Castles of Norway

Abstract Norway has a rugged terrain and a cold climate. Its most famous castle, named Akershus, is located in Oslo, Norway and was built in medieval times. Its architecture was advanced for that time period, and was extremely important in the protection and defense of Norway. Akershus was also a fortress as well as a castle, which led to better protection. This was also in the time of the Vikings, the much feared defenders of Norway, who were known to be very brutal in war.

It was rebuilt, updated, and repurposed several times throughout history, and is now a trademark in Norwegian history and culture, serving as a large tourist hub. There have been many castles over the centuries that people have appointed the best because of their location, defense, architecture, or history; such as the Windsor Castle, Holyrood Palace, Buckingham Palace, and the Chateau de Versailles. However, another, lesser known castle seems to be right on par with these beauties: the Akershus castle in Oslo, Norway.

Akershus beats the standards in all of these categories and more, which is most likely the reason it is plainly the most famous castle in Norway. It was created and protected by the Vikings in the medieval ages, and to this day stands tall in strong, just as it did at the turn of the fourteenth century. Location Norway has a very rugged, mountainous terrain, containing some of the highest points in Europe north of the Alpine-Carpathian mountain range with only one-fifth of its total area less than one hundred-fifty meters above sea level (Norway – Topography, n. . ). The main river, the Glama goes through the Southeast and is three hundred-eighty miles long. Much of Norway has been scraped by ice, and there are one thousand, seven-hundred glaciers totaling some three thousand, four-hundred square kilometers. There are many great harbors and almost numberless fjords, along with vast strings of islands stretching all along the coastal areas of Norway. Norway’s climate is also somewhat harsh, yet seemingly mild when compared to other locations at its latitude. Snow covers the ground at least three months a year.

During the summer months, when the sea is cooler than the land, the situation is different; then the west winds cool the coast more than the inland so the warmest summers are in the inland valleys of the southeast. “Average temperatures vary between negative ten degrees Celsius in January in Spitzbergen and sixteen degrees Celsius in July in Oslo. ” Even though there is much snowfall, the warm waters of the Gulf Stream keep the seaports clear of ice, but the inlands are cooler in the winter months because of the mountains blocking out warm winds (Norway, n. . ). In northern Norway, there is continuous sunlight in certain parts of the summer. “In northernmost Norway, the sun stays above the horizon for about two and one-half months. Southern Norway never has continuous daylight, though it averages nineteen hours of daylight a day in midsummer. ” The further north you go, the longer this period of twenty-four hour light lasts. The opposite happens in the winter, where the sun hardly ever rises at all. During these times, the Northern Lights, also called an aurora, can be seen in the sky (Norway, n. d. ).

Defense Norway had one of the best, most feared, and well known armies in all of the medieval ages: the Vikings. “The Vikings were greatly feared for their strength and skill in battle…” Their primary choice of weapons consisted of spears, swords, and others alike (Top / Weapons, n. d. ). Viking’s swords were double-sided steel and relatively lightweight. They also had large battle axes, used to cut through an opponent’s armor. The wealthiest Vikings had coats of mail, which were coats of metal links put together to protect them from arrows and such.

While every Viking wore a helmet, they offered little protection. This was meant to protect the rest of the body that a helmet can’t protect. The Vikings’ helmets were made of either leather or iron. There is a common misconception that they wore double-horned helmets into battle, when really, those were only used for ceremonies. Another misconception is that they often used archery as a method in battle. The Vikings mainly used methods of archery for hunting. They also used them for battle occasionally, but mostly for long-range shooting.

However, when applied in fighting, they were very useful in large battles (The Vikings, 2011). The Vikings’ main enemies were the Christian Monasteries, as they were Pagans, not Christians like most people in Britain. “A Viking robber did not think twice about robbing a Christian church. Christian monasteries in Britain were easy to attack, because the monks in the monasteries had no weapons. ” (Why Did Vikings, 2012). “The unification of Viking settlements along the Norwegian coast was well advanced by the time of St. Olav’s death in 1030.

