The town offers a much wider range of goods and services than might be expected from a town of its size. With its provincial charm, and an enticing range of town-centre shops, along with modern shopping centres on the outskirts of town, visitors have every opportunity for making a great "haul" in Haugesund.
Get in
By plane
Ryanair (http://www.ryanair.com) from Stansted, London. SAS Braathens (http://www.sasbraathens.no) from Oslo.
Get around
Rent a car on the airport, or travel by bus or taxi. Travel by air with http://www.coastair.no.
See
Historic ground
For thousands of years there have been human activities on Haugalandet, and the region is covered in traces of these people. Visit one of the many exciting, historic destinations!
St. Olav's Church
King Håkon Håkonsson erected the St. Olav’s Church around 1250 AD as part of the royal farm on Avaldsnes. Next to the church stands one of Norway’s tallest pillars, “Jomfru Marias synål” (Virgin Mary’s Sewing Needle). According to the legend when the pillar touches the church wall it means the end of the world. That is why the priests through the years have chipped off parts of the top. St. Olav’s Church is situated on Avaldsnes, approximately 10 minutes by car south of Haugesund.
Nordvegen History Centre
At Nordvegen History Centre king Harald Fairhair invites us in to walk in the footsteps of our ancestors. He is our guide through a 3500 year long history about Avaldsnes as a meeting spot between Norway and Europe, and as a national and, at times, international centre of power. The Viking king presents some of the kings who have controlled the Norwegian coast from Avaldsnes. Some of these kings are known through archaeological findings, and some through tales. The history centre is situated adjacent to St. Olav’s Church.
The Viking farm at Avaldsnes
The Viking farm at Bukkøy is a reconstructed farm at Avaldsnes. The museum provides knowledge about the lives of our ancestors. In the museum courtyard you will find a traditional longhouse as well as smaller dwellings, a Viking boat and plants and animals. During the summer people are dressed in Viking clothes as they display the Vikings’ way of life. You get here by walking from St. Olav’s Church, through the open beautiful landscape before getting to the tree-covered island.
Haraldshaugen
Just north of downtown Haugesund you will find Haraldshaugen, a testimony to the fact that although the city is young, the area has been known and used for thousands of years. Haraldshaugen consists of four important monuments in Norwegian history; the burial mound, the stone cross, the church site, and the National Monument (Haraldsstøtta). The latter was unveiled in 1872 in commemoration of Harald Fairhair’s gathering of Norway into one kingdom. The legend goes that he was buried here.
Archaeological excavations
The ground and sound at the old royal farm at Avaldsnes still hold secrets that can give us new knowledge about Norwegian and international history. Excavations have led to the discovery of traces of old buildings close to St. Olav’s Church. These findings might even prove to be remains of Harald Fairhair’s court, which he set up here following the battle of Hafrsfjord. Projects are in place to excavate more of the area in order to find out more about these important and exciting findings.
Stødle
Stødle, in the municipality of Etne, is another important historical area in Haugalandet. During parts of the Middle Ages, Stødle was the main seat of power in Norway. From here king Magnus Erlingsson ruled Norway at the end of the 12th century. His father, earl Erling Skakke, built a chapel at the royal farm. The chapel dates back to 1160 and today it is part of the current Stødle church. At Stødle you will also find remnants of the Bronze Ages. Stødle is situated about one hour by car east of Haugesund.
Rehaugene
At the top of Karmøy, six imposing earthen burial mounds, which dominate the landscape, were built during the Bronze Age (1800 – 500 BC). There used to be many more burial mounds here, however, only six remain, and they are called the pyramids of the north. They were built as the final resting place for the powerful chiefs that lived at Avaldsnes. These burial mounds show that 3000 years ago Norway traded with communities as far away as Russia, Ireland and the Mediterranean.
Flagghaugen
Flagghaugen is a burial mound dating back to the third century AD. It is situated just north of St. Olavs Church. Originally it was 43 meters in diameter and 5 meters high. The remaining parts can be seen just outside of the stone fence surrounding the church. A prince was buried here, and in the grave the richest gold finds from any grave in Scandinavia from the Later Roman Iron Age was found. Among the findings was a massive necklace made of 590 grams of pure gold. The prince is presented at the Nordvegen History Centre close by.
Ryvarden
The Icelandic Book of Settlement, Landnáma, says that Flòke Vilgjerdson build a beacon at Ryvarden in 868 before he sailed to Iceland. He was the first man to sail to Iceland with the purpose of settling there, and he is also the one who gave Iceland its name. The story goes that he used three ravens to show him the way, hence the name he is now known by; Ravnafloke (Raven-Floke). The first Viking raid is also said to have originated from Ryvarden. There is a small museum at Ryvarden telling the story of Ravnafloke.
