Stavanger

Stavanger
City
Coat of arms
Nickname:  The Oil Capital
Country	Norway
Municipality	Stavanger
County	Rogaland
District	Jæren
Established	1125
Government
• Mayor	Christine Sagen Helgø
Area
• City	71 km2 (27 sq mi)
• Urban	77.98 km2 (30.11 sq mi)
• Metro	2,598 km2 (1,003 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• City	126,469
• Density	1,800/km2 (4,600/sq mi)
• Urban	197,852
• Urban density	2,500/km2 (6,600/sq mi)
• Metro	297,569
• Metro density	110/km2 (300/sq mi)
• Municipality/ Urban rank	4th/3rd
• Metro rank	3rd
Demonym	Siddis
Ethnic groups [1]
• Norwegians	84.8%
• Poles	1.4%
• British	1.1%
• Turks	0.9%
• Somalis	0.6%
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Website	http://www.stavanger.kommune.no

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1769	3,337	—
1951	50,617	+1416.8%
1960	52,835	+4.4%
1970	81,741	+54.7%
1980	89,913	+10.0%
1990	97,570	+8.5%
2000	108,818	+11.5%
2010	123,850	+13.8%
Source: Statistics Norway[3][4]

Stavanger (Norwegian pronunciation: [stɑˈʋɑŋər] ^ⓘ) is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.

Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469.^[2] There are 197,852^[3] people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway. Stavanger is the centre of the Stavanger metropolitan area, which has a population of 297,569, and the administrative centre of Rogaland county. The city is commonly referred to as the Petroleum Capital of Norway.^[4]

Despite its age, dating back at least to the Viking Age, Stavanger only grew to its position among the most important Norwegian cities in the second half of the 20th century, after oil was discovered in the North Sea. Today, the city is marked by noticeable foreign influences as a result of the presence of several major international oil companies. Stavanger also houses the NATO Joint Warfare Center.

Norway's oldest cathedral, Stavanger domkirke, is situated in the city centre, right next to Breiavatnet lake. The two most popular recreational areas are situated around lakes, namely Mosvatnet and Stokkavatnet.

The first traces of settlement in the Stavanger region come from the days when the ice retreated after the last ice age ca. 10,000 years ago. A number of historians have argued convincingly that North-Jæren was an economic and military centre as far back as the 9th-10th century with the consolidation of the nation at the Battle of Hafrsfjord around 872. Stavanger grew into a centre of church administration and an important south-west coast market town around 1100–1300.^[5]

Stavanger fulfilled an urban role prior to its status as city (1125), from around the time the Stavanger bishopric was established in the 1120s. Bishop Reinald, who may have come from Winchester, England, is said to have started construction of Stavanger Cathedral (Stavanger domkirke) around 1100.^[6] It was finished around 1125, and the city of Stavanger counts 1125 as its year of foundation.^[7]

With the Protestant Reformation in 1536, Stavanger's role as a religious centre declined, and the establishment of Kristiansand in the early 17th century led to the relocation of the bishopric. However, rich herring fisheries in the 19th century gave the city new life. Stavanger was established as a municipality 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The then rural municipalities of Hetland and Madla merged with Stavanger 1 January 1965.

The city's history is a continuous alternation between economic booms and recessions. ^[8] For long periods of time its most important industries have been shipping, shipbuilding, the fish canning industry and associated subcontractors.

In 1969, a new boom started as oil was first discovered in the North Sea. ^[9] After much discussion, Stavanger was chosen to be the on-shore center for the oil industry on the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, and a period of hectic growth followed.^[9]

Hallvard Trætteberg (1898–1987), a leading specialist in heraldry, was commissioned to design the official coat of arms of Stavanger, a work that lasted from the end of the 1920s and until approved in 1939. His design is also used as the city's arms, flag and seal. The coat of arms is based upon a seal which dated 1591. It shows a branch of vine (Vitis vinifera). Which leaves and branch type that is depicted on the coat of arms has been hotly debated. The original meaning and representation of the vine remains unknown.^[10]

The Old Norse form of the name was Stafangr. The origin of the name has been discussed for decades, and the most used interpretation is that it originally was the name of the inlet now called Vågen which was the original of the city on the east shore of the bay. ^{[citation needed]}

