Archive for September, 2010
Østfold in Pictures: Gamlebyen’s main square
Posted by admin in History and architecture, Photos and videos on September 29, 2010
Top 10: History in Østfold
Posted by admin in History and architecture on September 29, 2010
Interested in history? Here are 10 places to check out when you visit Østfold:
- Gamlebyen, Fredrikstad. Scandinavia’s best preserved fortress town, and one of Norway’s top man-made attractions. Also recently voted as one of the most romantic places in Norway.
- Oldtidsveien, Skjeberg. Østfold is among Norway’s oldest inhabited regions, and stunning rock carving sites, burial mounds and stone rings can all be found along this stretch of road between Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg.
- Fredriksten Fortress, Halden. The strategically located fortress defending the border with Sweden is rich in history – find out more at the local museum, or by joining a guided tour of the compound.
- Høytorp Fort, Mysen. Norway’s greatest inland fortress, high on a hill overlooking Mysen and the surrounding area. You can explore tunnels and bunkers dating back to WW2 (Sundays only, in summer).
- Hans Nielsen Hauge Memorial, Sarpsborg. Hans Nielsen Hauge was a local lay preacher who created the largest religious mass movement in Norwegian history. Visit his home near Sarpsborg, and find out more about his life and influence.
- Moss Ironworks. The place where the Convention of Moss, a ceasefire agreement between Sweden and Norway, was signed in 1814. It put an end to the Swedish Norwegian war, and paved the way for the union between the two countries that was to last until 1905.
- Hvaler Church, Hvaler. One of Norway’s oldest remaining medieval churches. Coins originating from Germany, Denmark, and Sweden have been discovered under the choir floor, the oldest one dating from 1130, indicating that Hvaler’s inhabitants were in contact with the European Continent centuries ago.
- Borgarsyssel Museum, Sarpsborg. Østfold’s largest open-air museum, with a collection of over 30 buildings from all over the county, and some 20,000 local artefacts.
- Rød Herregård, Halden. Østfold is known in Norway as the county of manors (more than half of all the manors in the country can be found here) and this is one of the most famous – complete with original 18th century furniture and Baroque gardens.
- Roald Amundsen’s childhood home, Sarpsborg. Visit the place where one of the greatest polar explorers grew up, and learn more about his achievements. Guided tours.
Fredrikstad: Port of call in 2014
Great news for Fredrikstad! The town has just been named as a port of call for the Tall Ships Races 2014. The Tall Ships Races is an international long distance race for training ships. The aim of the race is to encourage international friendship and train young people in the art of sailing. The annual event has been arranged since 1956, and is the only one of its kind in the world. Today, the Tall Ships Races routinely attract a fleet of between 80-100 vessels from around 30 countries, 6-8,000 trainees from some 50 countries, and 3-4 million visitors. Ports of call change every year. Fredrikstad was a port of call for the races once before, in 2005.
More about the Tall Ships Races at www.sailtraininginternational.org
Norway’s most talented rally driver
Posted by admin in Photos and videos, Sport on September 25, 2010
Famous locals: Petter Solberg
Born in Askim, Østfold, in 1974, Petter Solberg is Norway’s most successful rally driver ever. Solberg debuted in the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 1998, and became the first Norwegian to win the drivers’ world title in 2003. Solberg also finished runner-up in the WRC to Marcus Grönholm (of Finland) in 2002, and in 2004 and 2005 to Sébastien Loeb (of France). All in all he has 13 individual world rally wins behind him (his first victory was at Rally GB in 2002).
His successful partnership with the Subaru World Rally Team came to an end with Subaru’s withdrawal from the WRC at the end of the 2008 season. Solberg has since been competing with his own privately-funded Petter Solberg World Rally Team – he finished the season fifth last year, and is currently ranked fourth in the WRC 2010.
Solberg is also famous for his peculiar use of English, where he often literally translates Norwegian idioms and expressions into English. This, along with his amiable and enthusiastic (some would say extravagant) personality and his obvious talent as a rally driver, has not just endeared him to the Norwegian public, but also made him a very popular sporting figure abroad.
More info, in English, at www.pettersolberg.com
Where to eat: Chang Cheng, Fredrikstad
Posted by admin in Food and drink on September 23, 2010
Fredrikstad’s most popular Chinese restaurant, Chang Cheng, burned down in October 2008, but reopened, completely transformed a year later, on new premises on Storgata. The spacious restaurant is not exactly a gourmet haunt (it dishes out standard Chinese food rather watered down for Western palates), but it’s a decent option for a reasonably-priced dinner in pleasant, modern surrounds. Friendly service and affordable beer (about 60Kr for a pint). The Mongolian BBQ buffet is good value for money for big appetites. Expect to pay between 140-180Kr for a main course.
Storgata 15. Tel: 69 31 71 77, no website.
Blocks of rock become works of art
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature, Uncategorized on September 21, 2010
Johansen’s Stone Quarry, Skjeberg
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature, Uncategorized on September 21, 2010
Ever been to a stone quarry? No, neither had I. Until, urged by a local acquaintance, I visited Johansens Monumenthuggeri in Skjeberg near Sarpsborg last month. Turned out to be very interesting, as it happens. This quarry, the largest of its kind in Norway, produces gravestones, cobble stones and the like, but what makes it really special is that it also attracts its fair share of artists.
Some 80-90 of them come to work here every year, including some big names like Kristian Blystad, one of Norway’s most famous contemporary sculptors. Even Morten Harket and Magne Furuholmen, of a-ha fame, both of whom are keen amateur sculptors, have spent some time here. Really. The quarry even has its own artist in residence, Kazuhiro Nomura, a Japanese sculptor from Nagoya, who has been coming to Norway for several years now. He spends his summers in his outdoor studio at Johansen’s, making good use of the natural light and a vast array of very specialised tools the quarry puts at his disposal.
The quarry imports stones from all over the world, as well as using local stones such as Iddefjord granite or Larvik stone (Larvikitt). The blocks of white Italian marble that were used for the new Opera House in Oslo were cut here. The quarry, now in the hands of the fifth generation of Johansens, handles a lot of similar big projects.
Walking around all these statues in the making is a surreal experience. Behind the workshop is a big open space where discarded artworks await their fate amid big blocks of rock and piles of gravel. Last summer they held a light and sound show here. I can imagine the quarry walls, cut straight in the mountain side, making quite a special background for it. I’ll most certainly check it out next year.
Skjebergveien 206, Klavestadhaugen (offices). Tel: 69 16 36 33, www.johansenmonument.no. Visits by appointment only.