| Akershus slott og festning Castle and Fortress | |
|---|---|
| Oslo, Norway | |
 Akershus Castle and Fortress | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Castle Royal residences |
| Controlled by | Government of Norway Norwegian Army Norwegian royal family |
 | |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1290s |
| In use | 1290s–present |
| Materials | Stone |
| Garrison information | |
| Past commanders | Haakon IV Haakon V Knut Alvsson Ove Gjedde Frederik Gottschalk von Haxthausen Christian Roy Kaldager |
Akershus Fortress (Norwegian:Akershus Festning,pronounced[ɑkəʂˈhʉːsˈfɛ̂sːtnɪŋ])[1] orAkershus Castle (Norwegian:Akershus slott[ɑkəʂˈhʉːsˈslɔtː])[2] is amedievalcastle in the Norwegian capitalOslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress has been the namesake and centre of the main fief and later main county ofAkershus, which was originally one of Norway's four main regions and which included most ofEastern Norway. The fortress itself was located within the Akershus main county until 1919, and also within the smaller Akershus sub county until 1842.
The castle has also been used as a military base, a prison and is currently the temporaryoffice of theprime minister of Norway.[3]
It is not known exactly when the construction of thecastle started but it is believed that it took place around the late 1290s, by KingHaakon V, replacingTønsberg as one of the two most important Norwegian castles of the period (the other beingBåhus). It was constructed in response to the Norwegian nobleman, EarlAlv Erlingsson ofSarpsborg's earlier attack on Oslo that occurred in 1287. In the aftermath of the attack, it became clear that the city's existing defences weren't effective and therefore, a stronger defensive centre was needed.
The castle is mentioned in written sources for the first time in 1300 in a letter from King Haakon to a church in Oslo. However, the letter does not mention how far the construction of the castle had progressed by then.
The fortress has successfully survived all sieges, primarily bySwedish forces, including those by forces led byCharles XII in 1716.
The fortress was first used in battle in 1308, when it was besieged by the Swedish dukeErik Magnusson. The siege was eventually broken by a local Norwegian army in a battle. (This battle forms a major part of the plot ofSigrid Undset's historical novelIn the Wilderness, the third volume of her tetralogyThe Master of Hestviken.)
The immediate proximity of the sea was a key feature, fornaval power was a vital military force as the majority of Norwegian commerce in that period was by sea. The fortress was strategically important for the capital, and therefore, Norway as well. Whoever controlled Akershus fortress ruled Norway.
In 1449-1450 the castle was besieged again, this time by the Swedish kingKarl Knutsson Bonde, but he had to lift the siege after a while. The castle was not besieged again until 1502 when Scottish soldiers in the service of theDanish-Norwegian king besieged the castle in order to regain it from the hands of the Norwegian noblemanKnut Alvsson.
Akershus was besieged yet again in 1523, this time by Swedish soldiers but Oslo's inhabitants, at the command of Hans Mule, burned down their houses in an attempt to drive them out and the Swedes retreated after a short period.[4] KingChristian II besieged the castle from 1531 to 1532 but the siege was lifted by forces from Denmark andLübeck. After this siege the castle was improved and strengthened.
In 1567, during theNorthern Seven Years' War, the castle was besieged once more by Swedish forces, but the Danish-Norwegian king's lord lieutenant,Christen Munk, responded byburning down the city in order to deprive the attackers themselves of the means of receiving supplies, and eventually the Swedes
The fortress has never successfully been besieged by a foreign enemy. However it surrendered without combat toNazi Germany in 1940 when the Norwegian government evacuated the capital in the face of the unprovoked German assault on Denmark and Norway (seeOperation Weserübung).
During World War II, people were executed here by the German occupiers, including members of thePelle group. The fortress was liberated on 11 May 1945, when it was handed over toTerje Rollem on behalf of theNorwegian resistance movement. After the war, eight Norwegian traitors who had been tried for war crimes and sentenced to death were also executed at the fortress. Among those executed wereVidkun Quisling andSiegfried Fehmer.
