes resigned, and Henning Kraggerud entered as new artistic director with Tomter. At the same time, the festival entered into a collaboration with the Det Norske Kammerorkester . DNK's director Per Erik Kise Larsen became the festival director, the orchestra became a permanent festival orchestra, and the festival and orchestra received joint administration. This scheme ended in 2016. Erik Kise Larsen
224-472: Is famous for its tourist attractions such as the wooden boat festival which is staged during the first week of August every year. It also has a growing reputation as the regional capital of arts and crafts, which culminates in the "Villvin-festival" during the summer holiday season. There are two historic churches in Risør: Risør Church near the town centre and Frydendal Church in the western part of
256-479: Is still the festival's main venue, but in the concert hall on Hødnebø, on the water's edge overlooking the archipelago, the festival features creative musical collaboration across age and genre. Ris%C3%B8r (town) Risør is known as "the white town by the Skagerrak " ( Norwegian : Den hvite by ved Skagerrak ) because of its numerous well-preserved, old, white, wooden houses which the town actively protects. It
288-476: The English Royal Navy pursued and sank the last major vessel and the pride of Norway: the frigate HDMS Najaden . On 1 January 1838, the new formannskapsdistrikt law came into effect, granting each parish and town in Norway the rights to have a self-governing council. Thus, Risør was a small town with its own town council to run it. Risør was almost wiped off the map in 1861. A great fire swept across
320-468: The Old Norse name Ríseyjar . The first element is rís which means " thicket " and the last element is eyjar which is the plural form of " island ". The relatively more modern Danish version of eyjar is øer , hence the current spelling of Risør. The name was originally referring to the nearby island of Risøya which is located just outside the town. The old name of the town (until 1909)
352-509: The Arendal Division, commanded by Captain-Lieutenant Dietrichson, subsequently reinforced them. Lastly, the battery at Digernes (on the seaward side of Borøya island, which is three miles southwest of Lyngør), also fired on the two British brigs. Although Podargus and Flamer sustained damage, they were eventually able to rejoin Dictator after the main battle was over. Najaden went into
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#1732895107692384-506: The British to abandon the captured Danish brigs. Captain Steward eventually deemed the situation threatening, and the Dictator was hauled clear at 02:00 am. She ran aground once more, however, and several cannon had to be moved to the rear of the ship in order for her to break free - which she did at 05:00 am. Dictator and Calypso set sail, exited Svalsund and headed east under constant fire from
416-559: The Napoleonic Wars. In the Treaty of Kiel , Denmark ceded dominion over Norway , setting the stage for Norway's independence movement, causing her to set up her own parliament and constitution . The battle also freed up British naval resources to continue fighting the French navy in the Napoleonic Wars. For the 200th anniversary of the battle in 2012, a replica gunboat named Øster Riisøer III
448-501: The Royal Navy as "Mad Jim", was looking for a naval confrontation. Captain Holm's plan was to avoid engaging the British ships. He relied on his superior knowledge of the local waters to attempt to evade Steward's pursuit. The group of Dano-Norwegian naval forces based in Norway was utilizing a sheltered but weakly defended anchorage on the coast of Norway as a base of operations. If attacked by
480-481: The city, greatly expanding Risør. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee . On 1 January 1964, the town of Risør (population: 3,002) and the entire municipality of Søndeled (population: 3,134) were merged to form a new, much larger municipality of Risør, with the town being the administrative centre . The name for the town of Risør likely comes from
512-409: The command of Otto Frederick Rasch), Lolland , and Samsøe – accompanied Najaden . The British saw an opportunity to end the blockade and finish what remained of Dano-Norwegian seapower. They therefore sent the 64-gun third rate ship-of-the-line Dictator and three brigs, the 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop Calypso , 14-gun brig-sloop Podargus and the 14-gun brig Flamer to seek out
544-588: The end of the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway 's involvement in the Napoleonic Wars . Denmark-Norway 's attempt to remain neutral in the struggle between France and the United Kingdom and their respective allies early in the 19th century came to an end after the United Kingdom's pre-emptive naval actions of 1807, in which the entire Danish fleet was captured, the British operating under the possibility that Denmark-Norway
576-490: The following remarks: Risør played a role in the Napoleonic Wars from 1807 to 1814, when Denmark–Norway took France 's side, and therefore became the enemy of Norway's most important trading-partner: Great Britain . (It is from this period that Henrik Ibsen took his subject, when he created his famous poem Terje Vigen .) It was south of Risør, at Lyngør (now in the neighboring Tvedestrand municipality) that several British warships, headed by HMS Dictator of
608-471: The gun ports; the fire spread to the powder magazine and the ship detonated at 22:10 pm. Within 45 minutes, Najaden had sunk, having suffered 133 dead and 82 wounded. Captain Holm survived, only to drown in an accident a few months later. The battle resumed as the Norwegian gunboats found their way into Lyngør. At 01:00 am, all the Norwegian gunboats nearby had made it into the sound and entered battle, forcing
