stävängˈər, city (1995 est. pop. 103,496), capital of Rogaland co., SW Norway, a port on the Stavangerfjord (an arm of the Boknfjord). It is an important commercial and industrial center where ships are built and fish processed. The refining of oil from the North Sea is also an important industry. Founded in the 8th cent., Stavanger was a Roman Catholic see from c.1125 to 1682; it became a Lutheran see in 1925. In World War II the city was occupied by the Germans on Apr. 9, 1940. Of interest is the well-preserved stone Cathedral of St. Swithin (12th cent.). The city also has a museum with notable ethnological, ornithological, and archaeological collections. The 12th-century Utstein monastery is nearby.

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