Archive for June, 2010
Famous locals: Hans Nielsen Hauge
Posted by admin in History and architecture on June 24, 2010
Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771-1824) was a lay preacher who created the largest religious mass movement in Norwegian history. He was born on a farm in Tune, near Sarpsborg, Østfold, and it was in a nearby field that, on 5 April 1796, he had a profound religious experience, ‘a spiritual meeting with God’, that was to influence him throughout the rest of his life.
Hauge started preaching the gospel, a radical move as lay preaching was illegal in those days. He was imprisoned for the first time in Fredrikstad in 1797. He was released just a few weeks later, but in 1804 he was put to jail again, and he spent most of the next decade behind bars. By that time he had developed a lay religious movement with branches all over Norway and had therefore become a force to reckon with.
Unlike many lay religious preachers, Hauge called on his followers to take active part in society and not withdraw from it in puritanical fashion. He helped establish several businesses, and he also inspired his followers to share material goods according to their needs. One of Hauge’s aims in getting the movement involved in various businesses was to create wealth to break the business monopoly of the rich, and thus stop their exploitation of the poor.
He empowered ordinary Norwegians by making them more independent in religious matters, and by inspiring them to look after each other, he also helped to create a new social awareness, and political interest. A central ambition was to make sure that ordinary people should not have to beg or suffer from hunger and that everybody should have work. This is the reasoning behind Hauge’s endeavours to establish industry and trade for his followers.
Hauge died 29 March 1824 and was buried at Old Aker Cemetery in Oslo. In the decades after his death many kinds of organizations were formed for the first time among common folk in Norway, and Hauge was undoubtedly a decisive impulse behind this social and politically important development.
You can visit the Hans Nielsen Hauges Minne at Hans Nielsen Hauges vei 39, Rolvsøy, between Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg. Tel: 91 35 65 61 (no website, but they do have a page on facebook). Open May to Aug.
It’s summer, go on a boat trip!
Posted by admin in Travel and practical stuff on June 22, 2010
It’s hot, it’s sunny, so what better way to spend the day than at sea? Here are a few boat trip options in the area:
- M/S Sagasund arranges two-hour trips (each way) between Fredrikstad and Strömstad in Sweden, where you can spend a couple of hours before heading back to Fredrikstad. Daily during the summer holidays, departs Toldbodkaia, Fredrikstad 11am, Strömstad at 3pm. A return ticket costs 150Kr (children under 8 free), you can buy lunch and refreshments on board. Tel: 90 99 81 11, www.mssagasund.no (Norwegian only)
- If this sounds too tame, why not go for a spin with RIB Adventures instead, and explore the Oslofjord at full throttle on board one of their speed boats? A guaranteed adrenaline kick! Tel: 40 00 69 89 or 92 81 01 01, www.riboslo.no
- No time to spend a whole day at sea? Take a mini-cruise on the Glomma, Norway’s longest river. The iconic little red and white Gamlebyen ferry links Gamlebyen and the centre of Fredrikstad in 10 minutes, and you can take bikes on board. Departs Gamlebyen on the hour every day from 7am during the week, Sat 11am, Sun noon in summer (from the pier furthest from the entrance to Gamlebyen), and the city centre (pier next to Pizzanini Restaurant) at 35 minutes past the hour. A ticket costs 10Kr.