After construction of the castle was finished around 1300,Haakon V gradually started to use the castle as a residential palace, favoring the keep over theOslo Kongsgård estate despite the fact that the castle likely was unsuited as a residence.[5] The castle becoming a royal residence also played a significant role in the process where the capital ofNorway was moved fromBergen toOslo. Several significant figures from the Norwegian middle ages, including Haakon V, QueenEuphemia,Ingeborg Eriksdottir and QueenMargaret, all resided at the castle, which functioned as the official Norwegian royal residence for several decades.[6][7][8] The last Norwegian king prior to the establishment of theKalmar Union,Olaf II, was born at the castle in 1370.
In September 1589,Anne of Denmark tried to sail to Scotland when she was betrothed toKing James VI, but afterdifficulties with her ships and weather, she made her way to Akershus with the ScottishEarl Marischal.[9][10] After they married, when they were at Elsinore (Kronborg), a servant of Axel Gyldenstierne, captain of Akershus, was rewarded for bringing letters to the Scottish king.[11]
Following the great fire of 1624, KingChristian IV made the decision to relocate and rebuild the entire city ofOslo.[12] The king ordered the new city to be located closer to Akershus Fortress, renaming the cityChristiania. The fortress was subsequently modernized and remodeled, with the new appearance being that of arenaissance castle with Italian inspiredbastions. The castle primarily functioned as a palace until the turn of the 19th century, with new towers, halls, chambers and gates being added over time.
When the king was absent, the castle functioned as the seat of theSteward of Norway.
Akershus has also been a prison, with a section of it known asThe Slavery (Norwegian:Slaveriet) because the prisoners could be rented out for work in the city. It has housed many rebels and criminals through Norwegian history. Particularly well-known people to have been imprisoned there include authorGjest Baardsen (1791–1849), and the similarly idealized thiefOle Høiland. Also, many early Norwegiansocialists (supporters ofMarcus Thrane, 1817–1890) also spent time in the cells of Akershus.[13] The prison was also a plot element in the filmFante-Anne (1920).
Following the 1852LaestadianSámi revolt in Guovdageaidnu, all men except the two leadersAslak Hætta andMons Somby (who were beheaded inAlta) ended up in Akershus Fortress – the women were imprisoned inTrondheim. Many of the rebels died after a few years in captivity.[14] Among the survivors wasLars Hætta (18 years at the time of imprisonment), who during his stay was allowed time and means to write the first translation of theBible intoNorth Sámi.[15]
Although still a military area, the Akershus Fortress is open to the public between 6:00 and 21:00 daily.[16] As well as the castle, theNorwegian Armed Forces Museum andNorway's Resistance Museum can also be visited. TheNorwegian Ministry of Defence and the country's Defence Staff Norway share a joint modern headquarters in the eastern part of the fortress.His Majesty the King's Guard is responsible for guarding the fortress, with stationary guard posts during open hours and mobile patrols at night. One of the stationary guard posts at the entrance is a popular photography spot for tourists visiting the fortress.
The castle'sRoyal Mausoleum is the final resting place of a number of Norwegian royal figures. This includes KingSigurd I, KingHaakon V, QueenEufemia, KingHaakon VII, QueenMaud, KingOlav V and Crown PrincessMärtha. Since restoration of the main building, the castle has frequently been used as the venue for official events and dinners for dignitaries and foreign heads of state.
After the22 July attacks in 2011, theOffice of the Norwegian prime minister has been located close to the fortress in a building that originally belonged to theNorwegian Ministry of Defence.
Walt Disney World inBay Lake, Florida just outside Orlando in the United States replicates a portion of the fortress at theNorway Pavilion at itsEpcot theme park. In a further reference to Akershus' royal history, the Epcot replication also houses aDisney Princess character restaurant called Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, which also serves some Norwegian dishes.[17]
The year is that in which they first took command.[citation needed]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Media related toAkershus Fortress at Wikimedia Commons
59°54′24″N10°44′10″E / 59.90667°N 10.73611°E /59.90667; 10.73611
Residences of the Norwegian monarch | ||
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| Royal Yacht | ||
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Also See:Castles in Norway | ||
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