He is credited with overseeing the population’s conversion to Christianity. A period of civil war ended in the thirteenth century when Norway expanded its control overseas to parts of the British Isles, Iceland, and Greenland. Norwegian territorial power peaked in 1265, and the following year the Isle of Man and the Hebrides were ceded to Scotland. ” The Hanseatic League and the Black Death weakened Norway greatly. The royalty died out in 1387, and the union that Denmark, Norway, and Sweden tried forming had also soon fell apart (History, n. . ). Architecture In Norway, one of the main resources is wood, so much of the architecture is based around that. This still reigns true today, all over Norway. There were wooden churches built on wooden posts in the ground in the Middle Ages, known as stave churches. Norway was always a little behind on architectural advances made in the rest of the world, and when they did reach Norway, they made little impact. One of the advanced that made a larger impact was the Baroque-inspired Barony Rosendal (The Evolution of Norwegian, n. d. ).

They had double-handled saw to fell a tree, wedges, crowbars, pickaxes and hammers for stonework, and the anvil, bellows and hammer for smithing; at this time, everything was done by hand, which means they needed a blacksmith, a woodworker, a mason, and a carpenter (Tools for Medieval, 1999-2012). This castle is made only of brick, and is the only one of that nature in Norway. Akershus was built on the ridge of a cliff opposite of the harbor bay, and the highest point of this ridge lays a high tower. The main entrance of the castle is guarded by a draw bridge and a portcullis.

The weakest point is on the east side, guarded by a dry moat and a ring wall. This is what makes it better than most castles of that time (Hericher, 1998, p. 69-70). Specifics Akershus was first built in 1299, and has changed multiple times since then. In 1592, it was turned into a fortress, and was then changed into a Renaissance castle in 1637-1648 (Akershus Castle, 2008-2012). It is located at approximately Latitude: 59. 9, Longitude: 10. 7 and was funded mainly under the order of King Hakon V, along with some extra money from the church (Rongen, 2004-2012; Hericher, 1998, p. 0). Today, the Akershus castle is used as a source of tourism. The Armed Forces Museum is now located inside the fortress and displays the military history from medieval times to years following WWII and it’s free to visit the museum (“Akershus Castle – Museums,” 2008-2011). It is used for major events in the Norwegian government as well. It also happens to be the headquarters for the Ministry of Defense. You can go on tours of the full castle, and there are many important items and rooms on display such as the one shown in Figure 1.

King Sigurd I, King Haakon V, Queen Eufemia, King Haakon VII, Queen Maud, King Olav V and Crown Princess Martha have all been buried here (“Royal Mausoleum (burial,” n. d. ). In general, Akershus is the most famous castle in Norway because of its strategical location, its perilous defense, and its outstanding architecture. The Vikings and this fortress held Norway together through the medieval ages, so that Norway is a strong remnant of what a country can be when it is backed by dedication and hard work, much like what was put into Akershus.

Today, it has become the celebration and joy of Norway, as they proudly display it to the world, and rightfully so. References Akershus castle [Web brochure]. (2008-2012). Retrieved from Innovation Norway website: http://www. visitnorway. com///? pid=74461 Akershus castle & fortress (Akershus Slott) [Brochure]. (1997 – 2011). Retrieved from CustomWeather, Inc. website: http://www. viator. com/-attractions/Akershus-Castle-and-Fortress-Akershus-Slott/-a2722 Akershus Castle – Museums. (2008-2011). Akershus castle (Akershus festning) [Brochure]. Retrieved from Everycastle, inc. ebsite: http://www. everycastle. com/-Castle. html The evolution of Norwegian architecture [Government article]. (n. d. ). Retrieved 2012, from The Norwegian Museum of Architecture website: http://www. norway. org/utnorway//// Hericher, A. -M. (1998). Norwegian medieval castles: Building on the edge of Europe. In Chateau gaillard (pp. 69-70). Brepols. History. (n. d. ). Background note: Norway [Database]. Retrieved from http://www. state. gov/////. htm Norway [Fact sheet]. (n. d. ). Retrieved from WeatherOnline Ltd. website: http://www. weatheronline. co. uk///. htm Norway –