Akershus Fortress
| Akershus Fortress | |
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| place | Oslo |
| Construction year | approx. 1300 |
| Coordinates | 59 ° 54 '24.2 " N , 10 ° 44' 10.1" E |
 
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important castles and fortresses |
The Akershus Fortress ( Norwegian Akershus festning ) is a historically important complex in the heart of the Norwegian capital Oslo . It is located on the Akersneset peninsula directly on the banks of the Oslofjord . There it shapes the silhouette of the city and stands out as a landmark . Akershus has been besieged nine times in its history and came under German occupation during World War II . The fortress was also feared as a national prison . Since its closure, the magnificent rooms of the castle have been used by the Norwegian government for representative purposes. In the royal mausoleum is the burial place of the Norwegian kings of modern times. The outer fortress area, Hovedtangen , is still used by the Norwegian military . But it also serves as a leisure and green area. You can also learn more about Norway's military history in the Norges Hjemmefrontmuseum ( German : Norway's Resistance Museum ) and Forsvarsmuseet (German: Defense Museum) museums .
history
Origin and historical background
It is not known when the castle was built. The period between 1287 and 1300 is considered to be probable. Even before 1287 there should have been a weir system there. Currently, Håkon V. Magnussen , son of Magnus Lagabøte and the last male descendant of the Sverre family , was a duke in Oslosysla County . In 1287 Jarl Alv Erlingsson sacked the city of Oslo and burned it down together with the bishop's castle. As a result, Håkon's brother, King Erik Magnusson , sent his men to kill the Jarl at his castle on the island of Isengrån . The 17-year-old Duke Håkon was not in town at the time.
It is possible that Akershus Castle was already under construction at that time. It is first mentioned in 1300. It is said that Håkon V, who had been King of Norway since 1299, kept a document from Mary's Church in the castle. He is also credited with building the castle. It is unclear, however, whether the castle was completely built in a short time or whether it was gradually expanded and expanded. Since it was used as a document storage facility in 1300, it is assumed that it was already manned.
The medieval castle sits on a rock spur and takes advantage of the natural features of the terrain. In the south and west, the curtain wall borders on a cliff edge that used to drop steeply into the Oslofjord. In the north and east the terrain rose towards the castle. There were also high curtain walls here . The castle itself consisted of the mighty castle tower Vågehalstårnet , Nord- and Sydfløyen , Romeriksfløyen , as well as Skriverstuefløyen , Fadeburet and Fruerstuefløyen . To the south and west, which was forecastle with a fountain and the towers Knutstårnet and Jomfrutårnet . The Jomfrutårn with drawbridge served as a gate tower and was the main access to the castle. Between it and the Sydfløy there was the angled connecting passage Mørkegang . This ran partly underground under the Sydfløy and ended in one of the castle courtyards. He was protected by portcullis and gates. In addition, the angle of the corridor made it impossible to use a battering ram , as it could not be transported around the corner. A second passage, the Lønngang , ran above the Mørkegang . From there you could watch the Mørkegang . This corridor extended even further than the first. Inside the castle, it ran tucked away in the three meter thick castle walls as far as Nordfløyen . It probably also had a branch to Vågehalstårnet . The Lønngang was used as an internal communication channel. The guards could use it to get quickly from the northern castle to the main gate and other important defensive positions.
Internal tensions between the king and the aristocracy as well as constant border conflicts with the neighboring state of Sweden required new defense systems. Free farmers were obliged to provide a militia and equip ships in the event of war . But this system was no longer as effective as it had been in the past centuries, as the peasants' boats could not compete with the new and better warships of the enemy. King Håkon V had other fortresses such as Vardøhus in northern Norway and Båhus in southeastern Norway (now Sweden) built. He also strengthened the Tunsberghus fortress in Tønsberg . The castles also served him as residences during his travels.
14th and 15th centuries
In the winter of 1308, the Swedish Duke Erik Magnusson advanced from Söndermanland to Oslo. A part of the discontented rich citizens of Norway joined his army. Oslo's army consisted mainly of German knights. King Håkon V was currently in his residence city of Bergen . The news of the siege also reached the farmers from the surrounding area. They then set up a militia of around 3,000 men and went to war. Akershus withstood the siege, and when the farmers arrived in Oslo, fighting broke out on the Akerselv River . The duke lifted the siege and withdrew. In 1312 there was a comparison between King Håkon V and the Duke. The Duke had the eleven-year-old daughter Håkons as his bride and they married in Oslo that same year. During his reign, Håkon V. moved his seat of government to Oslo. Thus Akershus Castle replaced Bergenhus Fortress as the royal seat. It is possible that a royal chancellery was already in the castle at this time .
When King Håkon died in 1319, his three-year-old grandson Magnus Eriksson inherited the Norwegian crown. He was the son of Håkon's daughter Ingebjørk Håkonsdatter and Erik Magnusson . In the same year Magnus Eriksson was also elected King of Sweden. During his reign there were several riots on the part of the Norwegians, as they were dissatisfied with his leadership style under the dual rule. They occupied Tunsberghus fortress in 1333 and unsuccessfully besieged Akershus Castle in 1338. The leader of the siege of Akershus was Sigurd Hafthorsson. He was the son of Håkon's illegitimate daughter Agnes and the Baron Hafthor Johnson on Sudrheim.
Magnus Eriksson's son, Håkon VI, stayed from 1360 to 1370 . , often at Akershus Castle. The castle was expanded under his rule. Among other things, he furnished the royal apartments in Nordfløyen and the chancellery. Presumably, the work on the medieval castle including the outer bailey was completed during his reign. Håkon VI. was with the Swedish Margaret I married. She gave birth to their son Olav in Oslo, probably at Akershus Castle. He was King of Denmark and Norway from 1380 to 1387 and was only 17 years old. Her marriage to Magarethe I marked the end of the independent kingdom of Norway, because she was the founder of the Kalmar Union and ruled the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden and Denmark after Håkons and Olav's death.
In 1448 the childless King Christoph III died. , King of the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Since Norway did not recognize the King Christian I , who was elected in Denmark , there was a controversy between him and Charles VIII about the succession to the throne . He was elected king by the Swedish nobility and was also crowned a year later in Nidaros Cathedral in Norway. Akershus Castle was besieged unsuccessfully during the contest for the succession. Currently, the Danish nobleman Hartvig Krummedike was captain of the castle. But at the peace meeting in Halmstad, King Charles VIII ceded Norway to Christian I, and an eternal union between Denmark and Norway was decided.
Akershus Castle was spared attacks until the 15th century. Its high walls protected it well against sieges and the simple, medieval firearms. However, the importance of firearms increased in the course of time and the castle became tight with the new artillery unit . By 1487 and 1488 the castle had four handguns and one Veuglaire cannon. Two of the handguns and the cannon were breech-loaders . However, the captains of the castle also had their own weapons to show. The possessions of Captain and Bishop Karl Sigurdsson list ten firearms and twelve old and broken crossbows when he died.
After Christian's death in 1483 Johann I , also called Hans, followed. In 1499 he dismissed the knight Knut Alvsson from his position as captain of Akershus and appointed the nobleman Peder Griis , the former captain of Tunsberghus Castle. Alvsson, one of Norway's most powerful aristocrats, was so bitter that he went to Sweden to rebel against King Hans. There he had relatives from the noble family Tre Rosor and had influential connections. The invasion of 1501 failed, but in February 1502 he returned to Norway with an army. Its army consisted mainly of the Swedish border population, but it also received support from the Norwegian Oppland. After a brief siege, he took Akershus Castle and drove Peder Griis away. Thereafter, Alvsson conquered and plundered Tunsberghus Castle and besieged Båhus Fortress, where Henrik Krummedike , Hartvig's son, was in command. Meanwhile, he stirred up riots in Vestlandet. Båhus was freed in June by the heir to the throne, Duke Christian, later Christian II . Alvsson's army was defeated and withdrew to Sweden. In July Henrik Krummedike besieged Akershus Castle with an army of Scottish loan soldiers. But this siege also failed. A month later, Krummedike returned to Oslo. Alvsson, who still ruled the castle, was reinforced by farmers from the surrounding area. To gain time, he started peace negotiations with Krummedike. With a promise of safe conduct, he went to one of Krummedike's ships in the harbor, where he and part of his entourage were slain. The occupation handed over Krummedike Burg without resistance, as he was in fact victorious over the Østlandet. He is said to have thrown Knut Alvsson unburied in the Karnniketårnet for 12 years. It should serve as a memorial and a deterrent against its enemies. From then on, the Kanniketårnet was only called Knutstårnet in the population.
16th Century
A few years later, Duke Christian lived as viceroy (1506–1513) at the castle. He expanded it and built, among other things, the Karnapp. However, it is not certain where it was. Furthermore, he had the Sydfløyen rebuilt. Here, too, it is unclear what the scope of the work was.
Christian, now King Christian II, was expelled from the country in 1523 by a nobility revolt in Denmark. In Sweden, Gustav Vasa subjugated most of the country in the same year and marched with his army against Oslo. On the orders of the Danish Captain von Akershus and Bishop Hans Mule, also known as Master Hans , the citizens of Oslo burned their city down. This order was given so that the enemy could not find a basis, such as household goods and food, for a siege. However, the Marienkirche was damaged by the fire. Akershus Castle withstood the siege and Vasa's army withdrew after a short time.
Siege by Christian II.