- Engelsviken Båtskole & Charter in Engelsviken, 15km west of Fredrikstad, arranges boat charters for anglers, as well as island and diving cruises along the Østfold coast. Ideal for small groups (the boat can take up to 9 passengers), but not cheap. Rental rate per hour is 1,500Kr + VAT. Tel: 91 39 08 75, www.engelsvikencharter.com
- M/S Falkungen in Fredrikstad (moored on Kråkerøy) is a 15m aluminium boat that can also be chartered for mini cruises, and provides taxi services. Maximum 10 passengers. Tel: 90 16 70 70, www.falkungen.no
- Or rent your own. Olseng Marina on Ullerøy, Skjeberg, also have a 39ft sailing boat for hire. It will set you back 14,000Kr for a week (Sunday to Sunday) in July and August, 12,000Kr in June and Sep. Deposit of 25,000Kr, insurance included (sleeps 6). Weekends Fri-Sun 9,500Kr (June to Sep). What better way to explore the Hvaler Archipelago eh?! Tel: 69 16 95 95, www.olsengmarina.no (Norwegian only)
Art and history in the Old Town
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature, Photos and videos on June 19, 2010
Focus on Gamlebyen: Bastion 5
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature on June 19, 2010
Bastion 5 in Gamlebyen is a complex run by local artists and craftsmen, consisting of a cafe, exhibition galleries and workshops. The building furthest from the river was originally a bakery, while Cafe Magenta is where Gamlebyen’s slaves were kept when they were not working in the fields outside the city. The Provianthus or storehouse, the largest of the three buildings, is also Gamlebyen’s oldest. The wall facing the river is an impressive 4m-thick in places. The building was completed in 1691, and today houses the main exhibition space. Here you will find pottery, sculpture, jewellery, paintings, and other arts and crafts for sale. A great place to browse, and maybe find an unusual souvenir to take home.
Bastion 5 is open Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat-Sun noon-4pm. Toldbodgaten, Gamlebyen. Tel: 98 63 91 49, www.bastion5.com
Made in Norway: Norwegian Architecture Today
Posted by admin in History and architecture on June 17, 2010
A great read for anyone interested in Norwegian architecture! Published by the National Association of Norwegian Architects (NAL), this brand new book presents some of the most exciting examples of Norwegian architecture of recent years. From private houses to community projects such as schools, museums and even a convent (!), to new Norwegian icons like Oslo’s stunning Opera House, the book features some 30 buildings up and down the country, and even a couple further afield (like the Norwegian pavilion built for the Shanghai World Exhibition). Inspiration for your next trip to Norway no doubt, whether you decide to stay at the Preikestolen Mountain Lodge, visit the Hamsun Centre, or just wander along some of the new national tourist roads. My personal favourites? The new headquarters for Gyldendal Publishers in Oslo (designed by Sverre Fehn) and the Inside Out Summerhouse in Hvaler.
Made in Norway: Norwegian Architecture Today (paperback) 144 pages, ISBN: 978-3-0346-0559-5. Language: English. Published by Birkhauser on behalf of the NAL. Price: 285Kr. By mail order at anp@arkitektur.no, or from amazon.com
More info on the National Tourist Roads Project at http://www.elusivemoose.eu/2010/04/27/
More info on the Inside Out Summerhouse on Hvaler at http://www.elusivemoose.eu/2009/11/20/
A common summer visitor
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors, Photos and videos on June 16, 2010
Did you know? A few facts about dragonflies
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors on June 16, 2010
Dragonflies (øyenstikker in Norwegian) are insects that live by lakes, ponds, streams, dams and wetlands (their larvae, known as ‘nymphs’, are aquatic). Adult dragonflies are often brightly coloured and have a long slim abdomen. They also have two pairs of long, slender transparent wings covered in net-like veins. The wings do not fold and are held outstretched when at rest.
There are 5,000 different species worldwide, and 45 different kinds of dragonflies in Norway – 39 of which you can find in the Halden municipality. Many of them are quite rare, and three are protected in Norway, because their habitat is threatened: these are the Dark Whiteface (Leucorrhinia albifrons), the Bulbous White-faced Darter (Leucorrhinia caudalis) and the Yellow-Spotted Whiteface (Leucorrhinia pectoralis).
In most cultures dragonflies have been objects of superstition, and European folklore is no exception. Different names referring to dragonflies as the devil occur in several languages, although it is worth noting they have also been connected with love and young women (the original fairies). An old Swedish name for dragonfly is blindsticka (‘blind stinger’) – it came from the belief that a dragonfly could pick out your eyes. In Norway, on the other hand, it was thought that the dragonfly could sew together your eyelids – hence the word øyenstikker.