Kragerø

Kragerø (ˈkrɑ̀ːɡərœ) is a town and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Grenland and the smaller Vestmar. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kragerø. The city of Kragerø lies furthest south in the county of Telemark. 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 Norse form of the name was Krákarey. The first element is (probably) the genitive of kráka 'crow', the last element is ey 'island'. Kragerø is a Danish form of the name, established in the 17th century. For a similar name see Kråkerøy. The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 28 January 1938. The arms are black with a silver galley in the center. Kragerø received town privileges in 1666, but was dependent on Skien until 1842. The town used a seal which was identical to that of Skien. The galley in the arms is derived from the fact that since 1666, Kragerø had to supply a galley with five guns to the King. The town of Kragerø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). In the days of the sailing ships, Kragerø was one of Norway's largest port cities. The rural municipalities of Sannidal and Skåtøy were merged into the municipality of Kragerø on 1 January 1960. The municipality now includes 495 islands, islets, and skerries along with 4,000 leisure houses. There are also 190 freshwater lakes in the municipality.