Akershus (castle)

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-castle was first mentioned in writing in 1300 in a letter from King Haakon to the church in Oslo. The letter, however, is not written 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 . ^[one]

The castle survived the siege of 1308 (the Swedes under the leadership of Eric Knutsson ).

In 1527, the castle caught fire from a lightning strike and burned to the ground. ^[2]

In the winter of 1537, the commandant of Akershus castle, a convinced Lutheran Mogens Guldensterne, by the order of the king, ravaged and burned the Cistercian abbey on a neighboring island. The property of the monastery was transferred to the royal treasury, its buildings were dismantled, and the stones went to strengthen the castle of Akershus. ^[2]

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 style of the Renaissance, acquiring a Renaissance look, and surrounded by a wall. ^[one]

Later, the castle underwent several rearrangements, and in the XVIII - early XIX century it fell into decay. From the end of the 18th century, the castle was used as a royal prison. In 1787-97, the Norwegian prisoner of conscience Christian Lofthous spent the rest of his days here . ^[one]

Due to the fact that the castle fell into decay in the first half of the XIX century, the castle was completely restored and began to be used for government techniques. ^[one]

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.

During the five-year occupation, the Gestapo was housed in the 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.

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 the castle has a museum:

• The premises of the castle of Akershus . The castle with a chapel and a fortress are open to tourists. Visitors can explore banquet halls, official residences and prison cells. Entrance to the museum is separately paid.

The courtyard of the castle.

The castle has its own small courtyard surrounded by buildings of the castle which can be accessed through the entrance gates of the castle. Actually this is the main entrance to the castle. From the courtyard today is the entrance for tourists through the East Wing (today the main entrance).

West wing of the castle

This wing of the castle includes:

• Kitchen room in the castle of Christian IV. The remains of the baking oven and the fireplace are still visible in the wall. ^[one]
• The office of the bailiff, whose main task was to collect taxes in the province of Akershus. In this room, he and his assistants counted the goods and money received from taxpayers from Eastern Norway. ^[one]
• The secret passage is part of the inner passage connecting the north and south wings of the castle. ^[one]
• Cool room. In the 17th century, children of the governor, who lived and worked in the castle, were taught here. ^[one]

Dungeons

In the 17th century, the underground part of the castle was converted into a prison - four detention centers were equipped here. One of the cameras received the ominous name of "Witch's Pit" ( Norwegian Trollkjerringhullet ). ^[one]

Royal Mausoleum

The tomb of the Norwegian royal family was designed by architect Arnstein Arneberg. Construction work was completed in 1948. ^[1] The following persons rest here:

• King Haakon VII (1872-1957) and Queen Maud (1869-1938) rest in the white marble sarcophagus. ^[one]
• King Olaf V and Crown Princess Martha (1901-1954) rest in a green bronze sarcophagus. ^[one]
• On the opposite side, in the wall, there are three boxes with the skulls of the medieval royal family, found in the ruins of a church in the old part of the city of Gamlebien ( Norwegian Gamlebyen ). ^[one]
• The founder of the castle Haakon V and Queen Efimia are buried on the left, Sigurd I the Crusader ( Norwegian Sigurd Jorsalfarer ) on the right. ^[one]

Chapel

The chapel was equipped in the castle in the XVI century. In subsequent years, the room of the chapel was repeatedly restored and refurbished. The altar, the pulpit and the baroque font are dated around 1750. The rest of the interior was restored in the 1900s. The chapel is the burial place of members of the royal family and the main church of the Norwegian Armed Forces. It is used today for worship, weddings and concerts. ^[one]

Daredevil

Daredevil - the name of the central tower, erected in the castle in the Middle Ages. Today only remnants of granite stone in the three walls of this room testify to its existence. This room, like the entire western wing of the castle, was renovated by architect Arnstein Arneberg in the 1930s. A model of the castle, designed by architect Holger Sinding-Larsen, helps to imagine how the castle looked like in the 14th century. Wedding carpets from Gudbrandsdalen , dated XVII century ^[1] and originally made to decorate the bed on the wedding night, hang on the north and south walls. ^[3]

East Wing

In the Middle Ages, there was a warehouse for storage of household items. Today it is the main entrance to the part of the castle that is open to the public. ^[one]

Christian IV Hall

The interior of the hall is made in the Baroque style. At the beginning of the 17th century, the hall was luxuriously decorated and was the royal apartment of Christian IV. During the reign of this monarch, the room was divided into several rooms, which the king and queen used during their visits to Norway. Later in these rooms sat the supreme assembly, the predecessor of the Supreme Court of Norway. All three tapestries adorning the northern wall are woven in Brussels in the middle of the 17th century. They depict from the Spanish school riding scenes in Vienna. These carpets are one of the most valuable items of the castle today. Currently, in the hall of Christian IV arrange solemn receptions. ^[one]

The Prince's Room and the Green Room

During the reign of Christian IV, these two rooms were part of the royal apartments and served as a bedroom. Today, government receptions are held here. Therefore, during the restoration no attempt was made to recreate the original interior. For example, you will not see beds here. The castle is furnished with furniture of the XVII-XVIII centuries, which was acquired after the restoration of the castle. ^[one]

Romerike Hall

The hall is named after peasants from the north-eastern part of Norway, who restored this wing of the castle after a big fire in 1527. According to beliefs, their ghosts still live in this part of the castle. In the 17th century, the offices of the Governor of Norway, who was the official representative of the Danish king, were located in the hall. Nowadays, this room is used for ceremonial lunches and can accommodate about 180 guests. ^[one]

Margaret's Hall I

The hall is located in the oldest part of the castle, in the north wing. Originally there was a living room, furnished especially for the court ladies. The hall got its name in honor of Queen Margaret I of Denmark (1353-1412), the wife of the Norwegian king Haakon VI. After the death of her husband, she became regent, and then the queen of Norway, Denmark and Sweden. The queen took part in the creation of the union Kalmar Union ( Norwegian Kalmarunionen ), which united all three Scandinavian kingdoms under one crown. In her youth, Margarita lived for several years in Akersborg, but where her royal apartments were located in the XIV century remained unknown. Later this room was given under the court and banquet hall. ^[one]

Hall of Ulaf V

It is assumed that there was a large hall of a medieval castle. Later this entire floor was destroyed in a fire. The hall, as you see it today, acquired its present appearance in the 1900s. Samples of the Norwegian and English interior of the end of the XIV century were taken as a basis. Today the hall is used for concerts, theatrical performances and official events. ^[one]

Gift shop and study of the writer Henrik Wergeland ( Norwegian Henrik Wergeland )

From the hall of Olaf V, going down the steps of the tower, we reach the exit through the office of the manager ( Norwegian Redesvennens kammer ), where the gift shop is currently located. From here you can see the office of the writer Henrik Wergeland during his service as a state archivist. ^[one]

• History and architecture of Akershus Fortress on the project www.allcastles.ru (rus.)
• Site of the Akershus Fortress.
•   Wikimedia Commons has media on Akershus Castle
•   Wikimedia Commons has media related to Inside Akershus Castle.

• E-mail: akershusslott.kontakt@mil.no
• Telephone: +47 22412521