Fosna

Fosna grew around the sheltered harbour of Lille-Fosen on Norway's western coast, a place frequented by fishers and coastal traders long before it received the status of a town. Its islands and natural harbour gave shelter to boats moving between the open sea and the fjords. The settlement became Kristiansund, a port whose fortunes were closely tied to the processing and export of fish.

Lille-Fosen obtained limited trading privileges in 1631 and developed under the customs administration of Trondheim. In the late seventeenth century salted and dried clipfish became an important local product, eventually finding buyers in southern Europe. In 1742 the settlement received full town privileges and the name Christianssund. Fish, timber and shipping connected the new town to markets beyond the coast of Nordmøre.