Sarpsborg

Sarpsborg kommune
Municipality

Jernbanegata in Sarpsborg

Coat of arms
Østfold within
Norway

Sarpsborg within Østfold
Coordinates: 59°17′09″N 11°06′43″E / 59.28583°N 11.11194°E / 59.28583; 11.11194Coordinates: 59°17′09″N 11°06′43″E / 59.28583°N 11.11194°E / 59.28583; 11.11194
Country Norway
County Østfold
Administrative centre Sarpsborg
Government
 • Mayor (2011) Sindre Martinsen-Evje (Ap)
Area
 • Total 406 km2 (157 sq mi)
 • Land 370 km2 (140 sq mi)
Area rank 238 in Norway
Population (2014)
 • Total 54,192
 • Rank 13 in Norway
 • Density 134/km2 (350/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years) 6.6 %
Demonym(s) Sarping[1]
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
ISO 3166 code NO-0105
Official language form Bokmål
Website www.sarpsborg.com
Data from Statistics Norway
Downtown Sarpsborg (Roald Amundsens Gate)

Sarpsborg [ˈsɑʂbɔr] is a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg.

Sarpsborg is part of the fifth largest urban area in Norway when paired with neighbouring Fredrikstad. As of 1 January 2016, according to Statistics Norway these two municipalities have a total population of 132,351 with 54,192 in Sarpsborg and 78,159 in Fredrikstad.

Borregaard Industries is, and always has been, the most important industry in the city. The city is also the home of Borg Bryggerier, part of the Hansa Borg Bryggerier, which is Norway's second largest brewery-group.

General information

Name

In Norse times the city was just called Borg (from borg which means "castle"). The background for this was the fortification built by Olav Haraldsson (see History section). Later the genitive case of the name of the waterfall Sarpr (Sarp Falls) was added.

In Norse times Østfold county was called Borgarsýsla which means "the county (sýsla) of Borg" and the law district of southeast Norway was called Borgarþing meaning "the thing/court of Borg".

The old name has been revived in the diocese of Borg (1968) and Borgarting Court of Appeal (1995).

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 13 November 1991. It is based on a coat-of-arms from 1556. It shows a bear over a castle. The bear was introduced as early as sometime in the 13th century, by the earl of Sarpsborg (Comes de Saresburgh), Alv Erlingsson. He used the bear to symbolize his strength. The castle symbolizes the fortress (borg) that once gave the city its original name.[2]

History

The city was founded as Borg by the Viking King Olav Haraldsson (Saint Olav) in 1016. It was burned to the ground by Swedish invaders in 1567 during the Northern Seven Years' War. Half the population was evacuated down the river to what is today known as Fredrikstad, about 15 kilometres (9 mi) downstream.

Much of the rebuilt town disappeared into the river Glomma during a 1702 mudslide. Again Borg was rebuilt, and it was recreated as a city in 1839, and separated from Tune as a municipality of its own.

The rural municipalities of Tune, Skjeberg, and Varteig were merged with the city on 1 January 1992. The population is steadily growing, and during the summer of 2005 it reached 50,000 inhabitants.

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Sarpsborg by country of origin in 2015[3]
Ancestry Number
 Poland1,316
 Iraq1,053
 Bosnia-Herzegovina1,015
 Kosovo670
 Somalia461
 Sweden444
 Vietnam277
 Iran268
 Lithuania215
 Philippines204

City districts

Sport

During the 1950s and 1960s, Sarpsborg was famous for its football (soccer) team, Sarpsborg FK, but is now more known for its ice hockey team, Sparta Warriors. In football, Sarpsborg 08 FF has taken over the local throne, currently playing on the highest national level. On 6 November 2009, they sent arch-rival FFK down from the "Tippeliga" in a play-off game in Fredrikstad stadion. Sarpsborg-08 has a women's football team that was promoted to the women's division-1 at the end of 2011, at the same time as the club's under-19 girls reached the Junior Cup Final. Sarpsborg BK plays in the highest bandy division.

Sarpsborg also famous for their two elit leagues teams in floorball, Sarpsborg IBK and Greåker IBK.

Musical artists and bands

Notable residents

Harald Dahl, father of the British writer Roald Dahl, also came from Sarpsborg.

Twin towns - Sister cities

Sarpsborg has several sister cities:[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  2. ↑ "Vedtak om bruk av byvåpenet i den nye kommunen" (in Norwegian). Sarpsborg. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  3. ↑ "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by immigration category, country background and percentages of the population". ssb.no. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "Vennskapsbyer" (in Norwegian). Sarpsborg kommune. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  5. ↑ "::Bethlehem Municipality::". www.bethlehem-city.org. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
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