Akershus Fortress ( no, Akershus Festning, ) or Akershus Castle ( no, Akershus slott ) is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

castle in the Norwegian capital

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) 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 ...

that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

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 Eastern Norway ( nb, Østlandet, nn, Austlandet) is the geographical region of the south-eastern part of Norway. It consists of the counties Vestfold og Telemark, Viken, Oslo and Innlandet. Eastern Norway is by far the most populous region ...

. 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 An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific du ...

of the

Prime minister of Norway The prime minister of Norway ( no, statsminister, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government department ...

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 Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative c ...

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, Earl Alv Erlingsson of

Sarpsborg Sarpsborg ( or ), historically Borg, is a city and municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg. Sarpsborg is part of the fifth largest urban area in Norway when paired with neigh ...

’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 by

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

forces, including those by forces led by

Charles XII Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of ...

in 1716.

History and military use

The Middle Ages

The fortress was first used in battle in 1308, when it was besieged by the Swedish duke

Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

Södermanland Södermanland ( or ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latin form ''Sudermannia'' or ''Sudermania'', is a historical province or ''landskap'' on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västman ...

, whose brother won the Swedish throne in 1309. The siege was eventually broken by a local Norwegian army in a battle. (This battle forms a major part of the plot of

Sigrid Undset Sigrid Undset () (20 May 1882 – 10 June 1949) was a Norwegian- Danish novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928. Undset was born in Kalundborg, Denmark, but her family moved to Norway when she was two years old. In 1924 ...

's historical novel ''In the Wilderness'', the third volume of her tetralogy ''

The Master of Hestviken ''The Master of Hestviken'' is a tetralogy about medieval Norway written by Sigrid Undset. It was originally published in Norwegian as two volumes ''Olav Audunssøn i Hestviken'' and ''Olav Audunssøn og Hans Børn'', from 1925 to 1927. Hestviken ...

''.)

Renaissance and Denmark-Norway

In 1449-1450 the castle was besieged again, this time by the Swedish king

Karl Knutsson Bonde Charles VIII ( sv, Karl; 1408–1470), contemporaneously known as Charles II and called Charles I in Norwegian context, was king of Sweden (1448–1457, 1464–1465 and 1467–1470) and king of Norway (1449–1450). Regnal name Charles was the ...

, 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 the Danish king besieged the castle in order to regain it from the hands of the Norwegian nobleman Knut 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. King Christian II besieged the castle from 1531 to 1532 but the siege was lifted by forces from Denmark and Lübeck. After this siege the castle was improved and strengthened. In 1567, during the

Northern Seven Years' War The Northern Seven Years' War (also known as the ''Nordic Seven Years' War'', the ''First Northern War'' or the ''Seven Years War in Scandinavia'') was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden (1523–1611), Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition of Denm ...

, the castle was besieged once more by Swedish forces, but the Danish king's lord lieutenant, Christen Munk, responded by burning down the city in order to deprive the attackers themselves of the means of receiving supplies, and eventually the Swedes retreated. The immediate proximity of the sea was a key feature, for naval power was a vital

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

force as the majority of Norwegian commerce in that period was by sea. The fortress was strategically important for the capital, and therefore,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

as well. Whoever controlled Akershus fortress ruled Norway.

World War II

The fortress has never successfully been

besiege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterize ...

d by a foreign enemy. However it surrendered without combat to

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

in 1940 when the Norwegian government evacuated the capital in the face of the unprovoked German assault on

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

and Norway (see

Operation Weserübung Operation Weserübung (german: Unternehmen Weserübung , , 9 April – 10 June 1940) was Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. In the early morning of 9 Ap ...

). During World War II, people were executed here by the German occupiers, including members of the Pelle group. The fortress was liberated on 11 May 1945, when it was handed over to Terje Rollem on behalf of the

Norwegian resistance movement The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled governmen ...

. 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 were

Vidkun Quisling Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (, ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Nazi collaborator who nominally list of heads of government of Norway, headed the government of Norway during t ...

and

Siegfried Fehmer Siegfried Wolfgang Fehmer (10 January 1911 – 16 March 1948) was a German Schutzstaffel, ''SS'' officer during World War II. He was stationed in Norway during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, occupation by Nazi Germany, and by the end of ...

Royal residence

During the Middle Ages

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 the Oslo Kongsgard Estate despite the fact that the castle likely was unsuited as a residence. The castle becoming a royal residence also played a significant role in the process where the capital for

was moved from

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

. Several significant figures from the Norwegian middle ages, including

Haakon IV Haakon IV Haakonsson ( – 16 December 1263; Old Norse: ''Hákon Hákonarson'' ; Norwegian: ''Håkon Håkonsson''), sometimes called Haakon the Old in contrast to his namesake son, was King of Norway from 1217 to 1263. His reign lasted for 46 y ...

, Queen Euphemia, Ingeborg Eriksdottir and Queen Margaret, all resided at the castle, which functioned as the official Norwegian royal residence for several decades. The last Norwegian king prior to the establishment of the Kalmar Union, Olaf II, was born at the castle in 1370.

Restoration and palace

Following the great fire of 1624,

King Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...

made the decision to relocate and rebuild the entire city of

. The king ordered the new city to be located closer to Akershus Fortress, renaming the city ''Christiania''. The fortress was subsequently modernized and remodeled, with the new appearance being that of a renaissance castle with Italian inspired bastions. 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 the Steward of Norway.