In 1527 lightning struck Nordfløyen. Large parts of the castle burned out, including the Nordfløyen, Vestfløy, Knutstårnet and Fateburet. The mighty Vågehal tower was so severely damaged that the upper part of the tower had to be demolished 30 years later. When King Christian II launched an attack on Akershus Castle in 1531, after eight years in exile , it was not yet completely rebuilt. Christian II stayed with his brother-in-law, Emperor Charles V , during his exile in the Netherlands . But he wanted to regain his empire and put together an army of 6,000–7,000 men, mostly German mercenaries . With a fleet of 25 larger and smaller ships, he set out for Oslo in October 1531. The captain of Akershus Castle, the Danish nobleman Mogens Gyldenstjerne, knew about a possible attack on the part of Christian II and wrote to the king at the end of August with a request for support. On October 10th he received an answer in which it was said that the king could not spare any servants and that he should muster all zeal to defend his castle. Gyldenstjerne only 20-30 men remained to defend the castle. Most of the crew were out in the provinces to collect taxes. Gyldenstjerne may not have expected Christian to sail the sea this late in the year and tax collection was a high priority. On the one hand Gyldenstjerne had to collect the taxes for the king and on the other hand he had high expenses for administration, food and clothing and to pay wages. The provisions at the castle were also scarce. Meanwhile Christian sailed through the North Sea . The autumn storms dispersed his fleet and some ships landed in Scotland , others in Jutland , southern Norway and the Bohuslän coast . Several ships sank and over 1,000 people drowned, including many loose women who followed the army. Christian II finally arrived in Oslo with four ships and around 1,200 men. There they were taken in by the citizens, monks and priests and besieged the castle. He was not aware of the Gyldenstjernes' difficult situation. He continued to write to the king. In November 1531 he threatened to set everything on fire if the king did not give him any support. Gyldenstjerne and Christian II also entered into correspondence and agreed a ceasefire. For his part, Christian tried to come into contact with the rest of the fleet. Another deadline for a ceasefire was set, after which the castle should be handed over to Christian. Then Christian II posted a guard in front of the castle and drove to Konghelle , a town near the fortress of Båhus. Here he met part of his lost army, which now grew to 4,500 men. When they got back to Oslo, there were several attacks without taking the castle. But Christian's army suffered great losses, mainly from cold, hunger and disease, especially whooping cough . The long-awaited reinforcement from Denmark arrived in winter. 40 men from Krogen, today's Kronborg Castle , also brought food and ammunition. Since the Oslofjord was frozen over, they came overland. Gyldenstjerne announced the truce. He threatened to set the city on fire again and demanded 1,000 marks from the population. He took many abbots and monks prisoner at Hovedøya Monastery because there was a reason why he had doubts about their loyalty. Christian II withdrew and came back in March 1532. Again, a large part of his fleet from the Netherlands was lost. He set up camp between the town and Akershus Castle, but his troops were too small to do anything. Oslo, now the Gamle Oslo district , was on the other side of Bjørvika Bay at the foot of the Ekeberg . In the same month three ships from Denmark and four ships from the Hanseatic city of Lübeck arrived in support of Gyldenstjerne. They had already defeated five ships of Christian II on the way near Tønsberg . The Oslofjord was still frozen at this time of year and the population only kept a small fairway open. So one night a messenger from Burg snuck to the ships and the fleet sent 37 men with gunpowder and supplies across the ice-covered fjord. Gyldenstjerne also received a drum that he had asked for. When the men arrived safely at the castle, Gyldenstjerne lit the fire and fired three cannon shots. His fleet also responded with three gun salutes. The attack on Christian's camp began the next morning. The fleet went ashore on Hovedøya . They set fire to the monastery where part of Christian's entourage lived. After that, they sailed to Skagen and Lindesnes , with the promise to return at Easter when the ice in the fjord melted. Christian sent his men out to attack the castle several times. They tried to cut a breach in the walls, but the castle walls held up. On May 7th, the Danish-Hanseatic fleet sailed into the port of Oslo under the leadership of Rostock councilor Thomas Kaske to loud music. There were 6,000 men on board from Denmark, Lübeck, Rostock and Stralsund. Among them was Gyldenstjerne's brother Knut, Bishop of Odense. Christian's troops then set fire to their own camp and withdrew to the city of Oslo. On May 9, Ascension Day, the fight began under the leadership of the German ship chaplain Reimar Kock . In the evening mock attacks took place on the bridge over the Akerselv and ships and boats attacked the city. The ships were burned at the jetties in the city. Ultimately, Christian II had to admit defeat. He was transferred to Copenhagen with the promise of safe conduct. There he was imprisoned for 27 years. Gyldensterne, who was captain of the castle until 1533, counted like his predecessors his own weapons for combat in his possession. He asked the king to reimburse this and the gunpowder he had used.
Expansion of the castle by Peder Hansen Litle and Christen Munk
From 1536 to 1551 the feudal lord Peder Hansen Litle (also called Basse) was captain of the castle. He was considered a strict tax collector who also appropriated the soil from farmers. The necessary repairs to the castle were already done. But as weapon technology continued to advance at the beginning of the 16th century, a medieval castle no longer offered adequate protection. Therefore, he carried out extensive renovations. The Nordfløyen and Knutstårnet were restored and the battlements were given high priority. The destroyed wall sections on the first floor of the west wing were built in half-timbered construction. A half-timbered building was erected on the spot where the Fåtebur house stood. Jomfrutårn and Sydfløyen were each increased by one floor. A writing room was set up in Sydfløyen. Vorburg and Vedhagen were connected by a wall. In 1551 Hansen died in the “green chamber” on the ground floor of Sydfløyen. The liege lord and Danish nobleman Christen Munk continued the work as captain from 1556. He had provisional defenses built with entrenchments and guns north and east of the Nordfløyen. Peasants who were called up for compulsory service liked to do such work. In the south, the water tower of the outer bailey was demolished and replaced by a cannon tower. This was later named Munkstårnet. Between it and Jomfrutårnet the wall was renewed and equipped with artillery and loopholes. The loopholes of the Nordfløyen probably also date from this time. The drawbridge and gate in Jomfrutårnet were also dismantled. The tower also received an extension of the same height and length and from then on served as the inner gatekeeper's house in front of the castle gate. Since the main entrance to the castle and outer bailey was previously through Jomfrutårnet, a new entrance was needed. This led through the Munkstårnet. But this gate was also soon closed and a new gate was opened right next to the tower in the wall. This had the advantage that you couldn't see from the city and country side whether the gate was open or closed. Munk also set up the castle church in the western part of Sydfløyen. In order to advance these extensive renovations, he traded in wood, sawn timber, leather goods and butter, which he sold to the south. He also had some of the city's churches and chapels demolished to get building materials. The stones from Hovedøya Monastery were also built into the castle.
Siege during the Three Crowns War
The political situation in Scandinavia was very turbulent over the years and in 1563 the Three Crowns War began . There were several theaters of war in Sweden and in Norway the Swedes occupied the entire province of Trondheimlän (now the province of Trøndelag ). The border fortress of Båhus in the southeast was exposed to many storms and still held up. Five years after the war began, the Swedes came to Oslo. When Christians Munk heard that the enemy was on their way to Oslo, he ordered the citizens to set fire to the city. Few houses survived the fire. Just days later, in February, the Swedish army arrived and camped west of the Akerselv River. The army comprised around 200 knights. Jon Siggesson from Jämtland was the general of King Erik XIV. He tried several times to storm the castle, but he lacked heavy artillery. The castle probably defended itself with around 50 cannons and 30 small arms. Many of them were old, used, and light. He gave up the siege and drove back to the previously conquered city of Harmar. In his place, the army of Imperial Councilor Tönnis Olofsson came to Oslo in March , who was originally supposed to take the fortress of Båhus. His army consisted of three knights' detachments and ten infantry companies. Since they could not take the castle either, Siggesson and his troop returned to Oslo. Another three departments under Peder Nilsson Gyllenstråle strengthened them. The siege lasted two months when, on May 17, 1567, a Danish fleet of 26 ships arrived from Helsingør. The army consisted of six companies of German farmhands who set up camp on Hovedøya. But the Swedes also received reinforcements again. This also included a shipment of six heavy caliber cannons. The next day the German-Danish fleet went ashore at the foot of the Ekeberg. At the same time the crew of the castle ran assault on the entrenchments of the Swedish besiegers in front of the castle walls. There were several battles and a particularly difficult battle raged on the Svenskesletta am Ekeberg, in what is now the Nordstranda district . The Swedes gained the upper hand in the fighting. After two days, the castle's crew attempted another assault run, but the castle suffered considerable damage. A short time later, Erik Munk arrived with his galley and other smaller ships from Bergen. The crew of the five companies of Norwegian farmhands and German merchants of the Tyskebryggen was put together by the liege lord Erik Ottesen Rosenkrantz amid several unrest. They shot at the besiegers from the port, who were now waging a two-front war. The battle went down in Oslo history as a great bloodbath. The Swedish attackers withdrew, but burned the remaining city, including the Oslo Hospital . After the siege, King Frederik II granted the citizens of Oslo twelve years of tax exemption because he had their houses burned down before the attack.
Installation of the first defense works by Hans van Pæschen and Hans van Steenwinkel
After the Swedish troops had withdrawn, King Frederik II commissioned the Flemish architect Hans van Pæschen to build a better defense on the land side. Was Pæschen at that time a well-known attachment engineer, both with the new Dutch and Italian Bastion systems of the Renaissance knew about. Previously, he had also expanded Kronenborg Castle for King Frederik II. To the north of Akershus Castle, Pæschen built a closed fortress, the Dronningens and Kongens batteri . It consisted of large earth walls and was a continuation of the entrenchments built under Munk. Under the Kongens batteri one was Pillbox formed which had cannon gates in the south. They were supposed to protect the castle's eastern flank . An ammunition depot and another well were built in the Dronningens batteri . In the yard between the ramparts and the Nordfløyen was erected the Arkelihus , who served in peacetime to store the guns. The Nordfløyen received a new gate on the north side that now connected the castle with the new defensive structure. The outer work was completed at the beginning of the 1580s.
From 1588 Christian IV was King of Denmark and Norway. Since the area of the new outer works of van Pæschen turned out to be too small for an effective defense, Christian IV had his Dutch engineer Hans van Steenwinkel draft a new plan for a fortification in 1592. He had also previously worked at Kronborg Castle. His proposal was based on the Italian bastion system. The ideal basic form of this type consisted of polygons , preferably four or pentagons. The outward corners were designed as bastions and armed with guns. Within the bastions, earth walls were built to support the walls should enemy cannonballs hit. Between the bastions there were curtains , long, straight to slightly curved walls that were supposed to prevent the bastions from bombarding each other. The walls were high and steep. Trenches were dug in front of them so that enemy troops could not climb them. This system had proven itself for a number of years. Due to the local conditions of the Akersneset peninsula, the polygons could not be created as ideal forms. They were crooked, which meant that only three bastions and one half bastion could be designed as an ideal shape. The existing store full , as the earth wall of the Dronningens and Kongens batteri was called, served as a cavalier in the system . Van Steenwinkel made a painted wooden model to convince the king of this plan. In 1593, work began on the north side. They were carried out by foreign workers and the prisoners of the castle, among others. Christian IV issued a new tax to finance the construction costs.
