Dear Guests, Welcome to Kristiansand, the administrative, business and cultural capital of South Norway! We are proud to host your stay and we are even prouder to share the ideals and visions of the hundred member cities of the Union of Baltic Cities. Kristiansand is a modern city with a pronounced renaissance profile. Founded by King Christian in 1641. With its one-storey ancient wooden houses,Kristiansand is regarded as one of Europe’s best preserved Renaissance cities. Cobblestone streets give the old town the appearance of a living museum - just a few blocks from the busy commercial part of the city. The present population of 80.000 makes Kristiansand Norway’s fi fth largest city. Local business spans from world leading advanced process industry to leading suppliers of offshore technology. With a strong link to the Agder University, Kristiansand has one of Norway’s most competent IT and telecommunications clusters. Many of Kristiansand’s work places are related to the city’s function as the regional centre and the county capital of Vest-Agder. Public and social services, along with education are the most employment sectors, with trading, hotels and restaurants as runners-up. The downtown area is an interesting place to spend an evening out. A number of art galleries and the impressive regional museum Sørlandets Kunstmuseum present varied contemporary art. Students and intellectuals give life to numerous cafés and pubs that cater to most international tastes. In addition to great cultural activities Kristiansand offers great outdoor life, due to it favourable climate and location by the sea. Kristiansand and the immediate surroundings are a favourite summer recreational area to most Norwegians. Only ten minutes on foot from the busy city centre, countless paths allow you to disappear in the tranquillity of the woods - a much sought after retreat appreciated by locals as well as visitors. I hope you will enjoy the possibilities Kristiansand has to offer and that your visit to our beautiful city is a beginning to a lifelong friendship and future visits. Last but not least I hope the Kristiansand Conference will contribute to a wider and better mutual and comprehensive co-operation to promote the well- being of the people in our cities and strengthen personal contacts. Together we are stronger! Per Sigurd Sørensen
Mayor of Kristiansand | 
