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List Of Norwegian Fortresses
Norwegian fortresses or fortifications have been constructed from some of the earliest recorded periods, down through the 20th century. The geography and topography of glacially carved, mountainous Norway constrain both the sea and the land routes which an aggressor must follow. Natural strong-points, such as rock outcroppings at Halden (town), Halden, Tønsberg and Trondheim (city), Trondheim make excellent bases for fortification (i.e., natural fortresses). Fortifications evolved to accommodate the offensive threat which they guard against. Early castles provided a strong defense against the attack of the day, and were normally taken by duplicity or siege. In the age of black powder, cannon allowed breaching of the fortress walls and subsequent taking by storm. As a result, fortresses changed form, now incorporating design features like the bastion, ravelin, and glacis to allow cannon within the fortress to be effective while protecting the walls and defenders from external at ...
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Fortification
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ("strong") and ("to make"). From very early history to modern times, defensive walls have often been necessary for cities to survive in an ever-changing world of invasion and conquest. Some settlements in the Indus Valley Civilization were the first small cities to be fortified. In ancient Greece, large cyclopean stone walls fitted without mortar had been built in Mycenaean Greece, such as the ancient site of Mycenae. A Greek ''Towns of ancient Greece#Military settlements, phrourion'' was a fortified collection of buildings used as a military garrison, and is the equivalent of the ancient Roman, Roman castellum or fortress. These constructions mainly served the purpose of a watch tower, to guard certain roads, passes, and borders. Th ...
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Skagerrak
The Skagerrak (; , , ) is a strait running between the North Jutlandic Island of Denmark, the east coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea. The Skagerrak contains some of the busiest shipping routes in the world, with vessels from every corner of the globe. It also supports an intensive fishing industry. The ecosystem is strained and negatively affected by direct human activities. Oslo and Gothenburg are the only large cities in the Skagerrak region. The strait is likely named after Skagen, a town near the northern cape of Denmark, with 'Rak' meaning 'straight waterway'. The Skagerrak is 240 km long and 80–140 km wide, deepening towards the Norwegian coast. It has an average salinity comparable to other coastal waters, housing a variety of habitats. Historically, the Skagerrak was the only access to the Baltic Sea until the construction of the Eider Canal in 1784. During both World Wars, the strait held strategic importance ...
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Bergen (city)
Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 2025 the population is 294 029 according to Statistics Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of Bergenshalvøyen. The city centre and northern neighbourhoods are on Byfjorden (Hordaland), Byfjorden, 'the city fjord'. The city is surrounded by mountains, causing Bergen to be called the "city of Seven Mountains, Bergen, seven mountains". Many of the extra-municipal suburbs are on islands. Bergen is the administrative centre of Vestland county. The city consists of eight boroughs: Arna, Bergen, Arna, Bergenhus, Fana, Bergen, Fana, Fyllingsdalen, Laksevåg, Ytrebygda, Årstad, Bergen, Årstad, and Åsane. Trading in Bergen may have started as early as the 1020s. According to tradition, the city was founded in 1070 by King Ol ...
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Bergenhus Fortress
Bergenhus fortress () is a fortress located in Bergen, Norway. Located at the entrance of Bergen harbour, the castle is one of the oldest and best preserved stone fortifications in Norway. History The fortress contains buildings dating as early as the 1240s, as well as later constructions built as recently as World War II. The extent of the enclosed area of today dates from the early 19th century. In medieval times, the area of the present-day Bergenhus Fortress was known as ''Holmen'' and contained the royal residence in Bergen, as well as a cathedral, several churches, the bishop's residence, and a Dominican monastery. Excavations have revealed foundations of buildings believed to date back to before 1100, which might have been erected by King Olav Kyrre. In the 13th century, until 1299, Bergen was the capital of Norway and Holmen was thus the main seat of Norway's rulers. It was first enclosed by stone walls in the 1240s. Of the medieval buildings, a medieval hall and a de ...
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Sunnfjord Municipality
Sunnfjord is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Førde. Other villages in the municipality include Naustdal, Sande, Vassenden, and Skei. The municipality is the 27th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sunnfjord is the 56th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 22,215. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 4.4% over the previous 10-year period. General information The municipality was established on 1 January 2020 when the old municipalities of Førde, Gaular, Jølster, and Naustdal were merged. Name The municipality was named after the traditional district of Sunnfjord, in which it is located. The first element is which means "southern". The last element is which means "fjord", thus it is the southern fjord region (as opposed to the nearby Nordfjord region (the ...