17th century
Expansion of the fortress and conversion to a castle
Steenwinckel died in 1601 and the work was continued by his friend, the Dutch builder Jan Jansen, until 1630. Christian IV issued a construction freeze in 1604, as he expected a war with the Swedes. He continued to collect the tax for the renovation work on Akershus, but did not want to spend any money on long-term construction projects. As a result, only necessary wall repairs were carried out over the next few years. In 1611 there was another short construction period. But in the same year Christian IV began to declare war on King Charles IX of Sweden . the three-year war in Kalmar .
From 1616 the work was continued. New walls were built and the dams were built in front of the castle walls. However, the fortress was not implemented as planned. An orillon on the right flank of the Kronprinsen bastion was completed, but had no function, since with the exception of the Skapenord bastion, no casemates were built in the bastions. On the left flank of the Kronprinsen bastion , the remains of an orillon that was not finished were discovered. In the course of the work on the defensive works, the castle was expanded into a palace in the Renaissance style. Several parts of the castle were demolished and rebuilt, including Romeriksfløyen and Skriversturfløyen . Extensive restorations were also carried out inside and Christian IV prepared the palace as a residence. The royal apartments were located on the top floor of Sydfløyen. The Kongens sal (German: Königssaal ) and Dronningens sal (German: Königinnensaal ) were set up there. The rooms received golden leather wallpaper, marble fireplaces and contemporary furniture. The governor Hannibal Sehested's apartment was furnished with the Forglyte sal (German: gilded hall) and Frøkenes vinterstue (German: Fräuleins Winterstube ). Frøken was Sehested's wife Christiane. She was the king's daughter with his wife Kristen Munk. The Blåtårnet and Romerikstårnet towers were also built . Bills show that women and company workers were also involved in the construction work.
Christiania
After another fire in the city of Oslo, Christian IV ordered the city to be relocated in 1624. He had the new city, which was named Christiania, built north of the fortress. He chose a right-angled allotment system for the city plan, which at the time corresponded to the ideal of a city. The 24 Alen , around 15 meters wide, were intended to prevent the spread of fires. Today this part of Oslo is known as Kvadraturen . The resettlement had a military background. The city could be better defended near the fortress and no longer served the enemy as a shelter. In the following year, the Akershus Fortress was stopped in favor of the new fortification walls around the city of Christiania. Only simple work was still carried out on the fortress. This included, for example, securing the walls against landslides, the construction of simple buildings and the construction of various wall sections. Within a few years, Christiania enclosed contiguous earth walls, which were reinforced with three semi-bastions on the land side.
Completion of the inner fortress
With the completion of the Prins Carl Bastion between 1644 and 1646, the inner fortress is almost complete. However, the responsible mason master Morten Pfundt and Fredrik Møller waited several years for their wages to be paid out and wrote several petitions. The fortress was fully equipped during the Torstensson War , which lasted from 1643 to 1646. In 1646 King Christian IV came to Akershus for the last time to inspect the work. With five shots from a three-quarter charter , he had the quality of the walls of the fortress checked. He died two years later.
Christian's successor was King Frederik III. At a festival in his honor, Akershus fortress, together with the fleet and the city of Christiania, fired a salute of over 800 rounds. Since 1661, meetings of the estates took place in the castle under him . Isaac van Geelkerck became his new fortress engineer. In 1648 an underpass was fully built through the store to allow passage to the north gate. The fortress gate was given its final place in the eastern curtain wall, as a connection to Hovedtangen . Hovedtangen describes the outer fortress area on the peninsula. In 1657 work began on the horn factory and the Skarpenort bastion was given a powder tower with a gate passage. From this a wall was now drawn up to the Kongens batteri and thus subdivided the inner fortress area once more. In the same year the Dutchman Willem Coucheron took over the job of the fortress engineer and completed the work on the inner fortress. He locked the gate next to Munkstårnet and extended the flank walls of the Prins Carls bastion up to the tower and raised them. In front of the tower he had an earth wall filled in and the wall between the bastion and Stallgården was given a passage.
First defense works on Hovedtangen
Work also progressed on the Hovedtangen . In 1675 the governor Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve reported that the Myntens bastion had been completed. It was on the spot where Bankplassen is today. This shifted the line of defense northwards towards the city. The royal mint , which lay on a hill, was now enclosed by the new bastion. The Northern War drove construction work forward, even if this war did not advance to Oslo. Akershus Fortress was the main fortress of all the border fortresses in Østlandet and times have remained troubled. Christian V , king since 1670, had a new plan drawn up for the fortifications on the Hovedtangen . Thereupon more ramparts were built and a wall that reached from the hornwork to the Myntens bastion . The horn factory is equipped with casemates. A full trench was dug between Myntens bastion and the city, in front of which a glacis was created. Work progressed quickly as a fire destroyed several neighborhoods in 1668. There the earth walls were built and covered with stones. Walls of gray stone were built on the apex. Towards the end of the 17th century the store was fully expanded into a double batteri . It received guns at two different heights, one inside the new casemate and the other on the roof. In 1699 the glacis was reinforced with palisades .
18th century
Siege by Charles XII.
See main article: Campaign in Norway (1716)
On May 8, 1716, the Swedish King Charles XII. at Høland across the Norwegian border. He came with an army of 10,000 men across the frozen Bunnefjord to Christiania. The responsible government commission, Slottsloven på Akershus , was completely surprised by this attack. When the army was bombarded from the fortress, the Swedes sought cover behind the offshore islands in the Oslofjord. They crossed from the island of Nakkholmen to Bygdøy and from there they could easily get into the city. Christiania's walls had already fallen into disrepair and no longer offered adequate protection. They did not encounter much resistance in the city either. General Lützow, who was defending his position in Lier on the Swedish border, placed part of his crew under the command of Akershus. Colonel Jørgen Christopher von Klenow's army now had a strength of over 3,000 men, for whom the fortress became tight. The commandant's apartment and the officers 'quarters were quickly converted into soldiers' quarters. 20 oxen were brought in from the deputy governor's farm in Ladegårdsøen. When Charles XII. Arrived in town, he quickly prepared to assault the fortress. He had scaling ladders and bundles made from long branches to be laid over the trenches. But when he realized that the fortress had already received reinforcements, he stopped the attacks and instead besieged the city. They holed up on the Akerselv River and waited for reinforcements from Gothenburg . They set up light batteries in several places in the city, including at Vår Fressers kirke , Christiania's cathedral. The attackers were shot at from the fortress as soon as they appeared and there were dead people and horses in the streets. The residents of Christiania were asked to wave white flags as they crossed the streets. But they too were killed in the fighting. To stay under cover, the Swedes dug from house to house. Meanwhile, more fighting took place in Lier. The Det smålenske regiment battalion from Fredrikstad, Norway overtook Swedish troops in Moss . There they took 200 prisoners and brought some of the equipment back to their base. But since Moss was part of the supply line of the Swedes to Akershus, the city was even more manned. At the end of March reinforcements came from Denmark and Bergen. Charles's siege did little damage to Akershus fortress. Most of the projectiles had a short range and did not reach the fort. However, traces of the siege can still be found in the city. One of the cannonballs is stuck in the wall of the Posthuset gård . Another was in the wall of the Gulfiskens gård restaurant until the house burned down in 1990. The bullet survived the fire. In mid-April, Vice Admiral Christian Carl Gabel from Denmark came to Norway with a fleet of seven ships of the line , six frigates and other smaller ships. Their first target was Moss. After two hard fights, the Swedes surrendered and over 500 men were taken prisoner. Meanwhile, Gabel's fleet interrupted the Swedish supply line to Christiania. Thus the siege of the city was no longer possible and Karl XII. retreated on April 29th.
Expansion of the fortress on Hovedtangen
Around 1725 the moat and glacis between town and Bjørvika were extended. It was partly filled with water and partly designed as a dry trench. On the wall of the trench that was opposite the fortress - the Kontreeskarpemauer - was a covered path . It served as a communication passage and line of defense , from which one could also shoot with light guns. In front of it was a two meter high earth wall that was supposed to protect against enemy fire. From the wall the terrain merged into an even, slightly sloping terrain, the glacis. The temporary earth walls of the Hovedtangen were replaced by a continuous wall with bastions. This ran from the Prins Carls bastion along the coastline at Bjørvika bay and back to the Kronprinsens bastion . Since then, Hovedtangen was also known under the name Nedrevolls festning (German: Lower Wall Fortress ). The wall had several gates. The largest and most important gate was Hovedtangensporten , through which one came from the city to the fortress. All other gates functioned as sideline gates . In 1750 the last defense work was carried out on the upper fortress, the nye Tenalje . Thus Akershus fortress had reached its greatest extent.
Decay and renovation of the castle
Despite the constant expansion in the lower fortress area, the castle fell into disrepair. Hardly any maintenance work was carried out and its use as a grain store and military depot left clear traces. In the 1730s the castle was so badly damaged that a partial demolition was discussed. But Quartermaster General Michael von Sundt campaigned for the castle to be preserved. He suggested that most of the castle be repaired, restored and preserved. The renovation work began in 1738. The stepped gable at Nordfløyen has been renovated. After the castle church was temporarily housed as a garrison church in Romeriksfløyen in 1742, the stepped gable at Sydfløyen was removed and replaced with a hipped roof. In the castle church on the first floor of Sydfløyen , parts of the walls have been replaced. The church and the overlying floors have been restored and the first floor is established the King's Bench a. The cellar under the church was given a barrel vault. The Fruerstuehuset , as well as the gallery building between Sydfløyen and Jomfrutårnet , was demolished. Around 1750 the upper part of Jomfrutårnet was dismantled. At the same time, large parts of the Knutstårnet, including the upper part of the Knuts kurtine, were torn off. All of the Stallgården's buildings were removed in favor of new earthworks along the walls. In 1775, the roof of Blåtårnet suffered storm damage that tore away much of the cladding. Demolition was also debated here. A few years later the Romerikstårnet lost its roof due to an accident. It was replaced by a smaller and simpler one.
