Hvaler

4293 ( March 31, 2013 )

The main islands are Vesterøy, Asmaløy, Spjaerøy and Kirkeøy, the latter with the administrative center Skjaerhalden. Vesterøy has on Utgaardskilen the most significant Fischanlandeplatz Southeast Norway.

History

On Hvaler can be found in various places traces of prehistoric settlements. On the island belonging to Hvaler Herføl is the longest so far found debris from the Bronze Age grave with 100 m long and 7 m wide. On Kirkeøy ( Kirke, norw for church ) is one of the oldest churches in the Romanesque style of Norway, which was built around 1000 AD. Under the brick building traces of an even older building have been identified. It is not clear who built the church, according to legend it was built by Scottish fish and whalers.

Economy and Transport

Flora and fauna on Hvaler are very diverse due to the comparatively mild climate. Thus, the fruit growing earlier no longer played a certain role, but today. Some parts of the islands are nature reserves. The sea off the island was declared in 2009 to Ytre - Hvaler National Park. The archipelago consists mainly of granite. It developed from about 1900 a temporarily significant quarry industry, but no longer exists today. Came for stonemasons particular from Sweden.

Since about 1970, is the group of islands connected by a road connection to the mainland, which facilitates access to the most important in this region of Fredrikstad. Kirkeøy is connected to a subsea tunnel with the rest of the archipelago since 1989. These measures have significantly contributed to the depopulation of the island group does not occur.

Personalities

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