| Frei kommune | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Village and Former Municipality — | |||
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| Location in Møre og Romsdal | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Norway | ||
| Region | Western Norway | ||
| County | Møre og Romsdal | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-1556 | ||
| Adm. Center | Rensvik | ||
| Area[1] | |||
| • Total | 65 km2 (25.1 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2004) | 5,274 | ||
| • Density | 83/km2 (215/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+01:00) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+02:00) | ||
| Created as | Formannskapsdistrikt in 1838 | ||
| Merged into | Kristiansund in 2008 | ||
Frei is a village, island, and former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Kristiansund between the Kvernesfjord and Freifjord. The island of Frei is connected to the city of Kristiansund by the Omsund Bridge, and it is connected to the mainland by the Freifjord Tunnel (part of the Krifast system).[1]
The island of Frei has an area of 62.5 square kilometres (24.1 sq mi). The village of Frei (or Nedre Frei) is located on the southern end of the island, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest of Kvalvåg. Frei's largest village is Rensvik, the former municipal center, which is located at the north end of the island.
The Viking-era Battle of Rastarkalv, between Haakon I of Norway and the sons of Eric I of Norway, took place here in 955 AD.
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The municipality was named after the island of Frei (Old Norse: Freiðr). The meaning of the name is unknown, but is maybe derived from fríðr which means "good" or "beautiful". Until 1889, the name was written Fredø.[2]
The municipality of Fredø was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). On 1 January 1882, a small part of Fredø (population: 40) was merged into Øre. On 1 September 1893, an area of Frei (population: 231) was merged into the new municipality of Gjemnes. On 1 January 1964, the northern part of the island of Frei was transferred from Bremsnes to Frei, also the part of Frei on the island of Aspøya (population: 147) was transferred to Tingvoll. On 1 January 2008, the municipality of Frei ceased to exist when it was merged into the municipality of Kristiansund to the north.[3]
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 11 September 1987, and they were designed by local architect and painter Nils Fiske. The two gold crowns on a red background symbolize the relationship between Frei and two Norwegian Kings: King Håkon the Good had a hunting lodge in the area in the 10th century, and the King and the villagers took part on the Battle of Rastarkalv in the municipality in 955. King Håkon VII has visited the village in 1955 at the 1000th anniversary of the battle.[4]