Kings and Queens

Brønnøysund has always been a lively little community. Around the year 1900, only a little over 300 people lived here, and daily life was closely tied to the sea. The boats were small, and the weather and wind set the rhythm of everyday life. It was a place where everyone knew everyone, and whenever something important happened, the whole village gathered. And nothing was more important than a royal visit. Whenever the kings travelled on coronation or blessing tours, people dressed in their finest clothes, scrubbed the piers, and decorated with flags and birch branches. The joy of welcoming royalty was genuine—an event that filled the sound with life. In 1907, King Haakon and Queen Maud came here together with young Crown Prince Olav and Fridtjof Nansen, and visited Torghatten. Since then, every Norwegian king has stopped here. King Olav visited in both 1959 and 1963, and King Harald and Queen Sonja came in 1992, also on a blessing tour. Between these royal occasions, the town continued to grow—getting its first dentist in 1916, its first car in 1919, and eventually its own airport. Today, the municipality has around 8,000 inhabitants, but the pride in these royal visits remains. And when the royal ship Norge once again drops anchor in the sound, people will still gather along the quay—just as they always have—with flags, smiles, and the stories that bind generations together.