Posts Tagged Architecture
The National Tourist Roads Project
Posted by admin in History and architecture on April 27, 2010
It all started in 1994, as a trial project aiming to improve the driving experience in Norway, and attract more tourists. The idea: offering motorists an alternative to the main roads, and stunning architecture along the way. A special council was set up, a team of international architects put together, and before you knew it unusual, striking constructions were beginning to pop up at every bend along Norwegian roads.
This being Norway, the focus has all along been on quality, and many of the 200 or so buildings and structures (most of them information centres, rest areas or observation platforms) have already won awards in their field. The jaw-dropping Stegastein viewpoint at Aurlandsvegen, a wood and glass platform jutting out 650m high over the green waters of the Aurlandsfjord, might be the most photographed, but there are many other equally interesting structures.
This visionary project, which was the brainchild of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, will have been 20 years in the making when completed in 2015. It focuses on 18 roads covering 1,850km nationwide. It’s financed for the most part by the Norwegian government, and the final bill is expected to come in at around 2.3 milliard crowns. A big, but clever investment that is already giving a real boost to Norwegian architecture.
Read more about the project, and see some great pix here (article in Norwegian only) http://www.dn.no/d2/arkitektur/article1695413.ece
Østfold in Pictures: Hvaler Church
Posted by admin in History and architecture, Photos and videos on March 22, 2010
Hvaler Church: Possibly Norway’s oldest
Posted by admin in History and architecture on March 22, 2010
Dating back to the Middle Ages (920-1080), Hvaler Church, on Kirkeøy, is one of Norway’s oldest. The church, which is quite large for a medieval church, stands over what might have been a prehistoric pagan site of worship. Archeologists found 804 coins under the choir floor. While many originate from Norway, some are from Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. About three quarters of the coins date from before 1536, with the oldest one dating from 1130. These coins prove that Hvaler’s inhabitants were in contact with the European Continent centuries ago.
Model ship Oscar
Many worshipers came to the church by boat from the archipelago’s outer islands. Hanging in the nave is the three-masted sailing vessel Oscar dating from the 1880s. Model ships are common in Norwegian churches, often given by sailors in gratitude for rescue at sea.
Music in the church
The two-manual, 11-rank pipe organ was installed in late 1955. Because of limited space, not all 945 sounding pipes could fit in the organ casework, but this problem was solved by installing the upper manual pipes and the swell shades in the attic. The grand piano is a gift from Berit S Martinsen, the church’s organist for 29 years, from 1969-1998, while the harpsichord is on indefinite loan to the church.
Altar and baptismal font
The Rococo style altar is from around 1750. Featured on the altar piece, itself from 1759, is Eggert Munch’s oil painting of the crucifixion (he was a distant relation of the famous Edvard Munch, in case you were wondering about the name). The limestone baptismal font dates from between 1250 and 1300. It is likely to have come from Gotland, Sweden. The font is deep because babies were previously baptized by full immersion.
Bell
Dating from about 1200, the Romanesque-style bell, which is 54cm high, 61cm in diameter, and weighs about 120kg, originates from Holland. Because of cracks, it is seldom rung – an electrically operated bell is used instead on most occasions.
An Englishman in Hvaler
Kjølbo farm was once the home of the Englishman John William LeGassicke Goodchild. There he ran a general store, an inn, and for a few years, a bar. Worshipers could freshen up and change clothes there before attending mass in the church. Goodchild also served as Hvaler’s fourth mayor from 1845 to 1847. You can see his grave right outside the church’s main entrance.
Want to find out more?
You will find an exhibition of objects, photographs and text depicting Hvaler and Spjærøy churches history, with a special focus on Hvaler Church’s restoration in 1953-1956, in the building across the road from the church (Drengestua).
Hvaler Church, Storveien 12, Skjærhallen. Tel: 69 37 90 37, www.hvaler.kirken.no
Modern architecture in Fredrikstad
Posted by admin in History and architecture, Photos and videos on February 26, 2010
Fredrikstad Town Hall and Cinema
Posted by admin in History and architecture on February 26, 2010
Designed by award-winning architect firm L2 Arkitekter AS, the people behind the Oljemuseet in Stavanger and Tønsberg Library among other projects, the Fredrikstad Town Hall and Cinema complex was completed in 2002. The building, which houses a 6-screen cinema in the basement and ground floor, and 310 office spaces on the floors above, covers an area of 15,000 square meters, and cost 257 million kroner to build. The main entrance, just off Nygaardsgate, the main pedestrian street, overlooks the cathedral and the park that surrounds it. Features of note include the angular clocktower and the striking facade, with its huge door, off-white columns and copper panels.
Østfold in Pictures: Gamlebyen’s drawbridge
Posted by admin in History and architecture, Photos and videos on February 3, 2010
Focus on Gamlebyen: The drawbridge
Posted by admin in History and architecture on February 3, 2010
The drawbridge, at the entrance to the Old Town, is the first thing visitors see on approaching Gamlebyen. As many as 30 soldiers were once required to raise the bridge at dusk and lower it at dawn. Anyone arriving after the bridge had been drawn would have to wait until the next day to get into the town. The bridge is still there, but because it’s built of wood it has burned down and been rebuilt many times. Today it’s a popular spot with locals, who come here to feed the ducks in summer, and take sunset pictures in winter. The guardhouse outside the bridge has been converted into a glassblower’s cabin. A selection of hand-blown glassware is on display – on certain days during the holidays you can even see the glassmith at work.
Østfold in Pictures: The Fredrikstad Bridge
Posted by admin in History and architecture, Photos and videos on January 16, 2010
The Fredrikstad Bridge
Posted by admin in History and architecture on January 16, 2010
Dominating the landscape on the eastern side of the city, the Fredrikstad Bridge, with its distinctive arch, has become a landmark for Fredrikstad. The silver bow-shaped bridge, which was opened in August 1957, is also a vital link between the Old Town and the new one. Spanning the Glomma about 2km from where the river meets the Oslo fjord, the bridge is an impressive 824m long and 40m tall.
In March 2004 a 2.5m ’suicide fence’ was affixed to the bridge. Up to 3 people every year used to take their lives by jumping from the bridge, and it is believed that many more have tried. The fence, which stretches 400m down on each side of the bridge, was an attempt to put a stop to these sad statistics.
The bridge is part of the technical heritage of Norway, and as such was listed by the Riksantikvaren (Directorate for Cultural Heritage in Norway) in 2008, together with the roundabout on the east side – the first roundabout in Norway to acquire this status.
You can see old black-and-white photos of the bridge being built here www.demokraten.no/bildeserier/article2923408.ece
Østfold in Pictures: Kvernhuset School, Fredrikstad
Posted by admin in History and architecture, Photos and videos on January 2, 2010
