City of Stavanger     

Contact details

Outline of the City of Stavanger

Key facts

Stavanger is located in Southwest Norway, at the North Sea coast. With 110.000 inhabitants (2000), Stavanger is Norway's fourth largest city by population. It is a regional capital for about 250,000 inhabitants, including adjacent municipalities.

History of Stavanger

Stavanger was founded in the year 1125. The city's history is a continuous alternation between upswings and recessions. The city is deeply rooted in religion and Christian life, and for long periods of time its most important industries have been shipping, shipbuilding, the canning industry and associated subcontractors.

Economic profile

The city has been characterised by the petroleum industry in the past 30 years and is Norway's oil capital. A number of major companies in this industry are located in the region, as well as the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. Offshore Northern Seas (ONS), which is one of the world's largest exhibitions and conferences for the petroleum industry, is held in Stavanger every other year. The petro-maritime industries and the food industry are areas in which substantial commitments are made.

Social and cultural life

The city has both an annual food festival, a gastronomic institute and also provides training in the hotel and restaurant trades at the highest level. Research, higher education and culture are important pillars in Stavanger's infrastructure. At the same time the city has a lot to offer children and young people. Festivals and events include both the petroleum industry, food from the field to the table, humour, jazz and classical music. Cultural events flourish in a city with a long tradition and history, and with a city centre consisting of small houses and cobblestone streets.

Air transport

The distance from the city to Stavanger Airport (Sola) is about 15 km. The airport has frequent connections to all major Norwegian cities as well as to Newcastle, Aberdeen, Copenhagen, London, Amsterdam and further connections to major European cities by intercontinental flights. Since June 2003 there is also a daily connection to Frankfurt. There is a daily train service to the southern and eastern parts (Oslo) of Norway, as well as frequent ferry connections to fjord locations. Daily express boats connect Haugesund, Stord and Bergen.

Participating airport:

Stavanger Lufthavn