In Farsund municipality, you can go for walks along mile-long sandy beaches from Lista lighthouse to Lomsesanden, where you can swim, surf, kite or watch birds. Nature is beautiful and diverse, and the municipality has a total of 28 areas that are protected because of their distinctive nature and rich bird and plant life. In towns like Vanse you can also experience a small piece of America. The center of Farsund - where trade and shipping have been conducted since the 16th century - is the largest settlement on the Lista peninsula.
Most of the old, white wooden buildings in the center of Farsund burned down in the big fire in 1901. When the houses were to be rebuilt, most were made of brick. The row of Jugendstil houses along the pier in the picture above dates from 1902.
The name Farsund comes from "the navigable strait". It was an area sailboats could get through even if the weather was bad. In the waters around the southern tip of Norway at Lista and Lindesnes, there are many reefs in the sea - and a rough climate with lots of wind. In Farsund, seafarers found a safe harbor where they could have their boats repaired after the voyage. It also became a place where they could load and unload goods. That is why it was given the status of charging station in 1795.
At Farøy, Gåseholmen and Engøy, which surround the city's harbour, there are now both bridge connections and buildings. The large white wooden houses on Farøy at the entrance to the center of Farsund testify to the prosperity of earlier times. On Gåseholmen and Engøy there are modern houses with traces of earlier architecture.
Farsund is known for its long and steep slopes. There is only a small strip by the harbor that is flat, the rest of the buildings are laid on the steep slope at the back of the settlement. The architecture bears its mark.
At the top of the hill with a nice view of the fjord and mountains is Farsund chapel with its war graves for British airmen. The primary and secondary schools have also been placed nearby. The little ones who go to school here have to walk a several hundred meter steep hill and climb 65 meters in height to get up.
A few kilometers as the crow flies from the center of Farsund at the entrance to the Lyngdalsfjord lies Loshavn. It was an outport that was important during the so-called privateering period in the war years 1807-1814. Then the place had piloting activities and authorized hijacking of English ships along the coast - approved by the Danish king's representatives in Kristiansand. Here is one of the best-preserved wooden house environments along the southern coast. Today, this is a holiday paradise with almost no permanent residents.
The outer part of the Lista peninsula is a plain covered by the moors. This provides a lush agriculture, but also less infertile areas with pebbles. Some of the beaches have pebbles, but there are also many kilometers of fine sandy beaches. Since the sandy beaches are long and shallow, they are well suited for surfing and kiting. Here the waves become high and sharp when they break against shallower water. But the shallow water also means that the bathing temperatures can be good when the sun has been on for a while. Lista is one of the best areas in the country for bird watching.
To distinguish Lista from other nearby lighthouses, three identical lighthouses were originally built next to each other in the period 1838 to 1853. After new lighthouse technology - which made it possible to distinguish the lighthouses from each other by the character of the flashes - was taken into use in 1873, one of the lighthouses was demolished and one moved to Halden. What stands there now has the original fast-blinking 2nd order Fresnel lens apparatus from 1872.
In the town of Vanse, 8 km from the center of Farsund, you can see many signs that there have been close ties between people on the list and their relatives in the USA. Here, the American flag adorns several entrance doors together with the Norwegian flag. Here you can get an American menu and American Christmas decorations.
More excursions: www.turideer.com
This week's excursion: Farsund center with Lista and Vanse - white southern village
Suitable for: Everyone.
Getting there: Search for Farsund in Google Maps. You will then arrive at Farsund township. There are several parking spaces in the old town and on the nearby islands.
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