Kristiansund (US: /ˈkrɪstʃənsʌnd, ˈkrɪstiənsʊn/,[4] Norwegian: [krɪstjɑnˈsʉnː] ⓘ; historically spelled Christianssund and earlier named Fosna) is a municipality on the western coast of Norway in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal county.

The old name of the town/village (originally the island Kirkelandet) was Fosna or Fosen (Old Norse: fólgsn) which means "hiding place" (here 'hidden port').

Before the introduction of postal codes in Norway in 1968, it was easy to confuse the name Kristiansund with Kristiansand in the south.

The arms were granted by King Christian VI and are described as a silver or white river flowing from a cliff, with salmon swimming upwards on a blue background.

The highest point of the municipality is located on Frei island, Freikollen at a height of 629 metres (2,064 ft).

Today the island of Grip holds status as a deserted fishing village, but in the summer season it is a popular tourist attraction due to the very special location and architecture.

The most famous one was the Battle of Rastarkalv on the island of Frei, where the Norwegian King Håkon the Good fought against the Eirikssønnene group.

The natural harbour in Lille-fosen, close to where Kristiansund is located today was also frequently used for fishing purposes.

As more and more settlers arrived, the area became an important trading port for fishing and the lumber transportation along the coast.

The bombing of Kristiansund occurred from April 28 to May 1, 1940, during the German occupation of Norway in World War II.

In 1944, Royal Air Force planes accidentally hit civilian homes during a bombing raid, killing 12.

The warmest month on record at Kristiansund Airport was July 2014 with mean 17.1 °C (62.8 °F) and average daily high 21.9 °C (71.4 °F).

The coldest month on record at Kristiansund Airport was December 2010 with mean −2.7 °C (27.1 °F) and average daily low −4.9 °C (23.2 °F).

(hence the name "Vanndamman" (The Water ponds)) The two parks are partly linked together, but the Langveien-park serve more as an urban recreation area due to the short walking distance from the city centre, while the Vanndamman-park is more suitable for outings and jogging.

The Sundbåt bears the distinction of being the world's oldest motorized regular public transport system in continuous service.

After passing through the underwater Freifjord Tunnel from the central part of Krifast, National Road 70 crosses Frei, and enters Kristiansund over the Omsund Bridge onto Nordlandet.

There used to be a car ferry going from Kirkelandet island to neighboring Averøy Municipality to the west, whose people have been commuting to town for many years for work as well as selling agricultural products.

The ferry to Averøy connected Kristiansund to Norwegian National Road 64, which continued along the scenic Atlanterhavsvegen to Molde.

Besides roads and car ferries and Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget, connections to/from Kristiansund consist of the traditional coastal express Hurtigruten connecting coastal towns from Bergen in the south to Kirkenes in the north, and the high speed catamaran passenger service Kystekspressen to Trondheim.

Bacalhau is made of salted, dried codfish,[40] and has traditionally been exported in large amounts to Spain, Portugal and Latin America as food suitable during Lent.

Due to the city's heavy involvement in fish processing and international shipping, there used to be as many as seven consulates in Kristiansund, mainly to Latin countries.

In addition to this, Kristiansund is also host city of Northern Europes largest photo festival, Nordic Light.

2006) it has grown to become one of the most important of its kind in Europe, attracting famous photographers from all around the world, like Don McCullin, Jock Sturges and William Klein.

Other popular sports in Kristiansund include Volleyball, Wrestling, Swimming, Ice skating and Handball.