Posts Tagged Did you know?
Fishermen’s cabins at Kuvauen, Hvaler
Posted by admin in Photos and videos, Uncategorized on February 9, 2011
Did you know? A few facts about Østfold
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on February 9, 2011
- Østfold is home to Europe’s first ever marine national park. The Ytre Hvaler NP was opened in September 2009 (jointly with Koster NP in Sweden). It covers a surface of 354km2, most of it under water, and boasts unique coral reefs, as well as around 7,000 different marine species, including invertebrates, fishes, sharks and seals.
- Famous locals include Hollywood director Harald Zwart, jazz saxophonist Jan Garbarek, rally driver Petter Solberg, celebrity chef Eyvind Hellstrøm and artist Vebjørn Sand, among many others.
- Gamlebyen in Fredrikstad is one of Norway’s most popular man-made attractions, visited by hundreds of thousands every year.
- Østfold is among Norway’s oldest inhabited regions, and stunning rock carving sites, burial mounds and stone rings can all be found along Oldtidsveien, between Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg.
- Wildlife in Østfold’s forests includes moose, deer, red foxes, badgers, wild boars and even wolves.
- Østfold is a popular destination with anglers. There is much fish to be caught in the Glomma and the hundreds of lakes in the county, not least in Indre-Østfold. The Enningdal River in Halden is also one of the best rivers in Norway for salmon fishing.
- Østfold counts 25 manors (herregård), about half of all the manors found in Norway. Most of them date back to the 17th and 18th century, when Norway was under Danish rule.
- Rygge Airport in Østfold was formerly a military airport. Today it is Norway’s largest privately-operated airport, and one of Europe’s fastest growing. Last year 640,000 passengers travelled to/from Moss Lufthavn Rygge. The airport is now Norway’s fifth, and Oslo second largest by passenger numbers.
Did you know? About Gamlebyen
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on October 24, 2010
- Gamlebyen is one of Norway’s most popular man-made attractions, visited by hundreds of thousands every year. But the Old Town also counts 300 permanent residents.
- The statue in the middle of Gamlebyen’s main square is that of Frederick II. The Danish king founded the town, which is named after him, in 1567, although he never actually visited Fredrikstad!
- Gamlebyen was ravaged by fire several times throughout the course of its history. The town burnt to the ground no fewer than five times in the first two centuries of its existence, the last time in 1764.
- 200 canons once guarded the Old Town, which was until as late as 2002 still used as a garrison town. Today around 80 canons (most of them replicas of the original weapons) can still be seen on the ramparts, although their use is no longer military, only decorative.
- Local businesses in Gamlebyen include shops, restaurants, cafes, galleries, a post office and a museum, but also three schools, various offices, a doctor and a dentist surgery, and even a funeral parlour.
- Gamlebyen’s latest attraction is its model railway. The work on a local enthusiast, who took five years to build it, it is one of Scandinavia’s largest, with almost 3kms of tracks. And it’s already a huge success – visited by 5,000 curious rail enthusiasts in the first month of opening alone.
- In cold winters the water in the moat around Gamlebyen freezes over, turning the star-shaped moat into a huge ice rink, much to the delight of local children.
Did you know? A few facts about lemmings
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors on September 4, 2010
- Lemmings are small rodents, found in the northern parts of Europe, Asia and America. They weigh between 40 and 110g and can measure up to 15cm in length. They have long, soft fur, and short legs and tail.
- The black and yellow-brown Norwegian lemming (Lemmus lemmus), common in northern Scandinavia, is also the biggest animal in the lemming genus.
- Lemmings do not hibernate in winter, but hide from the cold in shallow burrows in the snow.
- Females can have litters of up to 12 young (although 3-9 is more common). They breed throughout the year and gestation is only 21-23 days. Breeding is more prevalent in summer and young born at this time are weaned within two weeks.
- Contrary to popular belief, lemmings do not commit mass suicide. But their population can rocket. When this happens, lemmings head for new pastures in search of food. They can swim and will cross bodies of water, occasionally drowning in their quest.
