Munkholmen ( no, Monk's islet) is an

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...

in the municipality of Trondheim in

Trøndelag Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denma ...

county, Norway. The island sits in the

Trondheimsfjord The Trondheim Fjord or Trondheimsfjorden (), an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, is Norway's third-longest fjord at long. It is located in the west-central part of the country in Trøndelag county, and it stretches from the municipality of Ørland i ...

about northwest of the island of Brattøra and the mouth of the river Nidelva in the center of the city of Trondheim. The islet has served as a place of execution, a monastery, a fortress, a prison, and a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

anti-aircraft gun station. Today, Munkholmen is a popular tourist attraction and recreation site.

History

In the years prior to the founding of the city of Trondheim in 997 by King

Olav Tryggvason Olaf Tryggvason (960s – 9 September 1000) was King of Norway from 995 to 1000. He was the son of Tryggvi Olafsson, king of Viken ( Vingulmark, and Rånrike), and, according to later sagas, the great-grandson of Harald Fairhair, first King of N ...

, Munkholmen had been used as an execution site by the Jarls of Lade. The arrival of

to Norway in 995 coincided with a revolt against

Haakon Sigurdsson Haakon Sigurdsson ( non, Hákon Sigurðarson , no, Håkon Sigurdsson; 937–995), known as Haakon Jarl (Old Norse: ''Hákon jarl''), was the ''de facto'' ruler of Norway from about 975 to 995. Sometimes he is styled as Haakon the Powerful ( n ...

, who was killed by

Tormod Kark Tormod Kark (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ) was a slave in Viking Era Norway. He appears in the saga ''Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar''. Biography His life was closely tied to Haakon Sigurdsson (c. 937 – 995). In 995, a quarrel broke out between ...

. The severed heads of both Haakon and Kark were placed on stakes on Munkholmen facing out into the fjord to serve as a warning to visitors. The tradition of displaying the severed heads of criminals and political opponents was continued for some time, but the heads were now placed so that they faced the city of Trondheim to deter its citizens from committing crimes.

Nidarholm Abbey

The term Munkholmen was not originally in common usage. Rather, the site was known as the location of the monastery at Nidarholm. In the early 12th century, and possibly even earlier, Benedictine monks lived on the island in Nidarholm Abbey. The monastery burned down three times during the Middle Ages, the last time in 1531. By the time that Lutheran Protestantism came to Trondheim, the buildings had fallen into decay and the former monastery came under the ownership of the royal estate in Trondheim. The monastery buildings disappeared during the 17th century as Munkholmen was fortified.

Fort and prison

Construction of a fort on the island began in 1658 following the Swedish siege of Trondheim during the

Dano-Swedish War Dano-Swedish War may refer to one of multiple wars which took place between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Kingdom of Denmark (from 1450 in personal union with the Kingdom of Norway) up to 1814: List of wars Legendary wars between Denmark a ...

in 1658-1660. When it was completed in 1661, the fort was also used as a state prison for society's rejects. Count Peder Griffenfeld, Munkholmen's most famous prisoner, was transferred from the fortress of Copenhagen in 1671. Griffenfeld was kept at Munkholmen for 18 years, after which he was released, having contracted a terminal illness. From 1700 to 1704, the commander of the fort was Major Curt Christoph von Koppelow. The fort remained in operation until 1893.

German occupation

Nazi Germany invaded and occupied Norway in 1940. After capturing Trondheim early on in the Norwegian Campaign, the Germans quickly established a submarine base, exploiting the natural protection provided by the fjord. At this time, Munkholmen was fitted with anti-aircraft weaponry. A large portion of the fort was retrofitted to hold ammunition, and the flooring planks were nailed in with wooden nails to prevent explosions caused by soldiers' boots striking metal nails. The German occupying forces remained in Norway until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. Remnants of the installation still exist in the upper levels of the fort.

Media gallery

Islote Munkholmen, Trondheim, Noruega, 2019-09-06, DD 13.jpg, View from Trondheim Munkholmen_Courtyard.jpg, The courtyard Munkholmen_Prison_cell.jpg, The dank, oft-flooded lower level of Munkholmen's fort Munkholm borggard.jpg, Inside the round tower Munkholmen from the air.jpg, Munkholmen looking south to the city of Trondheim Munkholm kommandant.jpg, Commander of the residence at Munkholmen Munkholm griffenfeldt.jpg, Former entrance to Griffenfeld prison cell Munkholm rekreasjon.jpg, Munkholmen is a popular destination

Tourism and recreation

Today, Munkholmen is a popular summertime tourist attraction and hangout for residents of Trondheim. From May to September, boats depart from Ravnkloa on a regular basis. Once on the island, visitors can take a guided tour (in English and Norwegian) or roam freely. There's also a small cafe/restaurant available.

References

External links

Munkholmen website
{{authority control Geography of Trondheim Forts in Norway Museums in Trondheim Military installations in Trondheim