The Viking Centre
The Viking Settlement at Avaldsnes is copy of a Viking settlement, complete with a longhouse and all the requisites, has been reconstructed, just below the Church of Olav in Avaldsnes.
Do
In August Haugesund host the Norway Film Festival and The SildaJazz Festival. Check out http://www.freedomnorway.com for information on things to do in Haugesund.
Buy
Haugalandet is one of the best commercial regions in Norway and is well equipped with nice down town areas, charming markets and large shopping centres. In other words: you will find everything you need and more!
Eat
There are numerous restaurants on the harbor and we recommend Lothes Mat og Vinhus for the best eating in Haugesund.
Restaurant Naustet specialises in maritime fare served in intimate and cosy surroundings that reflect part of Haugesund's history.
Drink
There are several pubs and clubs in Haugesund.
Sleep
There are several hotels in Haugesund.
is a town and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.
Haugesund was separated from Torvastad as a town, and municipality of its own, in 1855. The rural municipality of SkĂĄre was merged with Haugesund January 1, 1958.
The town is situated at a strategically important sound through which ships could pass without heavy sea. Haugesund’s metropolitan region has a population of 31 738 inhabitants.
The name
The town is named after the strait Haugesundet. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the farm Hauge (Norse Haugar), the last element is sund n 'strait, sound'. The name of the farm is the plural form of haugr m 'hill, mound'.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from 1930. It shows three seagulls.
The City
Haugesund is a small municipality, only 73 km².
The city has a coastline with the North Sea, however, the island of Karmøy and the small islands of Røvær shelteres a great part of the rough waters. Between Karmøy and Haugesund is a fairway, the sound of Karmsund.
Downtown Haugesund has a distinctive layout of its streets, also found in Kristiansand and Oslo.
Haugesund has a variety of cafés, bars and restaurants, which acts as a place of gathering for the entire Haugaland region.
Haugesund is one of Norways busiest points of trade. The city has during the last 20 years confirmed its position as a trading centre for Haugaland and southern parts of Hordaland. It has several relatively large shopping centres, considering the size of the coastal city.
Events in Haugesund
Jazz festival
Traditionally the people of Haugesund have mostly been fishermen. The second weekend of August each year the herring is celebrated in the jazz-festival sildajazz. (Sild is Norwegian for herring.) The "Sildajazz" presents local, national and international jazz musicians.
International Film Festival
The Norwegian International Film Festival has since 1973 been held in Haugesund each year, showing films for the cinema representing a wide geographical and cultural selection.
Amanda Award
The Amanda Award, Norway's most honoured film award, has been held in Haugesund since 1985 in concurrence with the film festival.
Safe as milk (festival)
A sub culture music festival first started in 1999. The festival is held every year in late july.
Haugesund in August
August may be the best month for a visit to Haugesund. In addition to pleasant summer temperatures, the two major festivals, one for Jazz and one for Film, ensures that the town is pleasantly crowded at that time, including the Smedasund harbour area.
Communications
Haugesund is a port city, and there is a catamaran service to Stavanger and Bergen. Haugesund Airport, Karmøy is located on the island of Karmøy southwest of Haugesund. Ryanair operates three times weekley flights between Haugesund and Stansted Airport, London. SAS has up to 7 daily flights to Oslo Gardermoen. Local bus transport is provided by Kolumbus. Coast Air is a Norwegian airline based at Haugesund airport.
Sister cities
History
Haugesund was founded in 1854 when it was divided from Torvastad, a former neighbouring municipal. The municipal consequently celebrated its 150-year anniversary in 2004. In the early years the coastal waters of Haugesund was a huge source of herring, and the city grew accordingly. Despite being a fairly young city, the Haugesund areas were land of power during the age of Vikings. Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway, had his home on Avaldsnes, very close to the city. Fairhair was buried on Haug lying by Karmsund, an area that later would name the city and municipal “Haugesund”. The national monument "Haraldstøtten" is erected where Harald is believed to be interred.
The protective sounds of Smedasund and Karmsund, gave the city a possibility to grow in both fishing and shipping. Even to this day, Karmsund is one of Norways busiest fairways. The city is still growing geographically even though the population has increased only moderately the last decade.
Today the herring is long gone, and the city is turning more and more towards the petroleum industry, like its neighbour Stavanger.
Famous People of Haugesund
Martin Edward Mortensen - Father of Marilyn Monroe
Jon Fosse - Playwright
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