- The study of lemmings since 1970 showed the last population boom was in 1994, ending a pattern of peaks every 3-5 years. This is believed to be a result of global warming.
Did you know? Ytre Hvaler National Park
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors on August 20, 2010
- The national park was opened on 9 Sep 2009. It is Norway’s 31st national park, and Europe’s first marine national park (jointly with Koster NP in Sweden). It covers a surface of 354km2, although only 14km2 of it is land (see map above).
- The national park features many unique traits such as deep soft and hard bottoms (over 200m below), very exposed shallow sediments and rocks and deep water coral reefs. The deepest point in the park is 462m deep. The area also boasts a great variety of marine species (around 7,000), including invertebrates, fishes, sharks and seals.
- The national park is also a great place for bird-watching: sea birds and wading birds in particular are plentiful here – more than 260 species have been observed on Akerøya alone.
- Some 50 shipwrecks lie on the seabed in the area, the most famous of which is the frigate Lossen, which sank off the island of Vesterøy on Christmas Eve 1717.
- Tisler has the largest inshore reef in Europe, 1,200m long and about 200m wide. It is home to species not found anywhere else in Europe. The reef was discovered as recently as 2002.
- The waters between Heia and Torbjørnskjær are an important pupping area for common seals. They keep to the most remote areas to avoid the worst of boat traffic.
- On land you’ll find rare plants and flowers such as the musk orchid or the horned (yellow) poppy for example – 32 of them feature on the Norwegian Red List (i.e. are threatened) and should not be picked.
Did you know? About Fredrikstad
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on July 11, 2010
- Edvard Munch’s mother, Laura Cathrine Bjølstad, was born in Fredrikstad in 1837. She married Edvard’s father, Christian Munch, in 1861. He was twice her age. They had five children together, including Edvard, before Laura died of tuberculosis in 1868. She was only 31 years old. Edvard was five. His mother’s premature death, which was followed by that of his favourite sister a few years later, was to have a profound impact on his life and career.
- The city was named after the Danish king Frederik II in 1569. Fredrikstad is also known locally as ‘Plankebyen’, because the town was once one of Norway’s main exporters of timber.
- Fredrikstad, with its 73,600 inhabitants, is the main town in Østfold, as well as Norway’s 6th largest.
- Fredrikstad Football Club, FFK, were Norwegian football champions nine times, although their last victory dates back to 1961. They play at the award-winning Nye Fredrikstad Stadion, which was built on the site of the old shipyard, Fredrikstad Mekaniske Verksted (FMV).
- In 2005, Fredrikstad was the final host port for the Tall Ships Race, attracting thousands of visitors to the town. The municipality has made another bid, currently under consideration, to host the races again in 2014.
- Roald Amundsen (1872-1928), one of Norway’s most famous polar explorers, was born just outside Fredrikstad in Borge. Amundsen famously beat Captain Scott in the race to the South Pole, reaching his target on 14 December 1911 – or 33 days before his English rival. Today you can visit his childhood home in Borge, where you can learn more about his life and achievements.
- Fredrikstad’s cinema, which opened in 2002, has been voted best cinema in Norway six times in a row.
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.
Did you know? About Indre-Østfold
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on April 23, 2010
- There are several hydro-electric power stations along the River Glomma, and the ones in Indre-Østfold are among the oldest in Norway. Vamma in Askim is the largest of its kind in the country.
- Saxophonist Jan Garbarek, one of Norway’s best-known musicians, was born in Mysen in March 1947. He was the only child of a former Polish prisoner of war and a Norwegian farmer’s daughter.
- Traces of settlements found at Høgnipen in Degernes, Rakkestad, date back to the Stone Age (around 10,000 years ago) and are the eldest found in Norway. Sea level was then much higher, and Høgnipen was an island – local people used to fish here.
