Stavern is a town in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The town is located at the mouth of the Larviksfjorden along the Skaggerak coast, about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) south of the town of Larvik. Historically, Stavern was a self-governing municipality from 1838 until 1988 when it became part of the large Larvik Municipality.[7]

Stavern
Fredriksvern (historic)
View of the town harbour
View of the town harbour
Stavern is located in Vestfold
Stavern
Stavern
Location of the town
Stavern is located in Norway
Stavern
Stavern
Stavern (Norway)
Coordinates: 58°59′54″N 10°02′08″E / 58.9983°N 10.03557°E / 58.9983; 10.03557
CountryNorway
RegionEastern Norway
CountyVestfold
DistrictVestfold
MunicipalityLarvik Municipality
Established as 
Kjøpstad1943
Town (By)2010
Area
 • Total3.75 km2 (1.45 sq mi)
Elevation6 m (20 ft)
Population
 (2022)[2]
 • Total5,902
 • Density1,575/km2 (4,080/sq mi)
DemonymStavering
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Post Code
3290 Stavern
Stavern kjøpstad
Fredriksværn herred (historic)
Vestfold within Norway
Vestfold within Norway
Stavern within Vestfold
Stavern within Vestfold
CountryNorway
CountyVestfold
DistrictVestfold
Established1 Jan 1838
 • Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Disestablished1 Jan 1988
 • Succeeded byLarvik Municipality
Administrative centreStavern
Area
 (upon dissolution)
 • Total2 km2 (0.8 sq mi)
Population
 (1988)
 • Total2,538
 • Density1,300/km2 (3,300/sq mi)
DemonymStavring[4]
Official language
 • Norwegian formBokmål
ISO 3166 codeNO-0708[6]

The 3.75-square-kilometre (930-acre) town has a population (2022) of 5,902 and a population density of 1,575 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,080/sq mi).[2]

Stavern is a small town where tourism is one of the most important sources of income. During summer, the population increases to around 30,000-40,000 people, due to camping sites and cottages around the town centre as well as boats visiting the harbour. Stavern experiences about 200 days of sunshine per year.[8] From the mid-1750s until 1864, Stavern was home to the nation's main naval base located in a shipyard in Fredriksvern. A gunpowder tower and commandant's house remain on Citadel Island, a current refuge for artists. The town is also home of the Hall of Remembrance, a monument dedicated to seamen killed during World War I and World War II.[8]

Stavern Church is located in the town.

History

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Historic photo of Stavern
 
Stavern Wasilioff
 
Minnehallen in Stavern. National monument commemorating the sailors killed during World War I and World War II

Stavern has probably been a harbour since ancient times. The name is found in written sources from the 11th century and the 12th century where it is referred to as a good fishing harbour. Stavern in the 17th and 18th century was an important port for civil ship traffic from Norway to Denmark and Sweden.[citation needed]

The harbour was a major port and naval base for Staverns Fortress (until 1930 named Fredriksvern). As this was one of Norway's most important naval facilities, it was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). It was one of Norway's smallest municipalities. Even though it was an important port it was not given the status as a town (kjøpstad) until 1 July 1942. The small town and municipality of Stavern was merged with the larger town of Larvik 1 January 1988.[9]

Its former and current name is Stavern, but from 1799 to 1930 the town was named Fredriksværn as its only function was as the site of that naval base, so it shared the same name as the base. In 1930, the municipality was renamed Stavern. From 1942 the town was Norway's smallest until it merged with Larvik in 1988 and lost its town status. In 1996, the municipality of Larvik voted to restore Stavern to town status.[10]

During the 20th century, Stavern became a popular site for artists and craftsmen. The poet Herman Wildenvey, the writer Jonas Lie as well as the painters Hans Gude and Christian Krohg all lived in Stavern at some point in their lives. Today, the town is well known in southern Norway for its many exhibitions and art galleries. Stavern also is the site of Minnehallen, the national memorial to fallen sailors of World War I and World War II and a statue of the 18th century naval hero Peder Tordenskjold.[11]

Name

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The municipality (originally the harbour area) is named after the old Staværn farm (Old Norse: Staferni) since the Fredriksvern naval base and shipyard was built there. The first element is stafr which means "staff" or "stick" (the reason for this is unknown, but see Stavanger#Name). The last element is the suffix -erni which has an unknown meaning, but it is often used in names of islands. In the late-1700s, the prefix Fredriks- was added to the old farm name to create the name Fredriksværn. The prefix was added in honor of the King of Denmark-Norway, Fredrik V. In 1930, the old name Stavern was brought back into use.[12]

Municipal self-government (1838-1988)

