Akershus Fortress (, ) or Akershus Castle ( ) is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

in the Norwegian capital

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 ...

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 Akershus () is a county in Norway, with Oslo as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the Middle Ages, and is named after the Akers ...

, which was originally one of Norway's four main regions and which included most of

Eastern Norway Eastern Norway (, ) is the geographical region of the south-eastern part of Norway. It consists of the counties Oslo, Akershus, Vestfold, Østfold, Buskerud, Telemark, and Innlandet. Eastern Norway is by far the most populous region of Norw ...

. 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 the employees of an organization perform Business administration, administrative Work (human activity), work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a po ...

of the

prime minister of Norway The prime minister of Norway (, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet of Norway, Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government departme ...

Construction

It is not known exactly when the construction of the

started but it is believed that it took place around the late 1290s, by King

Haakon V Haakon V Magnusson (10 April 1270 – 8 May 1319) (; ) was King of Norway from 1299 until 1319. Biography Haakon was the younger surviving son of Magnus the Lawmender, King of Norway, and his wife Ingeborg of Denmark. Through his mother ...

, replacing

Tønsberg Tønsberg (), historically Tunsberg, is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located about south-southwest of the capital city of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near ...

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 Alv Erlingsson (''Alv Erlingsson den yngre'', died 1290) was a Norwegian nobleman, earl of Sarpsborg and governor of Borgarsyssel. Alv Erlingsson was born at Tanberg in Norderhov, Buskerud. Alv Erlingsson was the son of Erling Alvsson of Tanb ...

Sarpsborg Sarpsborg ( or ), historically Borg, is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg. Sarpsbor ...

'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 forces, including those by forces led by

Charles XII Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House 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 Erik Magnusson. 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 Danish people, Danish-born Norwegian people, Norwegian novelist. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1928. Born in Den ...

'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. Hestvi ...

''.)

Renaissance and Denmark–Norway

The immediate proximity of the sea was a key feature, for naval power was a vital military force as the majority of Norwegian commerce in that period was by sea. The fortress was strategically important for the capital, and therefore, Norway as well. Whoever controlled Akershus fortress ruled Norway. In 1449–1450 the castle was besieged again, this time by the Swedish king Karl Knutsson Bonde, 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-Norwegian king besieged the castle in order to regain it from the hands of the Norwegian nobleman

Knut Alvsson Knut Alvsson (1455 – 18 August 1502) was a Norway, Norwegian nobleman and landowner. He was the country's foremost Norwegian-born noble in his time and served as fief-holder in southern-central Norway. He was heir of the Sudreim claim to t ...

. 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 Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

. 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,'' the ''Seven Years' War of the North'' or the ''Seven Years War in Scandinavia'') was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden (1523–1611), K ...

, the castle was besieged once more by Swedish forces, but the Danish-Norwegian king's lord lieutenant,

Christen Munk Christen Munk (1520 – July 5, 1579) was a Danish born, Governor-general of Norway and Lists of county governors of Norway, county governor. Biography He came from Danish nobility and was the son of Hans Munk (died 1535) and Maren Christensdatter ...

, responded by burning down the city in order to deprive the attackers themselves of the means of receiving supplies, and eventually the Swedes

World War II

The fortress has never successfully been besieged by a foreign enemy. However it surrendered without combat to

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in 1940 when the Norwegian government evacuated the capital in the face of the unprovoked German assault on Denmark and Norway (see

Operation Weserübung Operation Weserübung ( , , 9 April – 10 June 1940) was the invasion of Denmark and Norway by Nazi Germany during World War II. It was the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. In the early morning of 9 April 1940 (, "Weser Day"), Ge ...

). 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 language, Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the German occupation of Norway, occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *As ...

. 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 Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, Nazi collaborator who Quisling regime, headed the government of N ...

and Siegfried Fehmer.

Royal residence

During the Middle Ages

After construction of the castle was finished around 1300,

gradually started to use the castle as a residential palace, favoring the keep over the Oslo Kongsgård 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 of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

was moved from

Bergen 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 20 ...

. Several significant figures from the Norwegian middle ages, including Haakon V, Queen Euphemia, Ingeborg Eriksdottir and Queen

Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

, 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 The Kalmar Union was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden as designed by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, Margaret of Denmark. From 1397 to 1523, it joined under a single monarch the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then in ...

, Olaf II, was born at the castle in 1370.

Anne of Denmark and James VI of Scotland

In September 1589,

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

tried to sail to Scotland when she was betrothed to King James VI, but after difficulties with her ships and weather, she made her way to Akershus with the Scottish

Earl Marischal The title of Earl Marischal was created in the Peerage of Scotland for William Keith, the Great Marischal of Scotland. History The office of Marischal of Scotland (or ''Marascallus Scotie'' or ''Marscallus Scotiae'') had been hereditary, held ...

. After they married, when they were at Elsinore (

Kronborg Kronborg is a castle and historical stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalised as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was inscribed ...

), a servant of Axel Gyldenstierne, captain of Akershus, was rewarded for bringing letters to the Scottish king.

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 and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history. A member of the H ...

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 A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...

. 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'' () 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. Also, many early Norwegian

socialists Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and socia ...

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

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

. 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 is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

into

North Sámi North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

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 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

, Queen Euphemia, King Haakon VII, Queen Maud, King

Olav V Olav V (, ; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was born at Sandringham House in England, the only child of Prince Carl of Denmark and Princess Maud o ...

and Crown Princess Märtha. 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 belonged to the Norwegian Ministry of Defence.

Imitation

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...

in Florida, United States, replicates a portion of the fortress at the Norway Pavilion at its Epcot theme park. In a further reference to Akershus' royal history, the Epcot replication also houses a

Disney Princess ''Disney Princess'', also called the ''Princess Line'', is a media franchise and toy line owned by the Walt Disney Company. Created by Disney Consumer Products chairman Andy Mooney, the franchise features a lineup of female protagonists who hav ...

character restaurant called Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, which also serves some Norwegian dishes.

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 * 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 Royal residences in Norway 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 Execution sites