- Risen Grotte in Marker is a very special place. The cave, which took 10 years to build, is made or rock and timber only, and there is no electricity – instead the cave is lit up by no fewer than 600 candles. www.risengrotte.no (Norwegian only)
- Linnekleppen and Haukenesfjellet may be better known, but it’s Slavasshøgda in Rømskog that is, at 336m (1,102 ft), the highest vantage point in Østfold.
- Indre-Østfold has been a centre for motorsport in Norway for many years, and the area has some of the best facilities in the country, including Rudskogen Motor Park in Rakkestad. Michael Schumacher is one of the shareholders! www.rudskogen.no (Norwegian only)
Did you know? About Easter in Norway
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on April 1, 2010
Easter in Norway means three things (religious message aside): chocolate, ski and crime. For many it means a last ski outing before spring comes in and snow starts melting. So many Norwegians head for the mountains (causing big traffic jams on the main access roads in the process) and spend the Easter week on the slopes during the day, and relaxing in their hytte (cabin) in the evening, reading crime novels by the fire, and scoffing chocolate. Not a bad way to wave goodbye to winter if you ask me. But did you know that:
Easter in Norway also marks the beginning of the BBQ season, with the hot-dog reigning supreme: 1,200 tons of sausages are eaten over Easter every year. That’s a lot of pølser!! No proper BBQ to hand? No worries: engangsgrill (a little disposable BBQ that weighs next to nothing and can be packed into pretty much any rucksack) begin to appear in shops around that time of year.
If you’d rather have something a bit more fancy, or if the weather’s not on your side for a grilling session (which might well be the case this year, if the forecast is anything to go by), then there is always lammelår – in everything but name a good old-fashioned lamb roast. Some dishes just seem to reappear in many a culture, and country.
The same applies to Easter eggs (påskeegg), which are of course one of the first things that spring to mind when the word ‘Easter’ is uttered pretty much anywhere, and Norway is no exception. But in Norway there is another contender to the title of Easter chocolate. Kvikk Lunsj (with its ubiquitous red, yellow and green stripy label) is the nation’s favourite chocolate to have på tur (i.e. when out walking or skiing), and that means consumption goes through the roof at Easter.
On the topic of sweets (godteri): Marsipan is also very popular this time of year. In fact in the fortnight before Easter sales increase by around 35%. Nidar, one of the biggest chocolate-manufacturers in Norway, expects to sell 23 million Easter marsipan and chockies this year. Not bad for a country with just over 4.5 million inhabitants!
Boxed wine (pappvin) is another winner over the Easter holiday: cheaper, and more convenient to carry around, it’s a favourite to take to the hytte. In 2009 over 1,850,000 liter of boxed wine were purchased in the run-up to Easter. And unlike some other countries, where boxed wine is a synonym for cheap, rather nasty stuff, in Norway some good quality wine is also available in that format.
Oh, and because I don’t want you to think I’m only interested in food and booze… Klister is another thing that’s associated with Easter (at least if you’re into cross-country skiing). Not familiar with it? Think very sticky gluey stuff (as opposed to hard wax) that one applies to skis when the snow is particularly icy (and yes, it’s a nightmare to get off in case you were wondering). On a more serious note, by the way: Easter, when the mercury starts inching its way back over the zero mark, and the weather turns milder, is also a record time for avalanches (snøskred), so if you’re heading for the mountains, be careful!
Last, but not least: Påskekrim is almost as popular as skiing this time of year, so crime novels get pride of place in bookshops, while crime series are the order of the day on TV. As it happens there are many talented Norwegian crime authors out there, many of whom have been translated into English. Karin Fossum, Jo Nesbø, Anne Holt and Gunar Staalesen are among the most famous, although there are others. So you’re in luck if you want to follow the Norwegian tradition and get your teeth into a good detective story (OK, OK, and maybe a chocolate bar or two too!). For more on these authors check www.elusivemoose.eu/2010/01/top-5-norwegian-crime-writers/
God Påske alle sammen! (Happy Easter everybody!)