Meet the locals

Risør is not just a summer town with white wooden houses, narrow alleys, and sparkling seas. It is equally charming all year round. Here are five of the people who bring the town to life.

1: "The Artist"

"This is my childhood home. And I knew I wanted to come back here even before I moved to Oslo," says Grete Andersen Sandvik with a smile.

Constantly Finding New Subjects

As a "native," she is also a true Risør patriot. Grete loves her hometown all year round.

"Risør is my favorite town! I might love it even more after living in Oslo for a few years. I often walk around and take pictures. The town is so full of nooks and crannies, white houses, and alleys that I constantly find new subjects," she says.

Photo: Gjermund Glesnes

She adds that the small wooden town also has plenty to offer outside the summer season—contrary to what many outsiders might think.

"There are many cozy restaurants and cafes here, and not least, fantastic niche shops."

What do you show visitors when it's not summer?
"We often go to the town center and have a coffee. Then I show them the Art Park or go to a concert.

There's a lot happening here all year round," she answers and adds:
"And of course, I show them the streets. I love showing off Risør. They are captivated by the narrow alleys. It's the most fun when my sister's family, who lives in the USA, visits. Then there's a lot of 'Oh my God!' moments," she smiles.

Photo: Gjermund Glesnes

2: The Niche Shop Owner

"All of us who work in shops in downtown Risør also function as tourist information," says Cathrine Calmeyer Østvold and laughs.

It’s a role the 46-year-old takes on with great pleasure. Not only is the jewelry workshop Embla Design perfectly located in the southern town—situated in one of the grand buildings along Solsiden, with the harbor and the alleys of Kamphaug directly opposite.

Soldering at Embla Design. Photo: Gjermund Glesnes

In the 14 years since she moved "home," so many great places have emerged that it has become a luxury problem:

"In the first few years, I found it difficult to recommend a good restaurant here. Now I struggle to decide where to send the tourists. There are so many great places," she affirms.

3. The Cultural Organizer

Almost anyone you ask in Risør will highlight the town's rich cultural life. This is quite remarkable for a white-painted coastal town with just about 7000 inhabitants.

When there is a concert, theater, festival—almost anything— Sebastian Aanonsen usually has a finger or ten in the mix.

It’s probably in his blood.

“Both my mom, dad, and grandfather were involved in culture. My dad started Risør Jazz Club and would even haul a grand piano up and down stairs to arrange a concert,” laughs the 29-year-old.

He himself plays in a band, conducts a brass band, and pulls the strings for everything from the wooden boat festival and Risør Chamber Music Festival to confirmations and weddings.

His biggest endeavor, however, was the play he created and organized with two others: "The Risør Play about the City Fire of 1861," featuring 200 participants on stage or behind the scenes.

“It’s like having over 15.000 people involved in Oslo. But then, a quite high percentage of Risør’s population is engaged in something cultural,” he remarks.

4. The Wooden Boat Builder

It’s almost impossible to write a story about the people of Risør without including a wooden boat builder. After all, the town once had as many as 52 ship and boatyards. And still, a handful of people work full-time as wooden boat builders.

One of them is John A. Andersen.

“The magic of the profession is the opportunity to create something. To craft an expression with head and hands based on who will use the boat, where they will sail, and what they will bring with them,” he says, adding:

“Financially, it’s not a wise choice. But it provides freedom and a varied life.”

A Living Wooden Boat Town

In recent years, he has conducted pram-building courses resulting in 90 wooden prams—none of which have developed a crack in the planking. Otherwise, he builds or restores wooden boats on order, either at home or at one of the boatyards in Moen.

"I just finished a small boat in the workshop at home. And the planks are ready for the next project," says John, leading the way by car to show some of the boats he has built or taught others to build. One is under a tarp outside the Coastal Association's cabin in beautiful Randvika—still needing a couple of coats of varnish before it can be launched from the sandy beach.

Between the drafty walls of K. Christensen & Co. in Moen, projects stand in a row. Some have even been hoisted up to the ceiling to make room for all the keels with ribs and varying planking coverage.

The Way to the Archipelago

As a boatman, the 66-year-old naturally recommends a trip on the water when you visit Risør—regardless of the season. In summer, this is easy. You can either take the ferry to Stangholmen, ask the skipper of the wooden ferry “M/F Øisang” to drop you off at Lille Danmark, or take a taxi boat.

And outside the summer season?
“Then I recommend borrowing a rowboat from the Coastal Association. It costs a symbolic sum, and you can row well-protected in the inner waterways,” he answers.
Like the other Risør residents, he is also happy to recommend other highlights.
“In many ways, Risør is more vibrant outside the summer season. It is an incredibly lively town, so you don’t need to get bored. You can just stop someone on the street and ask for tips. We who live here love to chat,” he smiles.

5. The fisherman

Few know the archipelago of Risør better than Yngvar Aanonsen.

He did start his professional life at the pulp mill, like his father and grandfather before him, but soon switched to Risør Fish Reception. For the past seven years, he has been a full-time fisherman, even though his pension means he technically doesn't have to work.

"I bought my first skiff when I was 13, and a motor with my confirmation money. Now, I'm out on the sea for six to eight hours every day, as long as the weather permits," he smiles while looking out over the Østfjord.

The sea is perfectly calm. But that's just on the surface. Down at the bottom, it's apparently teeming with life.

"In spring, I mostly fish for flounder and monkfish, but I also catch quite a bit of turbot, brill, and wolffish. My record is a 12-kilo turbot," Yngvar says, adding that his father used to catch huge turbots with a rowboat just off the shore in front of their house – using a spear.

When lobster fishing season starts, the nets have to take a break. On the dock, and along and inside the boathouse, over 90 lobster pots are waiting for October.

"I've caught lobsters right from the neighbor's dock. But most of them I catch offshore," he chuckles.

Woodpecker Door Knocker Bought at a Market in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo: Gjermund Glesnes

Good Weather in the Fall

With a house by the dock and fishing as more than just a hobby, it’s hardly surprising what Yngvar considers the very best thing about his hometown. "It's sitting by the water and enjoying the good life. Just like we are now," he smiles, squinting into the afternoon sun. The archipelago is also a favorite spot, both with his partner and when they have guests.

"Ellen and I have a goal to have lunch on the rocks every month of the year. We've managed that," he says, adding what everyone who lives by the sea knows: The calmest days are never as still as outside the summer season.

"When the wooden boat festival is over, the good weather comes," he smiles.

"And if you get visitors here in the winter?"

"Then there’s a rich cultural life and good restaurants in Risør," he replies. If the wind allows, they can surely join us for lunch in the archipelago too. With warm clothes, of course. Winter is still winter, even in Risør.