Fredriksberg fortress
Encyclopedia
Fredriksberg fort is a Norwegian
fortification
located at the highest point of Nordnes
in Bergen.
Fredriskberg lay strategically placed on Nordnes’ highest point with a precipitous cliff face to the sea on the west side. Dutch Engineer Major General Henrik Ruse
(1624-79) initiated the fortress construction, planned with three bastions and a half bastion on the land side and a wall on the side adjacent to the cliff. The fort was built between 1666 and 1667. It was built after and in many respects because of the Battle of Vågen
. It is named after King Fredrik III of Norway
.
The construction stalled and the fortifications decayed. A 1695 inspection of Bergen by Christian V of Denmark
’s son, Christian Gyldenløve
was the impetus which restarted work on the fortifications. By 1706 construction had been completed, albeit in a less complicated layout than originally planned.
Fredriksberg served among other things as a place of execution. Katten, the bastion, was also built in 1666 in what today is the Nordnes Park. The Lavette houses were built in 1810 and 1843 as military storages. After the city fire in 1916 they were used as temporary housing.
The grounds in front of the Lavette houses were used as a place of execution until the Swedish counterfeiter Jacob Wallin was executed in 1876.
The Nordnes Park was built 1888-1898 partly on some of the old fortifications.
The fortress has also been part of the Bergen Fire Fighting Service. It was a fire watch station from 1667 and a fire station from 1905 to 1926.
Today the fort is the headquarters of Nordnæs Bataillon, a buekorps
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
located at the highest point of Nordnes
Nordnes
Nordnes is a peninsula and neighbourhood in the city centre of Bergen, Norway. Bergen Aquarium is located at the tip of the peninsula. The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research and Fredriksberg Fortress are also located on Nordnes....
in Bergen.
History
The Norwegian fortressNorwegian Fortresses
Norwegian fortresses or fortifications have been constructed from some of the earliest recorded periods, down through the 20th century. The geography and topography of glacially carved, mountainous Norway constrain both the sea and the land routes which an aggresser must follow...
Fredriskberg lay strategically placed on Nordnes’ highest point with a precipitous cliff face to the sea on the west side. Dutch Engineer Major General Henrik Ruse
Henrik Ruse
Henrik Ruse , later Baron Henrik Rysensteen , was a Dutch officer and fortification engineer...
(1624-79) initiated the fortress construction, planned with three bastions and a half bastion on the land side and a wall on the side adjacent to the cliff. The fort was built between 1666 and 1667. It was built after and in many respects because of the Battle of Vågen
Battle of Vågen
The Battle of Vågen was a naval battle between a Dutch merchant and treasure fleet and an English flotilla of warships in August 1665 as part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The battle took place in Vågen , the main port area of neutral Bergen, Norway...
. It is named after King Fredrik III of Norway
Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...
.
The construction stalled and the fortifications decayed. A 1695 inspection of Bergen by Christian V of Denmark
Christian V of Denmark
Christian V , was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 to 1699, the son of Frederick III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
’s son, Christian Gyldenløve
Christian Gyldenløve
Christian Gyldenløve was one of five illegitimate children fathered by Christian V of Denmark with Sophie Amalie Moth. The others, all named Gyldenløve, were:* Christiane Gyldenløve * Sophie Christiane Gyldenløve...
was the impetus which restarted work on the fortifications. By 1706 construction had been completed, albeit in a less complicated layout than originally planned.
Fredriksberg served among other things as a place of execution. Katten, the bastion, was also built in 1666 in what today is the Nordnes Park. The Lavette houses were built in 1810 and 1843 as military storages. After the city fire in 1916 they were used as temporary housing.
The grounds in front of the Lavette houses were used as a place of execution until the Swedish counterfeiter Jacob Wallin was executed in 1876.
The Nordnes Park was built 1888-1898 partly on some of the old fortifications.
The fortress has also been part of the Bergen Fire Fighting Service. It was a fire watch station from 1667 and a fire station from 1905 to 1926.
Today the fort is the headquarters of Nordnæs Bataillon, a buekorps
Buekorps
Buekorps are traditional marching neighbourhood youth organizations in Bergen, Norway.The tradition, which is unique to Bergen, dates back at least to the 19th century when children would imitate the adult militia soldiers performing close order drill...
.