Akershus served as a prison for a long time, including 1726 to 1734 for Wilhelm Adolf zu Rantzau, who was accused of the murder of his brother Christian Detlev zu Rantzau in Barmstedt .
19th and 20th centuries
The Napoleonic Wars and their effects
During the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark-Norway first tried to maintain its neutrality. However, when the insane Danish-Norwegian King Christian VII died, Denmark declared war on Sweden. Denmark-Norway wanted to recapture the territories of Norway lost in the Torstensson War, but lost this war. Thereupon the Danes, with the signing of the Kiel Peace Treaty , were forced to abolish the union with Norway and cede the area to Sweden. The former Norwegian areas of Greenland , Iceland and the Faroe Islands remained under Danish rule. However, Norway did not recognize the terms of the peace treaty. On February 27, the country proclaimed its independence, passed a new constitution and proclaimed Christian VIII as king on May 17, 1814 . Sweden now declared war on Norway. This was ended on August 14th with the Moss armistice . Norway entered into a union with Sweden and was allowed to keep its constitution. The Norwegian king had to abdicate, however, his crown fell to Charles XIII.
The union with Sweden meant an end to the border conflicts and Akershus fortress was closed. The royal resolutions of 1815 and 1817 provided for the demolition of the lower ramparts. The Myntens bastion and the Hovedtangenporten had already been demolished in 1820. In the following years the fortifications fell into disrepair and the area was cleared for the city to build on. There was increasing resistance in Norway to further decline and possible demolition. The Norwegian painter and author Christian Krohg documented the poor condition of the fortress in his works. As a result, it was decided to use the facility for military purposes, as well as to use it as a prison, and it was decided to extensively expand and restore Akerhus fortress. The German architects Wilhelm von Hanno and Heinrich Ernst Schirmer , who immigrated to Norway , were commissioned to draft plans for the reconstruction and expansion (including the planning of new additional buildings) and to carry out the extensive construction work (1858–1870). Among other things, the artillery store, prison buildings and the Akerhus prison church, extensions on the north-south axis of the fortress, riding arena, commandant's house, warehouse and much more were built, as well as the Kontraskjæret Park .
At the turn of the century there was another attempt at extensive renovation and expansion of the fortress after the Norwegian architect Peter Andreas Blix presented his designs to the public based on historical studies by Professor Gustav Storm . In addition to the scientific discussions about the future of the fortress, the art historian and later imperial antiquarian (Riksantikvar) of Norway, Harry Fett , also submitted further studies and studies. These include the entire preservation of the facility in an overall concept of monument preservation, which included both the medieval building parts as well as the modern extensions. In 1896 the Norwegian Parliament passed a resolution for the further expansion and restoration of the fortress and gave Blix the contract. Extensive damage to the building structure was also removed and the facades, cellars, floors, ceilings and roofs were renovated. The architect Holger Sinding-Larsen participated in the construction and restoration work from 1905 to 1925. From 1929 the architects Arnstein Arneberg and Johan Adolf Gerhard Fischer took over the construction management for the restoration. The extensive construction and renovation measures were carried out until the provisional completion around 1960, with a brief interruption in the war years from 1940 to 1945. From 1960, Riksantikvar Stephan Tschudi-Madsen took over professional responsibility for the facility as curator . The last renovation of the fortress took place in 2010.
Second World War
During the Second World War , the Norwegian fascist leader Vidkun Quisling received the title of "State President" from the German occupying forces on February 1, 1942 in Akershus Fortress.
Between 1940 and 1945 the fortress also served as a prison for political prisoners. Over 40 people were shot dead in the prison's execution site during the German occupation of Norway . a. the sailor Walter Gröger .
After the end of the war, Quisling was arrested and sentenced to death himself . His execution by firing squad also took place in the fortress on October 24, 1945. His supporters Albert Viljam Hagelin and Ragnar Skancke were also executed in the fortress. Likewise, death sentences were carried out against convicted German war criminals, u. a. Siegfried Fehmer , the German Gestapo chief in Oslo, was fused by a firing squad in the fortress on March 16, 1948.
post war period
After the Second World War , the castle was used for state festivals, for example for the 75th birthday of King Håkon VII in 1947. The restoration work that began before the war was continued after the war and was completed in 1962. The north hall was completed in 1975 and was named Olavshalle after King Olav V. In 1978 the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin . The protests against this decision were so violent that the handover ceremony had to take place in Akershus Fortress.
The attachment
General
Akershus Fortress is divided into three areas: the castle , the inner bastion fortress and the outer fortress area. The castle includes all buildings around the castle courtyard, as well as the areas Romeriksbastion with Vedhagen and Stallgården with Jomfrugården . It borders on Munkstårnet to the south and Knutstårnet to the north and includes the excavated medieval curtain walls to the north and east. When lightning struck Nordfløyen in 1527 , many of the houses burned out. So the medieval castle was built as a renaissance castle . In the 20th century, the architect Holger Sinding-Larsen carried out a comprehensive archaeological investigation and restored the complex. The architect Arnstein Arneberg later continued the restoration work. A synthesis was created between the reconstruction based on historical sources and modern interpretation and does not offer a historically correct reproduction of the castle from the Middle Ages or the Renaissance. The main theme of the restoration was the Renaissance period.
The bastion fortress was built at the end of the 16th century to protect the castle from the rising firearms. This area is located between Akershusstranda, Skarpenord, Myntgata and what is now Kongensgata. Prior to the continuation of the Kongensgata stretched along the Ostkurtine one of the two waters trenches . The second was north of the bastion fortress and south of Myntgatakvarteret .
The earth walls of the outer fortress extended to the north and east of the Akersneset peninsula and reached as far as Bjørvika bay . Most of them have disappeared today. Only part of the Gyldenløve Bastion in front of the Hovedarsenalet is still there. The Kontraskjæret north of the bastion fortress has been restored as a city park. During its restoration, the Skansen restaurant was torn down , which in turn was an icon of Norwegian modernism . The equestrian track in the middle of the square was also torn down. The street name Glacisgata is a reminder of these structures. Today the fortress is gradually growing together with the city, but the area is still mainly used for military purposes.
The lock
1 Castle, 2 Munks tårnet, 3 Knuts tårnet, 4 Corps de Garde, 5 Hjemmefrontmuseet, Det dobbelte batteri, 6 Laboratiorikjøkkenet, 7 Blykjelleren, 8 Skarpenorts, 9 Det Lange røde hus, 10 Store Provianthus, 11 Bakeriet , 12 Fengselsdirektørboligen, 13 Den store pille, 14 Hovedvakten, 15 Barakker, 16 Kornmagasinet, 17 Fengselskirken, 18 Den lille Provianthus, 19 Kronprinsens krutttårnet, 20 Halmlageret, 21 Høymagasinet, 22 Ridehuset piestå Kontraskjæilleristallen, 23 Kavalliæilleristallen, 23 Kavalliæilleristallen, 23 26 cavalry barracks, 27 Offisers stallen 28 Oslo militære samfund 30 Forsvarsdepartmentet, 31 Armeens depot, 32 Intendanturverkstedet, 33 Konferansehuset, 34 Forbrenningsovnhuset, 35 Artillerigården, 36 daghuset, 37 Det nye Ridehus, 41, Skovedolensmusik v. 42? 43 Verkstedbygningen, 44 Artilleriets Kontorbygning 45 Materialgården, 46 Nordre, Midtre, and Søndre barakke, 47 General Glads Gård, 48 Kommandantskapet, 49? 50 Commander's stall 51? 52 Artillerimagasinet, 53 Arsenalforvalterboligen, 54 Hovedarsenalet, 55 Festningens gymnastikksal, 56 artillery barracks
North Fløyen
The laying of the foundation stone of Nordfløyen ( German : North Wing ) was around 1300. It housed the King's Hall on the upper floor. The royal apartments of Queen Margaretha and King Håkon VI were on the 2nd floor . The king's servants and guards lived in the basement of the rubble building. In 1527, lightning struck the roof of the house. The wooden roof and floors caught fire and the building burned down. The longitudinal walls and parts of the gable walls had to be replaced on the upper floors and the building got a new roof. In the west wall at the height of the rose window , which was also replaced, the traces are still visible today. Under the restoration of the architect Sinding-Larsen, the walls were also rebuilt in 1917 and the roof was restored according to the historical model of the Middle Ages. He used the wall technology of the Munk brick association, which was used in Norway for many years. This was only replaced by the cross bond with smaller bricks. The relocation of the main entrance in 1648 resulted in a new gate in the north face of the Nordfløyen. In 1969 the hall on the first floor was named Olav V. Halle . The hall on the 2nd floor in which the royal apartments were once is now called the Margarethasaal .
Fadebursfløyen
Fadebursfløyen is a single storey house between the north wing and Vågehalstårn . It was built around 1300 and was attached directly to the rubble stone castle wall. In the Middle Ages, it likely contained the royal archives and other valuables. The cellar was used as a coin store. This earned him the nickname Pengehatten , which means something like money hat . During the reign of Christian IV , the cellar was given a vaulted ceiling. When lightning struck the castle in 1527, this building also burned down. On the side facing the castle courtyard, it was rebuilt with Munk bricks. The current building was designed by the architect Arnstein Arneberg, and the cellar has been preserved from the Middle Ages.
Vågehalstårnet
Vågehalstårn is the castle's central defense tower. It was built around 1300 and was originally 20 meters high. When lightning struck the castle in 1527, this tower also burned. A few years after the fire, its height was reduced and most of the tower was removed in the 17th century. Its original dimensions, which once divided the courtyard into two parts, are marked in the pavement of the courtyard. Only the lower part of the eastern quarry stone wall remains from the Middle Ages. Under governor Christen Munk, the side facing the castle courtyard was built in Munk bricks. The current building was designed by the architect Arnstein Arneberg, who designed the tower with an uneven wall ( attic ) to remind you that it was not fully rebuilt.
