Akershus fortress

This evening I've been out, to the cinema and to a restaurant at Aker Brygge. Very nice! I brought my camera and took a few pictures from the harbour. This photo shows Akershus fortress and castle, from year 1290. It's over 700 years old and really a fantastic place to visit. There are a couple of museums there, and you can also join in on a "ghost tour" some evenings. I've done that once and it was really interesting. The fortress was used as a prison, and the most famous prisoner is Ole Høiland, a thief who robbed The Bank of Norway in 1835. He managed to escape several times, but were captured again and ended his life at Akershus Fortress.

The fortress has successfully survived many sieges, mostly by Swedish forces, and has never been successfully captured by a foreign enemy. The Norwegians are pretty proud of that, of course. During WW II however, the fortress surrendered without combat to Nazi-Germany after the Norwegian government evacuated Oslo. The Germans used the castle as a prison and executed several people. After the war ended, 8 traitors were executed, for their war crimes, at the fortress.

If you ever visit Oslo, make sure to stop by Akershus fortress. It has a really interesting history and is a lovely area.

Photo: by Lothiane