Kragerø

Solen by Edvard Munch.
coat of arms

Kragerø is a town and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark County in Norway. Kragerø is a popular vacation destination for Norwegians because of its beautiful coast and many islands. Famous painter Edvard Munch thought the town was so pretty that he called it "The Pearl of the Coastal Towns". Munch drew many paintings in Kragerø, among them his famous painting Solen which pictures the setting sun in Kragerø.

Geography

 
View of Kragerø.
 
The old and new lighthouse on Jomfruland.

The city of Kragerø lies the furthest south in the county of Telemark. The municipality contains a total of 495 islands and many reefs that attract tourists.[1] Popular islands include Skåtøy, Gumøy, Bærøy, Tåtøy and Jomfruland. The island Jomfruland was made into a national park in 2016 which means that tourists have to be careful to take care of the nature on and around the island.

Tourism

 
One of the ferries in Kragerø.
 
Aerial view of Langøy and Gumøy.

Tourism is a big part of Kragerø and is responsible for most of the towns income. The town is not attractive only for Norwegians but people from all over the world travel to Kragerø to witness the beautiful blue waters and many islands the municipality has to offer. The towns population is four times higher during the summer than the rest of the year due to the tourists that visit. Many Norwegian tourists that visit own a cottage or small house somewhere in Kragerø, often on one of the islands. These tourists usually have boats to get to the mainland, but there are also many ferries that drive between the mainland and the biggest islands daily.

Kragerø Media

References

  1. "The Kragerø archipelago". Kragerø. Retrieved 2020-11-04.