Posts Tagged History
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.
One of the exhibits inside Tøihuset
Posted by admin in History and architecture, Photos and videos on September 15, 2010
Fredrikstad Museum in Gamlebyen
Posted by admin in History and architecture on September 15, 2010
Taken a stroll in the Old Town? Why not follow this up with a visit to the local museum, housed in what was once Norway’s largest arsenal? Small, but interesting, the museum retells the history of the Old Town through a variety of exhibits ranging from an outdoor toilet (with not one, but two seats) to archeological finds, as well as reconstructed interiors and scenes depicting daily life among soldiers and civilians. There are also archive photos of the old and new towns throughout the years, a 3D model of Gamlebyen when it was still a guarrison town, and an exhibition focusing on military costumes and Norway’s various factions during WW2.
Most of the signs are in Norwegian, but info sheets in English are available. Alternatively you can book a guided tour in English. Allow about one hour.
Tøihusgaten 41. Tel: 69 95 85 00. Entry 40Kr.
The Lossen, Hvaler
Posted by admin in History and architecture on September 10, 2010
Did you know that some 50 shipwrecks lie on the seabed in the Hvaler area? The most famous of them is the Danish frigate The Lossen, which sank off the island of Vesterøy on Christmas Eve 1717, after a particularly violent storm. More than half of the crew perished that day (55 of the 90 men on board) and stories about ghosts haunting the area were doing the rounds for a while afterwards. The wreck was discovered in 1962. The excavations that followed have uncovered an extensive amount of artefacts that give an excellent picture of how a frigate was equipped at that time, thus making The Lossen an important cultural heritage site.
The Lossen was built on Isegran in Fredrikstad in 1684. She was 28.7m long and 7.5m wide, with a gross tonnage of about 676 tons. She took part in several well-known battles during the Great Northern War of 1700-1721, and was under the command of renowned Norwegian/Danish officer Peter Wessel Tordenskjold when it sank.
Modern design in ancient landscape
Posted by admin in History and architecture, News on August 26, 2010
The Solberg Tower (Solbergtårnet)
Posted by admin in History and architecture, News on August 26, 2010
The brand new Solberg Tower (Solbergtårnet) by the E6 motorway in Skjeberg was officially opened today. The tower, which is almost 30m high, and cost 50 million kroner to build, was designed by Todd Saunders, the Canadian architect behind the popular Stegastein viewpoint in Aurland, western Norway. It’s a joint project between the Norwegian Public Road Administration (Statens vegvesen), the county of Østfold and the municipalities of Sarpsborg and Fredrikstad. The view from the top floor is enticing enough, but the main reason for building the tower here was to highlight the many sites dating back to the Bronze Age along the nearby Oldtidsveien. Facilities at the Solberg Tower include a lift, toilets, rest area and information panels (in Norwegian and English) on the various attractions in the area, as well as maps of the different sites.
More on Oldtidsveien at http://www.elusivemoose.eu/2009/10/26/
More on the Stegastein viewpoint at http://www.elusivemoose.eu/2010/04/stegastein-viewing-platform/
Photos of the Solberg Tower under construction at http://www.sa.no/lokale_nyheter/article5185109.ece
Østfold in Pictures: Skjeberg Church
Posted by admin in History and architecture, Photos and videos on August 17, 2010
Skjeberg Church
Posted by admin in History and architecture on August 17, 2010
One of the largest Medieval churches in Østfold, dating back to the late 12th century, Skjeberg Church is also arguably one of the prettiest. Built in stone, in the Roman style, it boasts a gothic portal, as well as a runic inscription on one of the walls. The baptismal font in the church, made of a special kind of stone called ‘kleberstein’ in Norwegian, is one of the finest in the country. It was carved by an English craftsman in the first half of the 1100s. The font, which is square, stands on five pillars. It is big, as in the Middle Ages infants had to be totally immersed in water during the christening ceremony. Images of Christ, the four evangelists and the apostles adorn the bas-reliefs on the sides of the font. The church is surrounded by a colourful graveyard overlooking the surrounding fields.
How to get there: From Sarpsborg, follow Rv118 (Skjebergveien) south towards Skjeberg Stasjon. You’ll see the church on your right 2km before you reach the railway crossing.
For info on other Østfold churches see www.elusivemoose.eu/2009/12/top-5-churches-in-østfold/
