Haugesund

History

Despite being a fairly young town, the areas surrounding Haugesund were lands of power during the Viking Age. Harald Fairhair was the first king of Norway. He had his home in Avaldsnes, also known as Homeland of the Viking Kings, only from the present town of Haugesund. After his death in , it is believed Fairhair was buried at Haraldshaugen, a burial mound adjacent to the Karmsundet strait. This site is the namesake of the town and municipality of Haugesund. The national monument at Haraldshaugen was raised in 1872, to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the naval Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872. The Battle of Hafrsfjord has traditionally been regarded as when western Norway was unified under a single monarch for the first time. Haugesund has a strong historical bond to the sea and especially the herring. In the earlier years, the coastal waters of Haugesund were a huge source for fishing herring, and the town grew accordingly. The protective straits of Smedasund and Karmsund gave the town potential to grow in both fishing and shipping. Even to this day, Karmsund is one of Norway's busiest waterways. The town is still growing geographically even though the population has increased only moderately over the last decade. In modern times the herring stocks have been depleted and the town is turning towards the petroleum industry, like its neighbouring town to the south, Stavanger. The urban village area of Haugesund (population: 1,066) was declared to be a ladested in 1854. Due to this fact, the new town was separated from the surrounding Torvastad Municipality on 1 February 1855 to become a separate municipality. In 1866, Haugesund was designated as a kjøpstad, giving it full town status under the law. On 1 January 1911, the town was enlarged by annexing the small urban…

Geography

Haugesund is located along the North Sea coast, however, the island of Karmøy and the archipelago of Røvær shelter it from the rough waters of the ocean. The Karmsundet strait, located between Karmøy and Haugesund used to be very strategically important, since ships could pass without having to sail through heavy sea. There are several islands in the Karmsunet strait that are part of the town of Haugesund. The islands of Risøya and Hasseløya are densely built, and connected to the mainland of the town by bridges. Vibrandsøya and its neighboring islands are now mainly a recreational area. Haugesund's city centre has a distinctive street layout, similar to those found in Kristiansand and Oslo. Haugesund has an oceanic climate (Cfb, marine west coast) with rainy winters and mild and pleasant summers. The all-time high was recorded July 2019, and the all-time low was set in January 2010 (extremes since 2003). The wettest time of year is autumn and winter, while April–July is the driest season. Haugesund Airport is situated in Karmøy municipality, about from the town of Haugesund, and it has been recording weather data since 1975.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,160
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,269
• Herring Gull

  Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 · Aves
  3,798
• Gray/Purple Heron

  Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,764
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,657
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,584
• Mew Gull

  Larus canus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,520
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,422

Most recent

• M 3.6 — 2012-03-14
  13 km WSW of Ølen, Norway
• M 2.8 — 2008-08-23
  20 km WSW of Storebø, Norway
• M 3.2 — 2007-05-25
  31 km W of Rubbestadneset, Norway
• M 2.5 — 2007-02-08
  southern Norway
• M 2.6 — 2005-10-06
  52 km W of Rubbestadneset, Norway
• M 2.6 — 2005-07-28
  8 km W of Rubbestadneset, Norway