Fruerstuefløyen
The Fruerstuehuset (German: Frauenflügel ) is located between Vågehalstårnet and Sydfløyen . It was constructed at the same time as the other buildings in the castle, but it is reported that an earlier wooden building stood here. Since it was endangered by fire and decay, Duke Christian (later Christian II ) wanted to have a stone house built. However, this only happened under the feudal lord Christen Munk. It was built as a two-story building directly on the eastern castle wall. The bay window on the east wall gives light to the cellar, where oil and wine were stored in the 17th century. A knight's hall was set up here in the 18th century . In the southern part of the castle wall and on the northern side of the supporting wall of Sydfløyen there are old repairs. It is believed that an attempt was made to break a breach here during the siege of Christian II . The governor resided in the building from 1570 to 1636. It was then left to decay and partially demolished in the 18th century. The house was only rebuilt during the restoration work in the early to mid-20th century. Today the multi-purpose building mainly serves the infrastructure of the castle. It includes a cloakroom, a stairwell, sanitary rooms, a pantry and preparation rooms .
Sydfløyen
The Sydfløyen (German: south wing ) was built around 1300. The original main entrance to the castle once led through Mørkegang into the basement of the building. The gateway with its pointed arch has been preserved and bears the traces of a former portcullis . The oldest building history is unknown, but there were extensive changes around 1540. Among other things, the prison cells were set up above Mørkiegen . You have a steep gradient due to the corridor. Ten years later, a church was set up in part of the ground floor, where from 1578 it occupied the entire floor. Above that were the royal apartments on the first floor. Between 1738 and 1740 the upper part of the walls was removed and rebuilt. 2 long barrel vaults were drawn in in the basement and the division on the upper floor was also changed. Three rooms have now been set up for the Overhoffretten (at that time the highest court in Norway) (today's Christian IV Hall). From 1817 the Riksantikvaren used parts of the building, first archives in the basement and from 1842 also the top floor. The whole wing was restored between 1920 and 1958. The restoration of the church began under the architect Holger Sinding-Larsen. The architect Arnstein Arneberg continued the work from 1932.
Skriverstuefløyen
The Skriverstuefløyen (German: writing room wing ) dates back to the turn of the century around 1300 like the rest of the medieval castle. However, it was rebuilt in 1638 over the medieval castle wall. Remains of the inner Lønnegang and its gate tower are still preserved below it . The two-storey building was used for administration. A high protruding extension in the corner between Skriverstuefløyen and Sydfløyen is called Det dobbelte hemmelighet . It was built in the time of Christian IV and is a staircase that could be used by both the Skriverstuefløyen and the Queen's apartments in Sydfløyen . Around the walls of Akershus there were seven to eight of these Hemmelighetene at the time . Initially made of wood, they were later built in brick.
Romeriksfløyen
The Romeriksfløyen was built around 1300. Under Christian IV, the upper part was removed in 1633 and an additional floor was added. This heightening is braced with iron anchors and the layering of the masonry is clearly visible. In the Middle Ages, a kitchen was operated in the cellar of the house. Two walled-up doors that led into the Vedhagen are visible in the wall. Outside they sit high on the west wall and stairs probably led down into the courtyard. Also on the west wall at the transition from the medieval wall to the new masonry is a row of small, square holes that are now walled up. The architect Sinding-Larsen suspected that a temporary construction for a battlement could be installed here during wartime . The governor used the ground floor and first floor as living and working space. The Riksarkivet (German: Landesarchiv ) moved into the premises between 1841 and 1844 . Henrik Wergeland , the head of the authority, had his seat on the ground floor. The upper floor was later gutted and designed as a hall, the Romerikssaal. There is now a kitchen in the attic that serves the Olav V. Hall .
Knutstårnet and Knuts curtain
Knutstårnet was built around 1300 and was previously called Kanniketårnet . The name probably refers to the provost Magister Åke who was King Håkon V. Magnussen's chancellor at the time . In later times several provosts became chancellors and the name probably suggests a writing room in the tower. A story goes that the knight Knut Alvssøn was put down in 1502 in a dispute with Henrik Krummedike over a planned uprising against the king. As a sign of deterrence, Alvssøn was either hung on the tower or thrown into the tower by the king and was not buried for twelve years. Since then the tower has been called Knutstårnet . It was designed as a northern defense tower, which was just as high as the Nordfløyen . But this tower was also damaged by a fire caused by a lightning strike in 1527. It was rebuilt and, in addition to its function as a prison, served as a powder store from 1637 . A horse mill was operated in the tower since 1641. Around 1750 it was partially demolished and later demolished down to the foundation walls. During the restoration work, it was rebuilt, but did not get its original height.
A wall runs from the tower to the north and Romeriksfløyen , Knut's curtain wall . The wall, like the tower, was originally higher. It had a wooden battlement that also ran around the tower. A door in the north wall of Romeriksfløyen led to the Romerikssaal. There the door is still visible in the masonry today. Today's door on the lower wall is more recent. There was also an exit from the Margaretha Hall in Nordfløyen to the battlements until it was removed in 1750. In 1754 a passage was created in the curtain wall and the loopholes were built next to it at the same time.
Romeriks Bastion and Vedhagen
In the Middle Ages, the Vedhagen (German: Baumgarten or Holzgarten ) lay west of Romeriksfløyen . It was an enclosed, fortified kitchen courtyard. Fuel was stored here, there was a slaughterhouse and a small smokehouse . During the Kalmar War (1611–1613), a bulwark was temporarily built from tree trunks. Later, between 1640 and 1641, an irregular half-bastion made of field stones was built from it, which was named the store skanse i vedhagen (German: the large hill in the tree garden ). Today it is known as Romerik's Bastion . From 1648 the half bastion was armed with four cannons.
Stallgården
The Stallgården (German: Stallhof ) is also a fortified yard and borders the Vedhagen in the north . Stallgården used to be called the outer bailey . There were many outbuildings along its walls. These included a laundry, a bakery, a stable and a well house. The well in Stallgården was burned ten meters deep into the rock in the 16th century. This was a very time-consuming procedure in which the fire was alternately made and then extinguished with cold water. So the rock gradually split off in small pieces and could be worked with the hoe. The same technique was used to create a secret connecting passage to Munkedammen outside the main castle. In the 17th century the fountain was given a tower house with an octagonal tower roof and a gilded weather wing. Today's fountain house is built according to traditional models. In 1606 the stable collapsed. Then a new half-timbered house was built with separate beds for the grooms. In Hannibal Sehested's time there was a brick house for dogs in front of the stable. The laundry was closest to Munktårn , so the roof was equipped with light guns. When the gate in Jomfrutårn was closed in 1559 , the adjoining connection house lost its importance. So it was rebuilt and from 1642 the stable master lived here. Later the bailiff and then the king's personal servant lived in the house. From 1651 it served as a goose stable. In the course of time the angled connecting passage from Jomfrutårnet to Sydfløyen also disappeared . The Mørkiegen and the Lønniegen are only preserved within the castle walls.
Between 1743 and 1744, significant work took place in Stallgården . The bakery, laundry, stable and other outbuildings were demolished. The prisoners filled in large amounts of earth and built today's ramparts on the inside of the walls. The three 12-pound bronze cannons that are now on the wall next to Munketårn date from the 18th century. They carry clearly visible fragments of a German aerial bomb that hit Akershus on April 9, 1940.
Jomfrugårdens Geværgalleri (German: Jomfrugårds Gewehrgalerie) is located within the Stallgården . In front of the Sydfløyen a tenaille was created to protect the former main entrance. The eastern part was dismantled in favor of the royal mausoleum . The wall of the western part slopes downwards along the site. There are loopholes set in there, which also step into the wall. This section of the wall is called Jomfrugårdens Geværgalleri . The inner part of the tenaille is called Jomfrugården .
The royal mausoleum
The crypt of the castle church on the south wing of the castle is the final resting place of the Norwegian kings of modern times. It currently houses only two marble coffins in which the first two royal couples were buried after Norway gained independence (1905):
- Maud of Great Britain (November 26, 1869 - November 20, 1938) - (Wife of King Håkon VII )
- Håkon VII, King of Norway (August 3, 1872 - September 21, 1957)
- Crown Princess Märtha (March 28, 1901 - April 5, 1954) - (wife of King Olav V )
- Olav V, King of Norway (July 2, 1903 - January 17, 1991)
In addition, the bones of Sigurd I and the skulls of Håkon V and Queen Eufemia are walled in the crypt.
Jomfrutårnet
The tower Jomfrutårnet (German: Maiden Tower ) was built around 1300 and was an outer gate tower of the castle. In the lower part was the goal area , there you can still see portcullis and parts of the former drawbridge . In the middle of the 16th century, however, the entrance was moved to the lower Stallgården and the tower lost its function as a gatehouse. However, it remained an important defense tower. Its base was originally larger and the tower was 15 meters high. Under Christian IV it was raised by one floor so that it now almost reached the height of Sydfløyen . The new floor was considered the most elegant room in the entire palace and was named the Prince's Hall or Prince's Chamber . It was decorated with gold leather wallpaper and colored glass tiles and under governor Hannibal Sehested it was decorated with a brass fireplace. The virgin corridor to the royal apartments in the south wing was also decorated with gold leather wallpaper, tiles and many portraits. At the end of the 17th century, the highest court moved into the premises, which until then had been housed on the top floor of the south wing. Most of the tower was demolished around 1750. Today only a lower, dark part from the Middle Ages remains of the tower. This has been increased by two floors according to the plans of the architect Arnstein Arneberg. The lower part is now connected to the royal mausoleum and a small sacristy has been installed in it.
Munkstårnet
The Vanntårnet (German: water tower ) originally stood at this point. The tower is not preserved. The architect Sinding-Larsen describes it as a cistern that was used to collect rainwater. The low location in the terrain also indicates this. The well in the courtyard could not cover the castle's water needs by itself. The engineer CS Widerberg, on the other hand, is of the opinion that a defense tower may have stood above the cistern. He also explains that the tower may have been named the water tower due to its location close to the bay .