The first element of the name is stafr meaning 'staff, branch'. This could refer to the form of the inlet, but also to the form of the mountain Valberget Staven meaning the staff is a common name of high and steep mountains in Norway. The last element is angr meaning 'inlet, bay'. Facing the North Sea, Stavanger has always been economically dependent on its access to the sea.^[11]

File:Stavanger city map.png

Stavanger is officially partitioned into 22 parts and 218 subparts. Stavanger is also divided into 7 boroughs.^[12]

• Hundvåg
• Tasta
• Eiganes og Våland
• Madla
• Storhaug
• Hillevåg
• Hinna

The city is located on a peninsula on the southwest coast of Norway. The climate is maritime mild temperate (marine west coast - cfb) and rather windy, with all monthly temperature averages above freezing, and precipitation 1180 mm/year. Summers are pleasant and lowland areas in and around Stavanger have the longest growing season in Norway.

Starting in the 1880s, industry grew in Stavanger, primarily based on treatment and exports of fish and fish-products. The industry was however one-sided which left it vulnerable to changes in demand and was therefore particularly hard hit by the economic depressions between World War I and World War II. ^{[citation needed]}

After World War II, the canning-industry hit difficulties. Increased competition from abroad and old machinery led to decrease which was only partially compensated by an increase in shipping and boat-building. ^{[citation needed]}

In the 1960s, exploratory oil-drilling in the North Sea changed the situation for Stavanger. It is located close to the oil-fields, and Stavanger with its good harbour and plane-connections was well-positioned to take advantage of the increased activity.

After petroleum-exploration and production became the most important business sector in the Stavanger area during the mid 1970s, business and cultural climate has changed considerably.

The largest oil company in Stavanger is mainly state-owned oil company Statoil who have their headquarters located in the suburban area of Forus, located between neighboring Sandnes and Stavanger.

The NATO Joint Warfare Centre is located at Jåttå.

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (November 2010)

Access to Stavanger is provided through the Sørlandsbanen railway, and the road E39 from Kristiansand and E39 north on the west coast. Stavanger Airport, Sola has connections to domestic and European destinations, including Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London, Aberdeen, Manchester and Copenhagen. Also, located outside Stavanger, there is a port serving ferries to Hirtshals, Denmark. There have been advocates for the Smyril Line ferry between the Faroe Islands and Denmark to make a stop in Stavanger as the new port in Risavika allows this to be done while only adding one hour to the total sailing time. Local ferries go to Tau and Kvitsøy, while fast passenger boats go to many villages and islands between the main routes from Stavanger to Haugesund and Sauda. Flaggruten operates catamaran passenger services to Bergen with multiple stops along the way, among others Haugesund. Express bus services are operated by NOR-WAY Bussekspress from Stavanger City Terminal to Kristiansand, Bergen and Haugesund, and by Lavprisekspressen to Oslo via Kristiansand.

The local bus service in Stavanger is administered by Rogaland Kollektivtrafikk (RKT) under the brand name "Kolumbus".^[14] The buses are operated by Boreal Transport. RKT administers all bus routes in Rogaland County.

On 12 January 2009, Kolumbus initiated an express bus service to the large commercial district Forus located south of the city. This service consists of seven direct express routes that run mornings and afternoons.^[15] The express buses run from different neighbourhoods in Stavanger directly to Forus, without passing through the city centre, like all other regular routes.

The recently upgraded Jærbanen between Stavanger and Sandnes will be serviced by trains running at a frequency of 4 departures per hour from the 13th of December.^[16]

The city has a number of bus services and taxis. There are two tunnel projects planned: Ryfast and Rogfast.

Stavanger has several schools for the expatriate community including the British International School of Stavanger^[17] and the International School of Stavanger.^[18]

Stavanger has one university, the University of Stavanger with about 8,000 students. The university was formerly a university college. It was granted status as University on 1 January 2005. ^[19]

The population of Stavanger has a high percentage of university educated persons, with 31.3% of those above the age of 16 having higher education, compared to the national average of 24.2% (2006 figures) .^[20]

Stavanger and its region, along with Liverpool, United Kingdom, was selected as a European Capital of Culture for 2008. The Stavanger2008 vision is expressed through the concept "Open Port". This can be understood both in its English sense - "an open harbour", - and in its Norwegian meaning of "an open gate". Open Port – Openness towards the world. The region and its people is supposed to be even more open and inclusive towards art, ideas and opportunities.