Prison

Akershus has also been a prison, with a section of it known as ''The Slavery'' ( no, 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 author Gjest Baardsen (1791–1849), and the similarly idealized thief

Ole Høiland Ole Pedersen Høiland (1797 – 20 December 1848) was a renowned Norwegian burglar and jail-breaker. He was arrested several times for theft; he became legendary for his many successful escapes, and for his spectacular robbery of Norges Bank. ...

. Also, many early Norwegian

socialists Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the eco ...

(supporters of Marcus Thrane, 1817–1890) also spent time in the cells of Akershus. The prison was also a plot element in the film '' Fante-Anne'' (1920).

Kautokeino rebellion prisoners

Following the 1852 Laestadian Sámi revolt in Guovdageaidnu, all men except the two leaders

Aslak Hætta Aslak Jacobsen Hætta (24 January 1824 – 14 October 1854) was one of the leaders of the Sami revolt in Guovdageaidnu, called the Kautokeino Rebellion, in November 1852. During the riots, the merchant Carl Johan Ruth and the local govern ...

and

Mons Somby Mons Aslaksen Somby (14 February 1825 – 14 October 1854) was one of the leaders of the Sami rioters that attacked several Norwegian shops during the Kautokeino rebellion of 1852. During the uprising a merchant and the town sheriff were ki ...

(who were beheaded in Alta) ended up in Akershus Fortress – the women were imprisoned in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

. Many of the rebels died after a few years in captivity. Among the survivors was Lars Hætta (18 years at the time of imprisonment), who during his stay was allowed time and means to write the first translation of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

into North Sámi.

Current use

Although still a military area, the Akershus Fortress is open to the public between 6:00 and 21:00 daily. As well as the castle, the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum and Norway's Resistance Museum can also be visited. The

Norwegian Ministry of Defence The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence ( no, Det kgl. Forsvarsdepartement) is a Norwegian government ministry in charge of the formation and implementation of national security and defence policy, and for the overall management and control of th ...

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.

Royal Mausoleum

The castle's Royal Mausoleum is the final resting place of a number of Norwegian royal figures. This includes King Sigurd I, King Haakon V, Queen Eufemia,

King Haakon VII Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick VI ...

, Queen Maud, King Olav V and

Crown Princess Märtha ''Crown Princess Märtha'' is a bronze statue of Crown Princess Märtha of Norway, by Kirsten Kokkin. It is located at the Norwegian residence at Massachusetts Avenue and 34th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. It was unveiled 18 September 2005. ...

. 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.

Office of the Prime Minister

After the 22 July attacks in 2011, the Office of the Norwegian Prime minister has been located close to the fortress in a building that originally belongs to the

Imitation

A portion of the fortress was replicated at the

pavilion at the

Epcot Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...

theme park in

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

, Bay Lake, Florida, United States.

Gallery

File:AkershusFestningVintermorgen.jpg, The fortress right in the middle of Oslo Harbour File:Akershus Fortress Internal.jpg, Inside Akershus Castle File:Akershus castle churc.jpg, Inside the Akershus Castle church File:Akershus castle Oslo.jpg, Akershus Castle File:Akershus castle.jpg, Akershus fortress seen from the west File:ArmouryDoor.JPG, The armoury door File:Akershus Fortress panorama.jpg, Panorama of Akershus Castle from the seafront File:Akershus slott 20090503-17.jpg, Olav V's hall File:Akershus Fortress Karpedammen Panorama 001.jpg, Courtyard overlooking Karpedammen pond File:Akershus slott.JPG, Looking west from Michael von Sundts Plass File:Armour Akershus Fortress Oslo.jpg, Armor in Akershus Fortress

Commanders of Akershus Fortress

The year is that in which they first took command. * Hans Mule * Ove Gjedde * Georg Reichwein * Hans Jacob Schort * Michael Opitz * Frants Eberhard von Speckhan * Ejler Jensen Visborg * Hans Brostrup Schort * Anton Coucheron * Nikolaj de Seve * Hans Frederik Legel * Ernst Bugislav Waldau * Johan Frederik Münnich * Nikolaj Sibbern * Jørgen Christopher von Klenow *

Georg von Bertouch Georg von Bertouch (also ''Bertuch''; 19 June 1668 – 14 September 1743) was a German-born Baroque composer and military officer who dwelt during most of his adult life in Norway. Biography Bertouch was born at Helmershausen in Franconia as ''G ...

* Johan Frederik Leben * Jonas Bjørnsen * Frans Grabow * Christopher Frederik Ingenhaeff * Hans Jacob Henning Hesselberg * Frederik Gottschalck von Haxthausen *(incomplete) * Geir Holmenes

Museums at Akershus Fortress

* Armed Forces Museum * Norway's Resistance Museum * The Prison Museum at Akershus Fortress

References

External links

Map and explanations
Norwegian Defence Estates Agency
Akershus Fortress on www.visitnorway.com
{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century World War II sites of Nazi Germany World War II sites in Norway Castles in Norway Palaces in Norway Buildings and structures in Oslo Forts in Norway Tourist attractions in Oslo Military installations in Oslo 13th-century establishments in Norway