The liege lord Christen Munk had the tower torn down and a new cannon tower built. Built in the 1559 tower functioned as a watchtower for the new gate Jernporten (German: iron gate ), was the tight Western at its edge. It replaced the gate in Jomfrutårnet. Originally the tower had a pointed roof. However, it was in 1628 converted to a flat platform with a two Alen high parapet equipped. Four cannon gates were let into each of the three floors and the Jernporten was protected by loopholes. In front of the tower was Den lille full (German: The small wall ). When the fortress of Christian IV was completed, the tower lost its importance as a defensive position. Around 1660 Jernporten was bricked up again, the wall arch is still visible in the brickwork. Today's gate is significantly smaller than the old one and led down to Det forsenkete Verk (German: The sunk work ), which was demolished in favor of a railway line. In 1998 a new path down to the quay was laid here. Jacob Conig's pictures show the Munkstårnet with a flatter spire above a gallery. This work was made by the carpenter Simon Bundschow in 1692. Later the tower got a pointed roof again. At the beginning of the 18th century, a powder magazine was installed in the tower with a vaulted ceiling. Norway's crown jewels were kept here in the 19th century . The vault was removed again during the archaeological investigations by the architect Sinding-Larsen. He described that part of the ceiling was made of beautifully hewn stone and that it could possibly have come from the demolished churches of Gamle Oslo .
Inner bastion fortress
Batteries and bastions
red: bastions and half bastions, orange: curtains, yellow: Den nye Tenalje, purple: hornwork, blue: curtain walls
B1 Romeriksbastion, B2 Dronningens Batteri, B3 Kongens Batteri, B4 Skarpenorts Bastion, B5 Kronprinsens Bastion, B6 Prins Carls Bastion , B7 Gylenløves Bastion
K1 Den Lange linje, K2 Nordre
curtain wall, K3 Østre curtain wall, P1 Arkeligården, P2 Michael von Sundts Plass, P3 Festningsplassen, P4 Kontraskjæret
The Dronningens batteri (German: Battery of the Queen ), also called the store voll (German: the great wall ), was built in 1567 together with the Kongens batteri . There is an old ammunition cellar and a well in the battery's earth wall . In 1617 King Christian IV ordered the governor Enevold Kruse to repair the well. The ceiling had collapsed over him. When a new main path was laid in the north of the castle in 1648, the wall was cut and an underpass was built. This collapsed shortly afterwards and was rebuilt in 1684. A year on the passage notes the renovation. Some of the profiled stones that support the passage come from the demolished churches in Gamle Oslo. A narrow vaulted corridor has led to Det dobbelte Batterie since the 1780s . At the end there is a sideline gate . Today there are two 12-pound cannons from the 18th century on the battery.
The Kongens Batteri (German: King's Battery) is also part of the store full . Inside the wall, below the Kongens Batteri, there is a casemate from the 1580s that was supposed to protect the east side of the castle. There are two cannon gates in the south. Here were two wrought iron cannons designed to take 15 pound bullets. Since these cannons protected the flank, they could also have been loaded with shot. In 1610 the casemate was reinforced with a pillar and 2 arches. A rifle gallery has existed in the north and east since the 18th century. A small house with a guard bell had stood on the battery since the 17th. There were also large Kartaunen guns on the battery. The largest among them had names such as Grumme Løve , Bjørnen (30 pounds) and Liljekartoven (40 pounds). Today there are four English muzzle-loading cannons on the battery, dating from 1871. When the purely Norwegian flag was hoisted on Akershus on June 9, 1905, shortly after independence from Denmark, gun salutes were fired from the Kongens batteri .
Det dobbelte batteri (German: the double battery ) was not created until the end of the 17th century. Before that, however, in the 1630s, the outer walls of the fortress walls were built. A gate in the south wall, the double Lønnporten , led along the rocky slope in front of the Dronningens batteri to Lønnporten on Knutstårnet . When the double battery was built, it received guns on two levels. The lower, two 6-pound cannons, were in a large casemate with cannon gates on the north side. The gunpowder was kept in a smaller chamber in the vault. The upper guns, six 12-pound iron cannons, stood on the roof of the casemate, as a continuation of the rampart long linje . That is why it was given the nickname Nye batterie paa Linien af Skarpenort (German: new battery on the Skarpenort line ) in the 17th century . There was a small side gate right next to it. A drawing from 1757 shows a superstructure of the battery with a half-timbered house. The north and east walls were open to artillery. In 1967 and 1968 major renovations took place. The battery was converted into the Norges Hjemmefrontmuseum and one of the annexes closed the double Lønnporten .
The Skapenort bastion was built from 1593 to 1604 by order of the governor Axel Gyldenstjerne , later Jørgen Friis , according to the plans of the architect Isaac von Geelkeerk . It was originally called Scherpenhoeck or Scherpenoort . It was later renamed Skarpenort and was also known as Escarpe du Nord . In the 18th century, the bastion was armed with four 26-pound and two 24-pound cannons. Today you can look at two old 24 pound half cartons. They were cast in Freiburg for the Elector of Saxony , who gave them to Duke Aldolf of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp . Later King Christian IV had his monogram stamped on them. In 1651 they were transferred from Copenhagen to Båhus Fortress in Norway. When Båhus fell to Sweden in 1658, King Frederik III ordered . them to Akerhus. Here they came during the siege by the Swedish King Carl XII. for use. On festive occasions, the gun salutes are fired from this bastion today.
Kronprinsens bastion (German: Kronprinzens Bastion) is a regular bastion and was laid out in the first construction phase between 1593 and 1604. The date Anno 1618, April 12th, is engraved on a stone block on the right bevel wall . This was most likely the starting point for further construction. In the middle of the wall is a casemate. It is also called bombaraque in old drawings . The inside of the bastion was filled with earth walls. There was Majorens hus (German: House of the Major ) with a garden and some outbuildings, for example a laundry room and a stable , around 1630 . However, the house was quickly replaced with a new building. Most recently, here the Supreme hus , which was destroyed in 1673 by fire. Around 1830 the earth walls of the bastion were removed in order to make more building land available for the prison.
The Prins Carls Bastion is a regular bastion that was created during the first phase of construction of the fortress (1616–1653). In the 1650s it was completed as a flank structure against Munkstårnet . The walls were also raised during the same period. Before the gate in the Ostkurtine was built, there was a temporary main entrance to the castle from 1625 to 1653.
Arkeligården, Corps de Garde and Redderstedet
Arkeligården is behind the Kongens and dronningens batteri . The accumulated mass of earth conceals the sloping mountainous terrain. The northern curtain wall used to stand here. During test drillings in the 20th century, remnants of the wall were found and the edge of the northern trench was also found. The Corps de Garde is located in Arkeligården . In addition, there was a residential building of the castle caretaker as well as the 8-edged fengsel (German: the octagonal prison ), which was also called ensomt fengsel (German: lonely prison ). These two no longer exist today.
Corps de garde is a baroque building with an open pillar hall from 1754. It served as a guard building with a holding cell. It was later used as a residential building.
Retterstedet (German: Richtplatz ) refers to the former place of execution at Akershus Fortress. It is in front of the store next to the building of the dobbelte batteri . During the Second World War , in February and March 1945, 42 Norwegians were killed here under German occupation. Several bullet holes are still visible in a tree today. The then Prime Minister of the Nasjonal Samling party , Vidkun Quisling , was not executed here but elsewhere on the fortress after his arrest. Today, the Per Palle Storms monument in the small park reminds of its former function. The memorial was inaugurated by King Håkon on May 8, 1949. Since then, wreaths have been laid here every year, often accompanied by music corps or choirs. From time to time foreign honorary departments also take part in the ceremony.
Skapenorts kruttårnet and Blykjelleren
Skarpenorts kruttårn (German: Skarpenorts Powder Tower ), also called the store kruttårn (German: the large powder tower ), was established in 1657 as a powder store. In addition, the three-storey stone building was used as a gate tower. Two large vaulted passages run through the house and open on its south side in front of two gates. Today these are walled up and replaced by two smaller iron doors. The right of the two corridors leads from the lower to the upper fortress area; the left one leads to Blykjeller . A third door on the south side led through another smaller vaulted corridor below the other two corridors to the side gate in the northern curtain wall. The monogram of King Frederik III is located on the arched gate of the passage. with the year 1657. Below the monogram are three sandstones decorated with ornaments . They once belonged to the magnificent gate of the governor Hannibal Sehested on the eastern curtain wall. When the gate next to Skarpenorts kruttårn was opened in 1693 , it lost its function as a gatehouse.
The Blykjeller (German: Bleikeller) was probably built around 1600 together with the Skarpenort bastion . The quarry stone building extends deep into the earth and only protrudes a little over the site. Inside it has a brick vault. It may have been designed as a casemate on the right flank of the bastion. In this case it could be den høie Kasemat that Axel Gyldenstjerne had built in the bastion. However, this could not be proven beyond doubt. The year 1773 is engraved on a corner stone. However, this cannot indicate the year the foundation stone was laid, as it is described on Frieboe's card from 1778 as old and unsuitable. Since 1657 the building has been connected to Skarpenorts kruttårn by a vaulted passage and was probably used as an ammunition store.
Artilleribygningen, Kronprinsens Kruttårnet and Halmlageret
The Artilleribygningen (German: Artillery Building) built in 1774 is also called det Lange røde hus (German: the long red house ). Its year of construction is engraved on the southern corner stone. It was built on top of the northern curtain wall and the pillars of the curtain wall are still in place within the building. In the past there was a corridor from the house that led to a side gate in the curtain wall. This has meanwhile been buried, but an iron door in the wall still indicates the exit. In order to build it, the western part of the house was demolished in 1834. Until the 19th century, the building was used for various purposes, but mainly as a warehouse. A major renovation took place in 1973. The Riksantikvaren moved into the house and set up a library and archives on the ground floor. An office floor was created on the upper floor. The department stayed in the premises until 1991, after which the Miljøverndepartment (German: Environment Agency ) took over the building. Today there is an information center in the house.
