Akershus (fortress)

The founder of the castle is considered Konung Haakon V Holy .

On the Cape of the Fjord , which divides the fjord into two bays, stands Akershus Castle. The fortress at the river Akers is the oldest building in Oslo, preserved from 1308, - N. M. Versilin wrote. Together with the fortress in Norwegian Tonsberg , Akershus was the strongest citadel of Scandinavia. According to legend, the king laid the castle-residence after it was attacked by Alv Erlingsson from Sarpsborg in 1287 . This is the first time in the history of Norwegian architecture, when the castle was built of brick and stone.

It is not known exactly when work began on the structure of the fortress, but it is customary to assume that this happened in the last decade of the 13th century.

The fortress was first mentioned in writing in 1300 in a letter from King Haakon to the church in Oslo . The letter, however, does not say at what stage the construction works are. The main task of this fortified medieval castle was to protect Oslo , a city that became the capital of Norway in 1299 ^[1]

The castle survived the siege of 1308 (the Swedes under the leadership of Eric Knutsson ). In 1527, the castle burned to the ground and was rebuilt from a Cistercian abbey stone from a neighboring island.

In 1624, King Christian IV lays a new city at the walls of the fortress, to which he gives his name - Christiania . In the first half of the XVII century, the castle was rebuilt in the Renaissance style , acquiring a Renaissance look, and surrounded by a wall ^[1] .

Later, the castle underwent several rearrangements, and in the 18th century - the beginning of the 19th century, it fell into decay. From the end of the 18th century, the castle was used as a royal prison. In 1787 - 1797, the Norwegian prisoner of conscience Christian Lofthus spent the rest of his life here ^[1] .

Due to the fact that the castle fell into decay, in the first half of the XIX century a complete restoration of the castle was carried out and it began to be used for government techniques ^[1] .

At the end of the 19th century , restoration work began in Akershus. Peter Blix was the author of the first, presented in 1896 , the project of restoration of the fortress. In 1897, his project was approved and received a grant from the Norwegian Parliament. At the beginning of the 20th century, a museum was founded on the castle grounds. Restoration work was carried out here until 1976, when the Olav Hall was completed, where official events are now held.

In the entire history of its existence, the fortress was never conquered as a result of the siege. It was only in 1940 that the Germans surrendered to the Germans without a fight, when the Norwegian government left Oslo, as a result of the German invasion of Denmark and Norway.

During the five-year occupation of the country, the Gestapo was housed in a castle, and several people were executed there by the Germans. The occupation ended on May 11, 1945 , when the Germans transferred the castle to Norwegian hands. After the war, 8 Norwegians were executed on the territory of the fortress for collaborating with the Nazis.

On October 24, 1945, Vidkun Quisling was executed here for treason, and in 1989 Pope John Paul II celebrated the Akershus Mass mass in the square - this was the first time in history when the head of the Roman Catholic Church visited Norway.

Norwegian monarchs are buried in the castle chapel: king Sigurd I , king Haakon V , queen Efimia , king Haakon VII , queen Maud , king Olaf V and crown princess Martha .

Now there are museums in the castle on the territory of the inner bastion of the fortress:

• Open territory of the Akershus Fortress. Old cannons and other tools are exposed in the open air and the castle buildings are of interest to tourists. On the territory of the fortress there are sentries in the old Norwegian uniform and there is a drill of the soldiers in the same uniform. Not everywhere you can go. The entrance to the fortress is free.
• Akershus Fortress Museum, including prison history. This separate museum, located in a fortress in a separate building, provides information on the history of the castle and the Akershuz fortress before the Second World War period. Entrance to the museum is separately paid.
• The premises of the castle of Akershus . The castle with a chapel and a fortress are open for tourists. Visitors can explore banquet halls, official residences and prison cells. Entrance to the museum is separately paid.
• The Museum of Resistance and the Armed Forces of Norway during the Second World War. In this separate museum, located in the fortress, you can see documents related to the military history of Norway, from the Viking era to the period of World War II inclusive. Entrance to the museum is separately paid.
• The Norwegian Armed Forces Museum or the Norwegian Defense Museum , or sometimes it is called the Norwegian Military History Museum . In this separate museum, located outside the inner bastion of the fortress, you can see documents related to the military history of Norway from the Viking era.

The fortress houses the headquarters of the Norwegian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense.

• History and architecture of Akershus Fortress on the project www.allcastles.ru (rus.)
• Akershus fortress
• Friends of Akershus Castle

•   Wikimedia Commons has media on Akershus