Moss, Norway
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| http://www.ostfold.no/images/kart/moss.gif | ||
| County | Østfold | |
| District | ||
| Municipality | NO-0104 | |
| Administrative centre | Moss | |
| Mayor (2003) | Paul-Erik Krogsvold (Ap) | |
| Official language form | Neutral | |
| Area - Total - Land - Percentage |
Ranked 414 63 km² 58 km² 0.02 % |
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| Population - Total (2006) - Percentage - Change (10 years) - Density |
Ranked 27 28,200 0.61 % 10.6 % 440/km² |
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| Coordinates | ||
| www.moss.kommune.no |
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Moss is a coastal town and municipality in the county of Østfold, Norway. Its administrative district covers areas east of the town, such as the island of Dillingøy in the lake Vansjø. Parts of the town are located on the peninsula Jeløy.
The town is known for paper mills, as well as metalworks and other factories. Dillingøy is known as a place for alternative non-military civil service. Moss is mentioned since the Renaissance and was the site of the signing of the Convention of Moss in 1814, which solidified the union with Sweden. The headquarters of textile producer Helly-Hansen are located here. The maker of international hotel keycards, Trio Ving, also has their headquarters here.
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[edit] Sister city; Norwegian Lady Statues
Moss and Virginia Beach, Virginia in the United States are sister cities. On Good Friday, March 27, 1891, the Norwegian bark Dictator, whose home port was Moss, was lost in the treacherous waters of the Graveyard of the Atlantic. The ship had been en route to England from Pensacola, Florida with a cargo of Georgia Pine lumber. After being caught and disabled in a storm, she was headed for port at Hampton Roads to make repairs when she encountered another storm just off Virginia Beach.
Working in the high winds and seas, lifesaving crews from shore were able to save some of the 17 persons aboard. However, the pregnant wife of Captain J.M. Jorgenson, Johanne, and their 4 year-old son Carl were among the 7 persons who drowned. [1]
The ship's wooden female figurehead had washed ashore. It was placed in a vertical position facing the ocean near the boardwalk as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the shipwreck. It was a landmark there for more than 60 years, but gradually became weathered and eroded.
In 1962, Norwegian sculptor Oernulf Bast was commissioned to create two nine-foot bronze replicas of the original figurehead by the City of Moss. The Norwegian Lady Statues were unveiled on September 22, 1962. One was presented as a gift to Virginia Beach, and an exact duplicate was erected in Moss to unite the two sister cities. Each statue faces the other across the Atlantic Ocean.
On October 13, 1995, Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway visited the Norwegian Lady statue in Virginia Beach, and placed memorial flowers. [2]
[edit] The name
The Norse form of the name was Mors. This is an old rivername (now Mosseelva). The name must be very old, and the meaning is not clear. (Maybe derived from an old root *mer- 'divide, split'.)
[edit] Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1954). It shows a crow.
[edit] External links
- http://www.mossby.no/
- http://www.mossibilder.com/
- "Moss Avis", local newspaper
- http://www.bellman12-13.org/english-nl.htm
| Municipalities of Østfold |  |
|---|---|
|
Aremark | Askim | Eidsberg | Fredrikstad | Halden | Hobøl | Hvaler | Marker | Moss | Rakkestad | Rygge | Rømskog | Råde | Sarpsborg | Skiptvet | Spydeberg | Trøgstad | Våler |
|
| 25 largest municipalities of Norway (with number of inhabitants according to Statistics Norway) |
|---|
|
Oslo (538,500) | Bergen (242.000) | Trondheim (158.613) | Stavanger (115.157) | Bærum (105.928) | Kristiansand (76.917) | Fredrikstad (70.791) | Tromsø (63.596) | Sandnes (58.947) | Drammen (57.759) | Asker (51.484) | Skien (50.761) | Sarpsborg (50.115) | Bodø (44.992) | Skedsmo (43.201) | Sandefjord (41.555) | Larvik (41.211) | Ålesund (40.801) | Arendal (39.826) | Karmøy (37.928) | Tønsberg (36.919) | Porsgrunn (33.550) | Ringsaker (31.923) | Haugesund (31.738) | Lørenskog (30.929) |