Kronprinsens kruttårn (German: Kronprinzens Powder Tower ) was originally a single-storey house with a mansard roof from 1755. The powder chamber was designed as a vault. In 1830 a second floor was moved into the building. There, sleeping places for 50 to 60 prisoners were set up, as the Kornmagasin was already full. The thief Ole Høiland , among others, sat here from 1835 until he buried himself under the ground four years later. In 1853 another floor was added to the building and eight new cells were added. A new stairwell was built on the outer facade. During the restoration in 1983/1984, the original profile of the building was marked with white paint.
The Halmlageret (German: Strohlageret ) was built in 1861 after the earth was removed from the Kronprinsen bastion. It sits right on the outer walls of the bastion and served as a warehouse for straw and heating materials. In 1891 it was extended southward to make more space for storage and workshops. The Riksantikvaren used the top floor from 1965 to 1991 as a restoration studio.
Carpedams and supply buildings
Karpedammen (German: Karpfendamm) is part of an old watercourse that flowed south of the Prins Carls Bastion into Bjørvika Bay. The pond has been on the fort's maps since the 18th century. It was repaired both in the middle of the 19th century and in the middle of the 20th century. Today it is part of a small park with an open-air stage in front of the Provianthus store.
Store Provianthus (German: Large Provision House ) was originally, as the name suggests, a provision magazine. It was built around 1690 and extended twice in the 18th century. After the new path to the west of the house was finished, the windows and doors were moved from the east to the west around 1830. Presumably at the same time the support system of the house was exchanged in order to be able to store more grain. Later this building was also used by the prison. The Army Museum moved into the rooms from 1950.
The Lille Provianthus (German: Small Provision House ) was built in 1751 and used as a provisions store until 1833. In the following year, it was converted into a prison with six large dormitories and was known as nordre strafanstaltbygningen (German: northern prison building ). In 1838, two new workrooms were set up in the attic and just two years later the house was given a two-story transverse wing on the east side. This mainly housed work rooms. In 1887 it was extended northwards. It received its final shape in 1902/1903 when the north transverse wing was added on the east side. There were two 10-man rooms on each floor, only the top floor was given single cells. After the prison was closed in 1952, the building was expanded into a training center and offices were set up.
The Kornmagasin (German: Kornmagazin ) was built in 1787. From 1820, however, it was converted into a state prison. It offered space for 150 people. However, the space was designed so that two prisoners had to share a bed. The work rooms were set up on the ground floor, the two dormitories were upstairs. The northern part of the attic was used as another dormitory in 1835. In the still vacant part of the building, a shop and two sickrooms were set up. Just three years later, the remaining rooms were used for additional bedrooms. When the supply in kind was introduced in the prison in 1844, the shop was no longer needed. He was replaced by more cells. This created a dark cell and four cells with windows. A fire broke out in the building between 1873 and 1874 and the damage was repaired. The northern part of the building was rebuilt in 1888. 12 cells were set up there and six bedrooms were built in the attic. But just seven years later, a cell wing with 20 cells each and a guard room was built on both floors of the building. Today the military police use the house together with the royal guard .
The Bakeri (German: bakery ) was built in 1759 and replaced the old bakery that originally stood at this point. In addition to this, there was another for a few years. It stood between the old and the Hovedvakten , but was torn down when the new path to the fortress was being laid out. In the new bakery, four ovens and four grain drying ovens were installed on the ground floor and four hand mills on the top floor. In 1881 the bakery was converted into a commercial shop. A short time later, an office wing was added to the building, which served as the prison's head office. It also took up much of the northern bakery. On the east side of the building there was now a separate entrance for the library and the staff room. The administration, on the other hand, was entered through the west entrance. In 1902 the support system of the house was exchanged and the ceiling on the upper floor was opened. Workshops were also set up for the prison. After it was closed in 1952, the house was expanded for office purposes and since a restoration in 1998/1999 it has been used as a training center.
Fengselkirken
The Fengselkirke (German: prison church ) was designed by the architects Heinrich Ernst Schirmer and Wilhelm von Hanno and completed in 1866. The prison kitchen and bathroom were on the first floor. The church hall and a training room were located on the upper floor. The classroom was later closed in favor of the church hall, but in 1948 the building was converted to include offices, a library and a classroom. The kitchen was in operation until 1950. In 1968 the church was restored and from 1998 to 1999 the building was completely renovated. Since then it has served as a training center for the Norwegian armed forces.
Kulegården
Kulegården refers to the plain east of the castle next to Vågehalstårnet . It is also called Østre Voll or Østre Bastion , the latter suggesting a misinterpretation. The walls that surround the plain serve to protect the plain against landslides and do not form a line of defense. Because of the danger of landslides, a wide reinforcing wall was built in 1631: the store pille . The plateau served as a building site for various buildings. So was right on the north wall of Vågehalstårnets Hannibal dobbelte Karnapp . In 1619 Christians Munk had the Munkestuen built. This was a two-storey wooden house that housed the castle's new kitchen on the ground floor. The governor's apartment was upstairs. In Sehested's time, Frøkenens vinterstue , also called the great room , was in this house. All additions to the terrace were demolished in the 18th century as the ground subsided. In the 1980s there were again landslides. The reinforcement walls were then removed and the northern part was designed as a glacis . The staircase that had existed there since the 19th century was also removed.
Buildings around Michael von Sundts Plass
The Festningsporten gate (German: fortress gate ) is today's main entrance to the fortress. The fortress bridge leads from the fortress square through the gate to Michael von Sundts Plass . The square is named after the Quartermaster General Michael von Sundt (1679–1753) and serves as a parade ground for the royal guard. King Christian IV wanted the main entrance to be relocated from the Prins Carls Bastion and in 1620 had an opening made in the middle of the eastern curtain wall. As the political tensions between Sweden and Denmark increased, which also affected Norway, the opening was closed in 1624 with 24,000 bricks. On the inside, a bulwark made of wooden trunks was built, which could be filled with earth within a short time to reinforce the weak point. In the following year the order was issued to stop all work on the fortress. The earth walls in front of the city should be completed first. In 1628 work was completed on Hovedtangendam , which stretched in front of the eastern curtain wall between the Prins Carls Bastion and the Kronprinsens Bastion . It connected the Myntedam with the Oslofjord via a lock . Work on the fortress gate only started again when the king paid a visit to the fortress in 1646. In 1653 the gate and the bridge were completed. On the gate is the monogram of King Christian IV and the year 1744. This comes from a later repair. The bridge was also renewed several times, for example a new drawbridge was built in 1848. The dam was drained in the 19th century. This enabled Kongensgata to continue to the port in the 1920s. The bridge was then renewed again.
Within the bastion fortress, along the curtain wall, next to the fortress gate, there is the Nordre and Søndre brohus (German: northern and southern bridge house ). The southern one was designed by Otto Fougner as a financial and securities depot. The northern one served as a warehouse for the post and naval offices.
The Fengselsdirektørboligen (German: home of the prison director ) was built as a home for the caretaker. On the lower floor there was also an office for the pastor, archives and a shop where the prison's products were sold. From around 1890 to 1961, when the prison was closed, the prison director lived in the house. It is a well-preserved residential building typical of the period from the type of small Oslo apartment buildings. Today there are offices in the house.
In 1724 the Hovedvakt , also called the Hoved Corps de Garde , was built. The single-storey house functioned as a guardroom and shortly afterwards was also used as a detention center. The officers 'guard was on the left side of the entrance and on the right was the soldiers' guard room. In the back of the building there was a large common room in which the detainees were housed. For particularly dangerous prisoners or troublemakers, a cell was provided in the soldiers' guard room. From 1820 the prisoners were moved to the granary and the guard room moved to the barracks . From then on, the building was operated as a hospital and trading room. In addition, the powerful man lived in the house. During a renovation in 1855, it reached its present size. The inspector and foreman of the state prison now moved into the building, which has housed offices since 1963.
Barakker (German: barracks ) were typical accommodations for soldiers of the time. The barracks around Michael von Sundts Plass were built in several stages from 1747 to 1778. Eleven years after completion, prison cells were set up in the north wing, in which the peasant leader Christian Lofthus was also imprisoned . In 1820 it was converted into the main guard. Later workshops and a shop were also housed here. It has been used as an office building since 1947.
In the 16th and 17th centuries there was a garden at this point. This is also shown in a relief image on the coffin of King Frederik II in Roskilde Cathedral. At that time there was great interest in gardens and summer houses in Norway . There was a pavilion in the garden and there are reports of a deer that adorned the garden. At the time of the governor Jens Juels (1618–29) there was a bathhouse in the garden . This garden was removed in favor of an equestrian track. Today, next to the barracks, there is the Munkedam , which was built in the 18th century. It served as a water reservoir and had an underground connection to the well in Stallgården . Like the Karpedamm , the Munkedamm was repaired in the middle of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Outer fortress
Den nye Tenalje, Laboratorikjøkkenet, Hornverket and Høymagasinet
Den nye Tenalje (German: the new Tenaille ) from 1750 is the last major fortification of the complex. To build it, parts of the mountain were blasted off. The resulting boulders were then used to build the wall. The tenaille is armed with 36-pound howitzers. Three and six pound guns are positioned on the flanks. All are from the 18th century.
Laboratoriekjøkkenet (German: Laboratorium ) is the only building on nye Tenalje. It was created in 1836 and was formerly called ensomt fengsel (German: lonely prison). The square building with a tent roof , which was probably planned by the engineer Michael Smith Arentz, was also extended in 1915 in the simple Empire style . The building was used as a laboratory until 1862, after which 4 cells were set up on each floor. During a renovation in 1910, workshops were integrated. Today there are offices in the house.
The Hornverk (German: Hornwerk ) began to be built in 1657, but was not completed until 1689. Originally there were two casemates in it. They had a wooden roof that was covered with earth. They were filled in in the 18th century and were not rediscovered until 1897. The western part was excavated and restored between 1974 and 1980.