Every May, Stavanger is host to MaiJazz, the Stavanger International Jazz Festival. The International Chamber Music Festival takes place every August. Stavanger was the host port of the Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Race in 1997 and 2004.

The largest local football club Viking FK, plays in the Norwegian Premier League (2010). The club plays its home matches at the football stadium, Viking Stadion, which was opened in 2004.

FK Vidar, currently play football in the Norwegian third division.

Stavanger Oilers plays in the Norwegian ice hockey elite league, GET-ligaen. The handball team Stavanger Håndball plays in the Norwegian second division.

Stavanger is the host of the 2010 beach volleyball SWATCH FIVB World Championships.

Renowned Starcraft 2 player Kristoffer 'FXOTargA' Marthinsen is from Stavanger. TargA is known for being very manner and having 'Sen' in two of his norweigan names, with Sen being one of the best Starcraft 2 players in the world.

Stavanger is the home of the gothic metal bands Theatre of Tragedy, Tristania, Sirenia and the singer Liv Kristine and the black metal band Gehenna (band), among others. Janove Ottesen and Geir Zahl founding members of the alternative rockband Kaizers Orchestra both lived in Stavanger as well.

Stavanger has also been the shooting location for Norwegian movies such as Mongoland,NOKAS and Mannen som elsket Yngve (The Man Who Loved Yngve), which received some recognition by Variety magazine.^[21]

Lysefjorden is popular for hiking. Tourists typically visit places like Prekestolen (aka the Pulpit Rock), and Kjeragbolten. Prekestolen is a massive rock overhanging the fjord (604 meters above). Kjeragbolten is a rock wedged in the cliff approx. 1000 meters above the fjord. The straight fall 1000 meters down to the fjord makes Kjerag a very popular location for BASE jumping.

Not too far from Stavanger, alpine centers are ready for skiers and snowboarders throughout the winter season. ^[22]

Along the coast south of Stavanger there are a number of large, sandy beaches, including at Sola is within closest reach from the city.^[23]

Old Stavanger (Gamle Stavanger) is located right next to the city centre and has a collection of eighteenth and 19th century wooden structures.

Stavanger domkirke (St. Svithun's cathedral) was built between 1100 and 1150 by the English bishop Reinald in Anglo-Norman style, and in the late 13th century a new choir was added in Gothic style, with a vaulted roof. The cathedral is the only Norwegian cathedral that is almost unchanged since the 14th century.

The city centre itself is small and intimate, with narrow streets and open spaces protected from car traffic. The open-air vegetable market is one of the very few in Norway where you can buy produce directly from local farmers every working day through the year. Unfortunately the Market has been in decline of recent years, it is now filled with very few stall holders. ^{[citation needed]}

The Stavanger Museum is also located in Old Stavanger, commemorating the city's past glory as the herring capital of Norway.^[24]

The museum of Archaeology is one of five archaeological museums in Norway. According to the Museum itself it, follows a profile of environmental archaeology and interdisciplinary study, with a scientific staff that includes representatives from archaeology, the natural sciences and modern cultural history.

The Norwegian Petroleum Museum is located at the harbour. The museum reflects the fact that Stavanger has been Norway's oil capital since oil drilling activities started in the North Sea in 1966.^[25]

Stavanger has several sister cities; they are:

• Aberdeen, Scotland^[26]
• Baku, Azerbaijan
• Antsirabe, Madagascar
• Esbjerg, Denmark
• Eskilstuna, Sweden
• Estelí, Nicaragua
• Neskaupstaður, Iceland
• Galveston, United States
• Harlow, England
• Toulouse, France
• Houston, United States
• Jyväskylä, Finland
• Nablus, Palestinian Authority
• Netanya, Israel
• Massawa, Eritrea
• Chesterfield, England

Please add "China - Ningbo, September 2004" as a sister city to Stavanger, to correspond to wikipedia entry "Ningbo"

• Municipality web site
• Official City Maps
• Stavanger Web
• Official web site of the region Stavanger
• Template:Wikitravel