Egersund

People have lived around the area of Egersund since the Stone Age. There are several places around Egersund where one can find ruins of settlements dating back to the age of migrations in Norway (400–600 BC).

There used to be a church here, the Church of St. Mary, mentioned in 1292 in a privilege of indulgence issued in Rome on 5 February 1292 by Pope Nicholas IV as Ecclesia beatæ Mariæ de Eikundarsund. It was the first church in Egersund, and was the parish church of the St. Mary parish. It is believed to have been located where the present Egersund Church stands today. Old folklore from Egersund also says that before the Church of St. Mary, an altar where people sacrificed to the old Norse gods was placed here, but this has not been verified from any sources except old stories.

There was also a chapel, the chapel of St. Laurenti, mentioned in a letter issued on 5 February 1308 as Ecclesia beati Laurentii de Eikundarsund, where Pope Clement V gives King Håkon V Magnusson extensive privileges concerning the King's 14 chapels (including the chapel of St. Laurenti), which was founded by himself or his father, King Magnus Lagabøte, and his grandfather, King Håkon Håkonson. Since these chapels often were built on the king's estates, it is presumed to have been on grounds owned by the Husaby estate. An old tradition says it was located at what is now "Strandgata 43", but the exact position is somewhat uncertain.

Present-day Egersund Church

In 1623 the old church (probably the Church of St. Mary) was demolished and a new Egersund Church was erected. This wooden still stands today.

On 18 July 1798, the village of Egersund was established as a ladested with its own Customs office.

The ladested of Egersund was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 under the new formannskapsdistrikt law. This effectively gave Egersund the municipal self-government that was now uniformly given to all areas of Norway.[5]

In 1843, a fire destroyed two thirds of the town, allowing a major redesign of streets. In 1847, Johan Feyer founded A/S Egersunds Fayancefabriks Co., which became the town's major employer until closing in 1979.

On 7 July 1859, there was another major fire and then again on 20 October 1862 there was another fire. This was the last major town fire since town planners finally understood wooden structures' vulnerability and reconstructed using extra wide streets to prevent fires from spreading.

In 1878, the Jærensbanen railway line between Egersund and the city of Stavanger opened with Egersund Station in the centre of the town. In 1905, Egersund became the first town in Rogaland county to get electrical lighting.

On 9 April 1940, the German military invaded Norway and they occupy Egersund during World War II. Egersund had strategic importance because of its good harbour, as well as because the telegraph line between Norway and England was situated there. The Germans built large camps in the area. The occupation lasted until the end of the war.

In 1947, the town was growing rapidly, and an area of the neighboring municipality of Eigersund (population: 515) was transferred into the town of Egersund.[5]

During the 1960s, the Schei Committee met in Norway to discuss the municipal structure in the nation. It was decided that the number of cities and municipalities in Norway was too great, so on 1 January 1965, the town of Egersund lost its status as a self-governing municipality. On that date, the following places were all merged into the new, larger municipality of Eigersund, with the town of Egersund as the new administrative centre:[5]

• the town of Egersund (population: 3,787)
• the municipality of Eigersund (population: 4,664)
• the municipality of Helleland (population: 851)
• the Gyadalen and Grøsfjell areas in the municipality of Heskestad (population: 114)

The name "Egersund" derives from the Old Norse name for the strait between Eigerøya and the mainland, which was called Eikundarsund. The name of Eigerøy (Old Norse: Eikund) comes from the rich deposits of oak trees since the word eik is the Norwegian word for "oak". The name is among the oldest place names in Norway. It can already be found in the form Eikundarsund in the Norse saga of Olav the Holy, written by Icelandic author Snorri Sturlasson in the 13th century. From around the year 1000 Olav the Holy's fleet was here often. We can also find the name in texts and scaldic poems from Olav's saga.

The municipal council (Bystyre) of Egersund was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows: