Крагерё: Норвежский жемчуг побережья и летняя столица Телемарка

Municipality in Telemark, Norway
the municipality in Norway
The municipality is the 262nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kragerø is the 111th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 10,413. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 2.7% over the previous 10 year period. In the days of the sailing ships, Kragerø was one of Norway's largest port cities. The London based newspaper The Independent, published an article on Kragerø stating that "When Norwegians want to get away from it all they head for Kragero. Forests, fjords and islands await them at the place where Edvard Munch found peace and relaxation." The population of Kragerø quadruples during its summer months due to high tourism. Edvard Munch fell in love with Kragerø in his time, and called it "The Pearl of the Coastal Towns" (Perlen blandt kystbyene.) In 2002, The Independent published an article on the region's coastline saying that "It may not have many sandy beaches, but the coast of Norway offers sophistication and stunning scenery."

The town of Kragerø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). Since it had been a town since 1666, the small town was granted self governing rights under this new law. It was fully surrounded by the Sannikedal Municipality. On 1 January 1861, an area of Sannikedal (population: 857) that was adjacent to the growing town of Kragerø was annexed and transferred from Sannikedal to Kragerø. On 1 January 1891, an area of Skåtøy (population: 809) that was adjacent to the growing town of Kragerø was annexed and transferred from Skåtøy to Kragerø. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1960, the town of Kragerø (population: 4,638) was merged with the neighboring Skåtøy Municipality (population: 3,208) and Sannidal Municipality (population: 2,604).

The municipality (originally the town of Kragerø) is named after the island of Kragerø since the town was built on the island and mainland near it. The first element is kráka which means "crow". The last element is ey which means "island". The Norwegian spelling would have a k instead of the g, but Kragerø uses the Danish form of the name, established in the 17th century.

Kragerø is the southernmost municipality in Telemark. To the southwest, it borders the municipality of Risør (in Agder county); to the west is Gjerstad (also in Agder county); to the northwest is Drangedal; and to the northeast is Bamble. Kragerø is popular among Norwegians (as well as foreigners) as a vacation destination during the summer, when the population swells considerably. The municipality includes 495 islands, islets, and skerries along with 4,000 leisure houses. There are also 190 freshwater lakes in the municipality. The main offshore islands include Tåtøy, Kragerø, Skåtøy, Langøy, Bærøy, Gumøy, Stråholmen, and Jomfruland. The Fossingfjord and Kilsfjord both are found in Kragerø. The large lake Toke is partially located in the northern part of Kragerø.

Kragerø Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Kragerø is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.