640-470: The gunboats. The small boats caused significant damage to the British ships, but the exhausted rowing crews were unable to pursue the sailing ships, which escaped to sea. The action cost Dictator five killed and 24 wounded, Calypso three killed, one wounded and two missing, and Flamer one killed and one wounded. Overall, the Danes recorded their losses as 300 men killed or wounded. Commander Weir of Calypso
672-410: The last remnants of the Dano-Norwegian fleet. Captain Steward's plan was to chase down Najaden and sink it, thereby giving Britain total control over the trade routes across the Skagerrak between Norway and Denmark, and effectively ending Danish involvement in the Napoleonic Wars. In a pitched battle, his ship-of-the-line would easily defeat the frigate. As a consequence, Steward, a Scotsman known in
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#1732895107692704-466: The narrow sound of Lyngør where she anchored between Holmen and Odden, detaching most of her supporting vessels to fight Podargus and Flamer . Captain Holm assumed that the Dictator could not follow down the narrow sound, and assumed that the attack would come from smaller vessels and over Holmen, and set his broadside towards Holmen. However, Steward sailed into the sound, dropped an anchor behind him, and ran ashore with his broadside perpendicular to
736-465: The sides and back of their houses. By the second half of the 19th century, over 100 sailing vessels were based at their home port in Risør and more than 1,000 sailors called Risør home. The transition to steamships and the economic damage of World War I , however, destroyed Risør's shipping industry. On 1 January 1901, an area of the neighboring municipality of Søndeled (population: 658) was transferred to
768-520: The small town leaving just 85 houses and the 1647 Risør Church . The entire road network was re-worked after the fire to remove the small streets and alleys and have wider roads that are there today. The town was redesigned and rebuilt and today it presents a positive impression of a well kept town with white, wooden houses. White was chosen because it was an expensive paint and they residents wanted to give an expression of prosperity. Still today, most houses have white paint, although some have other colors on
800-433: The sound. Using his anchor line for leverage, he positioned Dictator to set its broadside against Najaden at a range of 35–40 metres. Unable to turn, Najaden had its broadside pointing away from the opposing ship and was dead in the water. At about 9:30 pm, Dictator unleashed a 15-minute barrage against Najaden that amounted to some four tons of ordnance. The barrage broke her main mast almost immediately and caused
832-400: The town. The Stangholmen Lighthouse lies a short distance off the shore, just southeast of the harbor, marking the channel leading into the town. The village of Risør was a small fishing village in the prestegjeld of Søndeled when Dutch vessels began to call there to purchase timber around the year 1570. By 1607, two inns had been opened to serve Dutch sailors. In 1630, Risør became
864-480: The unfamiliar and craggy archipelago. He accepted an invitation to dine with the captain of the Samsøe and even went ashore on the island after his meal. From the hills above, he saw that the British ships were inside the archipelago and headed in his direction. Rushing back to his ships, he ordered the ships along an inner route north-east, toward Lyngør . Podargus was in the van of the British squadron, apparently with
896-467: Was Østerrisør (meaning "eastern Risør"). The first element was added in the 16th century to distinguish the town from Vesterrisør , the old name of Mandal . Battle of Lyng%C3%B8r British victory The Battle of Lyngør was a naval action fought between Denmark-Norway and the United Kingdom in 1812 on the southern coast of Norway. The battle ended in a Dano-Norwegian defeat, and marked
928-468: Was immediately, and Commander Robilliard of Podargus in the ensuing December, promoted to post-captain ; Dictator ' s first lieutenant, William Buchanan, was made a commander. In 1847 the surviving British participants were authorized to apply for the clasp "Off Mardoe 6 July 1812" to the Naval General Service Medal . The Battle of Lyngør effectively ended Denmark's involvement in
960-561: Was left of the Dano-Norwegian fleet after the Battle of Copenhagen (1807) was committed to trying to break the blockade. After years of skirmishes, the Dano-Norwegian fleet was reduced to one major ship, the frigate Najaden , which they had finished constructing in 1811 with material salvaged from a ship-of-the-line destroyed in earlier battles. Najaden was under the command of Danish naval officer Hans Peter Holm. Three brigs – Kiel (under
992-577: Was planning to join the Napoleonic Wars on the side of the French. The British imposed a blockade on supply lines between Norway and Denmark in the Skagerrak sound, except for Norwegian ships transporting lumber bound for Britain. The resulting blockade isolated Norway from both Denmark and from the market and economically impacted Norway. Most exports were stopped, as well as grain imports from Denmark. The blockade resulted in an economic crisis for Denmark-Norway. The Norwegians preferred to limit military operations to coastal defence. Nevertheless, what
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1024-443: Was terminated as festival director, and Henning Kraggerud and Lars Anders Tomter both joined as artistic leaders. Eirik Raude was hired as the new festival manager the same year. The festival was linked up with artistic guest leaders, such as pianist Enrico Pace in 2017 and violinist Christian Tetzlaff in 2018. In 2019, mezzo-soprano Marianne Beate Kielland became the artistic director of the festival. Risør Church , built in 1647,
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