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Ålhus
Ålhus is a small village in the municipality of Sunnfjord in Vestland county, Norway. It is located along the European route E39 highway on the northern side of the lake Jølstravatnet, in a largely agricultural area. Ålhus is located about west of the villages of Helgheim and Skei and about northeast of the villages of Vassenden and Langhaugane. Ålhus is the millennium site of Jølster, due to its historical significance. Audun Hugleiksson Audun Hugleiksson (Hestakorn) ({{circa 1240 – 2 December 1302) was a Norwegian nobleman at the end of the 13th century. He was the king's right hand, both under King Magnus Lagabøte and King Eirik Magnusson. He was seen as an important poli ... erected a stone castle called Audunborg here in the 13th century. Ålhus Church, the oldest church in the municipality, is also located here. Nikolai Astrup, the famous Norwegian painter, grew up here. References Villages in Vestland Sunnfjord {{Vestland-geo-stub Norwegi ...
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Audunborg
Audunborg (''Auduns borg'') was a castle and fortification built by Norwegian nobleman Audun Hugleiksson on his inherited estate near the village of Ålhus on the shores of the Jølstravatn in the municipality of Jølster in Vestland county, Norway. The site was located about north-east of the village of Vassenden. History The castle was built in stone sometime between 1276 and 1286, probably by English craftsmen working out of Bergen. The rectangular building was and is thought to have had three stories, a store room in the ground floor, living quarters on the next floor, and a feast hall in the top floor. It had large windows and arches. The building itself had water on three sides and was thus easy to defend. It is also thought that a moat or castle wall was part of the fortifications. Recent research claims that Audun himself spent little time in his castle as his activities kept him either in Bergen, in the east of the country or abroad. As a baron, Audun Hugleiksson was a ...
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Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022, and the metropolitan area had an estimated population of in 2021. During the Viking Age, the area was part of Viken. Oslo was founded as a city at the end of the Viking Age in 1040 under the name Ánslo, and established as a ''kaupstad'' or trading place in 1048 by Harald Hardrada. The city was elevated to a bishopric in 1070 and a capital under Haakon V of Norway around the year 1300. Personal unions with Denmark from 1397 to 1523 and again from 1536 to 1814 reduced its influence. After being destroyed by a fire in 1624, during the reign of King Christian IV, a new city was built closer to Akershus Fortress and named Christiania in honour of the king. It became a municipality ('' formannskapsdistrikt'') on 1 January 1838. ...
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Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress (, ) or Akershus Castle ( ) is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo 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 of Akershus, which was originally one of Norway's four main regions and which included most of Eastern 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 temporary office of the prime minister of Norway. Construction It is not known exactly when the construction of the castle started but it is believed that it took place around the late 1290s, by King Haakon V, replacing Tønsberg as one of the two most important Norwegian castles of the period (the other being Båhus). It was constructed in response to the Norwegian nobleman, Ea ...
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Bohuslän
Bohuslän () is a Provinces of Sweden, Swedish province in Götaland, on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea to the west, and the county of Østfold, in Norway, to the north. In English it literally means ''Bohus County'', although it shared counties with the city of Gothenburg prior to the 1998 county merger and thus was not an administrative unit in its own right. Bohuslän is named after the medieval Norwegian castle of Bohus fästning, Bohus (Norwegian: ''Båhus''). Under the name ''Båhuslen'' (''Bohuslen'' in Danish), it was a Norway, Norwegian Counties of Norway, county from the Norwegian conquest of the region from the Geats and subsequent Unification of Norway, unification of the country in the 870s until the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, when the union of Denmark–Norway was forced to cede this county, as well as Skåneland (part of Denmark pro ...
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Halland
Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Skåne, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Brömsebro (1645), Second Treaty of Brömsebro, it was part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Its name means ''Land of Rocky Slabs'' (Swedish: ''hällar'') referring to the coastal cliffs of especially the northern part of the region. Administration The provinces of Sweden serve no administrative function. Instead, that function is served by the Counties of Sweden. However, the province of Halland is almost coextensive with the administrative Halland County, though parts of the province belong to Västra Götaland County and Skåne County, while the county also includes parts of Småland and Västergötland. As of 31 December 2023, Halland had a population of 351,508. Heraldry During the Danish era until 1658, the province had no coat of arms a ...
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Skåne
Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne County, created in 1997. Like the other historical provinces of Sweden, Scania still features in colloquial speech and in cultural references, and can therefore not be regarded as an archaic concept. Within Scania there are 33 municipalities of Sweden, municipalities that are autonomous within the Skåne Regional Council. Scania's largest urban areas of Sweden, city, Malmö, is the third-largest city in Sweden, as well as the fifth-largest in Scandinavia. To the north, Scania borders the historical provinces of Halland and Småland, to the northeast Blekinge, to the east and south the Baltic Sea, and to the west Öresund. Since 2000, a road and railway bridge, the Öresund Bridge, bridges the Öresund, Sound and connects Scania ...
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