Risør

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Risør is a town and the administrative centre of Risør municipality in Agder county, Norway. The town is located along the Skaggerak coast on a peninsula between the entrances to the Søndeledfjorden (to the north) and the Sandnesfjorden (to the south). The town is one of the oldest towns in Southern Norway. It was declared a ladested in 1630 and upgraded to a kjøpstad in 1723. It sits about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of the nearby coastal town of Kragerø (in Vestfold og Telemark county) and about the same distance northeast of the nearby coastal town of Tvedestrand. The nearest large town to Risør is the town of Arendal, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the southwest. The 2.92-square-kilometre (720-acre) town has a population (2019) of 4,609 and a population density of 1,580 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,100/sq mi).Risør is known as "the white town by the Skaggerak" (Norwegian: Den hvite by ved Skaggerak) because of its numerous well-preserved, old, white, wooden houses which the town actively protects. It is famous for its tourist attractions such as the wooden boat festival which is staged during the first week of August every year. It also has a growing reputation as the regional capital of arts and crafts, which culminates in the "Villvin-festival" during the summer holiday season. There are two historic churches in Risør: Risør Church near the town centre and Frydendal Church in the western part of the town. The Stangholmen Lighthouse lies a short distance off the shore, just southeast of the harbor, marking the channel leading into the town.