Hvaler

coat of arms	map
	Hvaler
Basic data
Commune number :	3011
Province  (county) :	Viken
Administrative headquarters:	Skjaerhalden
Coordinates :	59 ° 3 '  N , 11 ° 1'  E Coordinates: 59 ° 3 '  N , 11 ° 1'  E
Surface:	90.12 km²
Residents:	4,668  (Feb 27, 2020)
Population density :	52 inhabitants per km²
Language form :	Bokmål
Website:	hvaler.kommune.no
politics
Mayor :	Mona Vauger  ( Ap ) (2019)
Location in the province of Viken

Hvaler is a Norwegian municipality in the province ( Fylke ) Viken . It is located on the eastern side of the entrance to the Oslofjord . As a typical archipelago landscape , it consists of more than 800 flat islands of all sizes. Hvaler borders Sweden in the south and south-east .

The most important islands are Vesterøy , Asmaløy , Spjaerøy and Kirkeøy , the latter with the administrative center Skjaerhalden . At Utgaardskilen, Vesterøy has the most important fish landing site in southeast Norway.

history

Traces of prehistoric settlements can be found in various places on Hvaler. On the island of Herføl , which belongs to Hvaler, is the longest rubble grave from the Bronze Age found so far, 100 m long and 7 m wide. Kirkeøy (from Kirke , Norwegian for church) is home to one of Norway's oldest Romanesque-style churches, built around 1000 AD. Traces of an even older building have been found under the brick building. It is unclear who built the church, according to a legend it was built by Scottish fish and whalers.

Due to its proximity to today's neighboring country Sweden, Hvaler was of certain military strategic importance both in the time of the Vikings and up to modern times. In the middle of the 17th century, a fortress was built next to the island of Akerøy , off Vesterøy to the south, to prevent enemy ships from coming from the south. It was never involved in combat, however, and was used as a target for naval exercises and destroyed around 1850. Today the fortress has been largely restored.

Economy and Transport

Fishing, especially shrimp , is still an important economic branch, but today holiday home tourism also plays an important role in the summer months. The population is around 3,700 in winter and up to 30,000 in summer.

Flora and fauna on Hvaler are very diverse due to the comparatively mild climate. Fruit growing used to play a certain role, but it no longer plays a role today. Some parts of the archipelago are nature reserves. The sea off the island was declared a Ytre-Hvaler National Park in 2009 . The archipelago consists mainly of granite. A temporarily significant quarrying industry developed from around 1900, but it no longer exists today. Stone cutters came from Sweden in particular.

The archipelago has been linked to the mainland by road since around 1970, making it easier to get to Fredrikstad , the most important town in the region . Kirkeøy has been connected to the rest of the archipelago with an underwater tunnel since 1989. These measures have made a significant contribution to preventing the archipelago from becoming depopulated .

Population development

Personalities

• Egil Abrahamsen (* 1923), marine engineer and businessman

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistisk sentralbyrå - Befolkning

Web links

Commons : Hvaler  - collection of images, videos and audio files