Christiansholm Festning (Christiansholm Fortress)
The present "defenders" of this fortress are a lot friendlier than they were in the early 1940s, during the darkest days of the Nazi occupation of Norway. At that time, the Germans took over this fortress and trained their guns to the sea, expecting an Allied invasion that never came. A landmark along the Strandepromenaden, this fortress dates from 1674. The installation was ordered by King Christian IV of Denmark. The job of the defenders was to protect the Skagerrak Straits from invasion, not only from pirates but also from the roving Swedes. That threat of invasion never came, except once during the Napoleonic Wars of 1807. The walls are 5m (16 ft.) thick, and the fortress was created by both the labor of the local citizenry as well as heavy taxes.
The present "defenders" of this fortress are a lot friendlier than they were in the early 1940s, during the darkest days of the Nazi occupation of Norway. At that time, the Germans took over this fortress and trained their guns to the sea, expecting an Allied invasion that never came. A landmark along the Strandepromenaden, this fortress dates from 1674. The installation was ordered by King Christian IV of Denmark. The job of the defenders was to protect the Skagerrak Straits from invasion, not only from pirates but also from the roving Swedes. That threat of invasion never came, except once during the Napoleonic Wars of 1807. The walls are 5m (16 ft.) thick, and the fortress was created by both the labor of the local citizenry as well as heavy taxes.
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