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Municipal history

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On 1 January 1838, the formannskapsdistrikt law went into effect and the port and naval base of Fredriksværn was established as a municipality under the new law. The municipality was less than 1.5 square kilometres (0.58 sq mi), making it one of the smallest in Norway. It was surrounded by Brunlanes municipality. On 23 June 1883, an area of Brunlanes municipality (population: 22) was transferred to Fredriksværn. In 1930, the municipal name was changed to Stavern. In 1938, another area of Brunlanes municipality (population: 28) was transferred to Stavern. In 1943, the government of Norway granted Stavern the status of a kjøpstad (town status). Again, in 1949, an area of Brunlanes municipality (population: 13) was transferred to Stavern. On 1 January 1969, another area of Brunlanes (population: 4) was transferred into Stavern municipality. On 1 January 1988, the municipality of Stavern was dissolved as part of a major municipality merger which consolidated the municipalities of Brunlanes (population: 8,138), Hedrum (population: 10,449), and Tjølling (population: 7,878) with the towns of Larvik (population: 8,045) and Stavern (population: 2,538) to create a new, much larger Larvik Municipality with a population of 37,048 people.[13] While it existed as a self-governing municipality from 1838-1988, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[14]

Mayors

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The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Stavern (incomplete list):[15]

  • 1888-1895: Carl Henry Fyhn (V)
  • 1946-1947: Birger Carlson (Ap)
  • 1948-1955: Einar Schøning (H)
  • 1956-1959: Einar Aksdal (V)
  • 1960-1961: Arent Schøning (H)
  • 1962-1963: Einar Aksdal (V)
  • 1964-1965: Frank Hansen (H)
  • 1965-1965: Einar Aksdal (V)
  • 1966-1967: Arne Christoffersen (Ap)
  • 1968-1975: Einar Aksdal (V)
  • 1976-1983: Arne Høyem (H)
  • 1984-1987: Kåre Tørresdal (Ap)

Municipal council

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The municipal council (Bystyre) of Stavern was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Stavern bystyre 1984–1987 [16]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 9
  Joint list of the Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti), Liberal People's Party (Liberale Folkepartiet), and Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
Total number of members:21
Stavern bystyre 1980–1983 [17]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 9
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and
Liberal People's Party (Liberale Folkepartiet)
4
Total number of members:21
Stavern bystyre 1976–1979 [18]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and
New People's Party (Nye Folkepartiet)
3
Total number of members:21
Stavern bystyre 1972–1975 [19]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 10
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
Total number of members:21
Stavern bystyre 1968–1971 [20]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 5
Total number of members:21
Stavern bystyre 1964–1967 [21]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 5
Total number of members:21
Stavern bystyre 1960–1963 [22]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 6
Total number of members:21
Stavern bystyre 1956–1959 [23]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
Total number of members:21
Stavern bystyre 1952–1955 [24]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 6
Total number of members:20
Stavern bystyre 1948–1951 [25]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and the Radical People's Party (Radikale Folkepartiet) 5
Total number of members:20
Stavern bystyre 1945–1947 [26]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 6
Total number of members:20
Stavern herredsstyre 1938–1941* [27]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 5
Total number of members:16
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945.

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ In the Norwegian language, the word by can be translated as "town" or "city".
  2. ^ a b c Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 January 2022). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".
  3. ^ "Stavern, Larvik". yr.no. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  5. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  6. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  7. ^ Mæhlum, Lars; Thorsnæs, Geir; Lundbo, Sten, eds. (20 February 2023). "Stavern". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  8. ^ a b Evensberget, Snorre (2014). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Norway. Penguin. p. 129. ISBN 9781465432469.
  9. ^ Hammer, Erland, ed. (11 August 2022). "Stavern fort". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  10. ^ Hammer, Erland, ed. (31 August 2022). "Fredriksvern verft". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Minnehallen" (in Norwegian). Minnehallen Hjemmeside. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  12. ^ Rygh, Oluf (1907). Norske gaardnavne: Jarlsberg og Larviks amt (in Norwegian) (6 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 307.
  13. ^ Jukvam, Dag (1999). Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  14. ^ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  15. ^ Nyhus, Per (1999). Larvik A-Å (in Norwegian). Larvik. p. 452.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. ^ Kommunestyrevalget 1983 (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. ISBN 8253720378. ISSN 0332-8023.
  17. ^ Kommunestyrevalget 1979 (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. ISBN 8253710836. ISSN 0332-8023.
  18. ^ Kommunevalgene 1975 (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. ISBN 8253705646.
  19. ^ Kommunevalgene 1972 (PDF) (in Norwegian). Vol. I. Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. ISBN 8253701144.
  20. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967.
  21. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964.
  22. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960.
  23. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957.
  24. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952.
  25. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948.
  26. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947.
  27. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938.
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