The Høymagasinet (German: Heumagazin ), which is located on the Hornverk , dates from 1845. It is a half-timbered house whose wooden construction creates a rare pattern. The compartments are bricked. The steel roof structure was very advanced at the time and was originally developed for the Versailles train station . In 1970, in the course of the restoration of the outdoor area, discussions were held as to whether the building, as well as the Skansen restaurant on the site of the Kontraskjæret, should be demolished. But its value was recognized and the Byantikvaren, the city monument authority, repaired it in the 1980s. Today it houses a model of the city of Oslo.
Kontraskjæret and riding arena
Kontraskjær Park is located in the area of the former esplanades between the town and the castle. A zigzag ditch with a covered path was set in the open field sloping down towards the town . The wall in the ditch facing the enemy was called the Kontereskarpe , hence the name Kontraskjæret . Furthermore, the field was protected by palisades . The row of palisades is partially marked in the park. The foundation walls of a building that burned down in 1686 are also visible. This area was partially built over. There was an equestrian railway and the Skansen restaurant here, both of which were dismantled to provide a better view of the fortress. An attempt was made to partially restore the area through large-scale land transformations. A transformer station and a warehouse have been located here underground since the 1970s . The steel sculpture Marriage of Tony Smith also found its place here. It was given to the Norwegian people for the peace operation (Osloavtalen) between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel in 1994 by the Carter-Menil Human Rights Foundation.
Ridehus på Kontraskjæret (German: Reithalle auf dem Kontraskjær ) is a copy of the nye ridehus (German: New Reithalle ) and was built in 1900. The building is used by the rider corps of the police and shows an element that has almost disappeared in both policing and distribution.
Myntgatekvartalet and adjacent buildings
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The Myntgatekvartal represents the former importance of horse keeping in defense. For the quarter include the building Kavalleristallen , Ingeniørstallen , artillery stables and Kavallerikasernen . The Offisersstallen , Høymagasinet and Ridehus på Kontraskjæret buildings are in the immediate vicinity. The officers' stables and riding arena are still used by the mounted police today. This preserves the district's historical legacy. The buildings of the Myntgatekvartal consist of grouted brick and thus create a reference to the quarter of the Hovedarsenal . Today offices are housed in the buildings, but the character of the district has been retained.
The Kavalleristall (German: Kavalleriestall ) dates from 1867 and was expanded northwards in two stages. The middle part was built in 1894, the northern part in 1901. In 1950 offices were set up on both floors and in the attic. They are used by the Miljøverndepartment , the Ministry of the Environment.
The Ingeniørstall (German: Stall der Ingenieure ), from 1897, was converted into a gym in 1917. In 1949 the building received an extension with cloakrooms and classrooms for the air forces .
The artillery stall (German: Artilleriestall ) by the architects Schirmer and von Hanno dates from the year 1861. The building consisted of a stable on the ground floor with hay storage above on the roof level. For the cavalry , the house was extended to the south in 1867. After the Second World War, horses were given up in the building and it was converted into another administrative building for the Miljøverndepartment . In the 1950s, new windows and another floor were moved in.
The Kavallerikasernen (German: Kavalleriekaserne ) from 1898 was designed by the architect Ove Ekman in a simple neo-Renaissance style. It was designed as accommodation and sub-rooms for the riding and squadron school . After the end of the Second World War, the premises were converted into offices. They have also been used by the Miljøverndepartment since 1972 .
The Offiserstallen (German: Stall der Officers ) was built in 1891 on a private basis for the sole use of the officers. Henrik Nissen was the executive architect. In 1930 the Norwegian state bought the building and made it available as a stable for the army and riding school. After the Second World War, the house was redesigned for office purposes and used as a garage. Between 1972 and 1973 the rider corps reopened the building as a stable.
Oslo Militære Samfund (German: Military Society Oslo ) is a building that is located at the Kronprinsen Bastion and is integrated into the quarter. It was founded in 1878 as an association house and club and, in addition to the common rooms, contained apartments for the caretaker, restorer and director. In 1940, a side building was erected directly adjacent to the bastion. It is kept in the same design language as the club house.
Festningsplassen and surrounding buildings
At the beginning of the 17th century, a large part of the area east of the fortress, which was also known as Hovedtangen , was densely built up as the fortress continued to grow. Some of the workers who were involved in the construction of the fortress under King Christian IV were given the right to settle on the site. So the square was built with military and civil buildings. In 1630 the royal mint also found its place here. Around 1885 the area is considered to be built up with mostly private houses without a plan. Not all of them were in good shape. A few years later, 30 families lived here, seven of them impoverished. The smuggling of beer and brandy increased and in the 18th century there were reports of frequent brawls in local inns. Different population groups mixed here; on the one hand the soldiers but also citizens from the city and the prisoners of the fortress. Some of them were allowed to move freely on Hovedtangen , but were either recognized by their slave costume or they wore chains. Before the Food Catering Act came into force, they were allowed to spend the money they saved on food and drink in stores. In the 19th century the surrounding walls were planted with trees and the citizens of Oslo used them for walks. Today's construction in the area mainly follows the pattern of the 17th and 18th centuries. It thus represents a contrast to today's adjacent Kvadraturen district , which was planned in a rectangular system.
The Festningsplass , as part of the Hovedtangen area , has a long tradition as a parade and festival area . A confederation of states under Danish rule had existed between Denmark and Norway since 1380, which only ended in 1840. The coronations of the Danish-Norwegian kings therefore did not take place in Norway. Therefore, in 1591, King Christian IV was given a royal reception for the first time on the Festningsplass. In 1610 he announced his eldest son, Prince Christian, as heir to the throne. The richest and most distinguished men in the country were present at these celebrations. Since Prince Christian died before his father, his brother was named King Frederik III on the square in 1648. welcomed. Eight years later he presented his son Christian as heir to the throne, who was received as King Christian V in 1661. In the 19th century the area was leveled to a level parade ground. Military marches are still held here today as ceremonies for foreign state visitors. To the west of the square is Norway's national monument. It was designed by Gunnar Jansson and on May 8, 1970 it was unveiled to Crown Prince Harald . It symbolizes a mother and housewife with the growing generation at their side. Behind them is a stylized boat swaying in the surf. Wreaths are also laid here. An old row of trees was felled in favor of the monument. To replace it, new trees were planted in the area in 1998. Between 1994 and 1995 the southern part of the square was planted, the square itself got a new surface and an existing parking lot was better shielded.
The Materialgård dates back to 1788. The building was partly built with brickwork, only the west side was entirely brickwork. The engineer's apartment was in the west wing, the side of the building facing Festningsplass. Several warehouses and other ancillary functions were distributed across the remaining wings of the building. A canopy was installed in front of the north wing in 1867, which was given the name Parade Hall. At the time, one or more side wings were rebuilt and around 1880 the whole house is considered to have been made of stone. Today the offices of Forsvarsbygg , a Norwegian Armed Forces owned company, are located in the building.
General Glads gård is the name of the private house for Lieutenant Colonel and Commandant Christian Glad. It was designed in 1844 by the architect Johan Henrik Nebelong , who was also responsible for the Oskarshall in Oslo. The house is regarded as the main work of Norwegian romantic architecture , as it is inspired by medieval, partly German, castle shapes. 30 years later, the Norwegian armed forces bought the building and furnished apartments and offices on the ground floor, which previously served as a basement. The commandant's apartment with 17 rooms was on the 1st floor. On the floor above were the rooms of the 2nd Brigade, the NCO school was housed in the side wing. In 1910, Ingeniørvåpnet , a division of the army, took over the rooms in the side wing and converted them into offices. At the same time, a new staircase was drawn up to the top floor. The commandant's apartment was reduced to eleven rooms before it was also converted for administrative purposes in 1954. Forsvarsbygg has been using the entire building since 1945 .
The Kommandantskapet building was designed by the architect Patrocolus von Hirsch and built around 1800 for the captain of the guard. It adjoins the General Glads gård building with a side wing that housed a stable and the laundry room . It is a simple, clad with panels house in the Empire style . Parts of the previous building from 1745 were probably reused. Many details are still preserved today in their original state. The office space for the square major was set up on the ground floor . There is still a meeting room and offices there today. The commandant's apartment is on the first floor. In 1911 the side wing was also converted for office purposes.
Festningens gymnastikksal (German: gymnasium of the fortress) was built in 1861 as a gymnastics and fencing hall according to the plans of the architects Schirmer and von Hanno. It is a neo-renaissance building with high plaster ceilings and a gallery. An extension was built on the south side in 1891, which was given a new floor between 1954 and 1955. Some offices are located there. The data center of the Norwegian armed forces has been located there since the 1960s.
Discontinued external works
- Batteri "ved vannet" ( German : battery "on the water")
- Den tørre grav ( German : the dry ditch)
- Det forsenkede batteri ( German : the submerged battery)
- Ekserserbatteriet
- Glacis
- Hausmanns batteri
- Hovedtangens countercarp
- Kontreeskarpen and the dekkete vei
- Nordre hovedvollgrav ( German : western main moat )
- Pipervikens batteri
- Place d'Armes
- Prinsessens bastion
- Redangen
- Redangens bastion
- Sortiportens kurtine
- Sortiportens tenalje
- Tritzschlers batteri
- Wedels batteri
- Østre hovedvollgrav ( German : eastern main moat )
Web links
- Map with explanations (PDF) Forsvarsbygg (English)
- Stephan Tschudi-Madsen: Akershus slott og festning . In: Store norske leksikon , accessed on April 17, 2012 (Norwegian)
- Norges Hjemmefrontmuseum (Norwegian Resistance Museum , opened 1970, Norwegian)
literature
- Christian Borhaven (Contributors: Kjeld Magnussen, Forsvarets bygningstjeneste): Guide til Akershus festning . Forsvarets bygningstjeneste / Sentralledelsen, Oslo 1999, ISBN 82-7972-002-2 .
- Christian R. Kaldager: Akershus. Festning, men and women gjennom 700 år . 2nd Edition. Universitetsforlaget, Oslo 1993, ISBN 82-00-21695-0 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Borhaven, p. 4
- ↑ Kaldager, p. 10
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