Your Favourite Places

Risør, Norway

Bergtatt is a folk rock band, containing members from the southern and the western part of Norway. The band’s music is a blend of rock music

and traditional folk music, and one of its trademarks is the

combination of old acoustic folk instruments and the classic rock band

instruments. And the cherry on top? Intriguing, powerful female

vocals! The band released it’s debut record “Røtter” in 2009 to

critical acclaim and is currently testing new material live as part of

the work for the second album.

When I was asked to write about my favourite place, I immediately

thought of my home town Risør. This small, peaceful, secluded and

idyllic town is crammed between rocky hills and has the ocean as its

closest neighbour, surrounding most parts of it. All the houses are

made of wood, painted white and lies on each side of the harbour. Just

wandering in the streets is soothing and if you’re anything like me,

it can make your mind drift away, thinking what it might have been

like here long ago. Because when visiting Risør, it is pretty evident

that it’s quite an old town and that it has a lot of history to it.

The church in the town centre dates back to 1641, and in the 1700s and

1800s Risør was an important and prosperous town in Norway for the

expanding ship building industry. The marine culture is still very

prominent in Risør and is still a vital part of the town’s identity.

The outskirts of Risør consist mainly of woods and wild nature, and

two of Bergtatt’s members grew up here. This, combined with the

previously mentioned fascination and interest of the past, makes up a

big part of what Bergtatt is influenced by as a band, as well as our

songs.

Like most of the many tourists that visit Risør and people that spend

their holiday here would say, I would agree that Risør is at its

finest during summertime. It’s at this time of year that the town gets

a special, almost magical, glowing aura. Try having dinner at

“Stangholmen” (a restaurant lying on a close-by island) late in the

evening, or quench your thirst with some beers on the rooftop of the

good old bar “Prommen” during sunset, and you’ll see what I mean. Yes,

I am biased, being from Risør and having my mind packed with memories

of growing up in this place, but it’s definitely worth a visit!

By Rolf-Erik Solstad Karlsen for Bergtatt

Risør is here