Bergenhus fortress (Bergenhus festning) is a fortress located in Bergen, Norway. Bergenhus fortress is located in the entrance to the harbor in Bergen. This is one of the oldest and best preserved castles in Norway.
Haakon's Hall
Haakon's Hall (Håkonshallen) is a medieval stone hall located inside the fortress. The hall was constructed in the middle of the 13th century, during the reign of King Håkon Håkonsson (1217–1263). In medieval times, it was the largest building of the royal palace in Bergen, then the capital of Norway. It was built as a replacement for older wooden structures on the site. It is the largest secular medieval building in Norway. (from wikipedia)
(from wikipedia)
When we arrived at the fortress, it was really nice. We walked into one of the entrances and greeted by this sight...
Then we walked towards Haakon Hall. There were many policemen around. More than I have seen in Norway. That was our first clue that something was out of place. We asked on of the policemen if we could enter the Haakon Hall. He said that there was going to be an event that the King is going to attend. So we couldn't enter the Hall. But he told us that we could still go into the Rosenkrantz Tower.
We found a cat outside...
The Rosenkrantz Tower
The Rosenkrantz Tower (Rosenkrantztårnet) is one of the most prominent buildings of Bergenhus fortress. The tower derives its name from governor Erik Rosenkrantz (1519-1575). It was during his administration (1559–1568) that the tower received its present shape and structure. The oldest part of the building, however, is made up of a medieval tower, known as the "Keep by the Sea", built by King Magnus the Lawmender in the 1270s as part of the royal castle in Bergen.
(from wikipedia)
We didn't get to spend alot of time in the
Rosenkrantz Tower itself because they had to close early in preparation of the King's arrival. It was 25NOK per entry into the tower (student price). The interior was really cool. Like a medieval castle with grand rooms, narrow passageways and spiral staircases. You can see why the tower is a fortress. Within the fortress, there were canons pointing out of windows facing the harbor. In an event of an attack, the guards can man the canons and fire at ships entering the harbor.
Entrance to Haakon Hall... The police were guarding this entrance.
View from one of the windows
At the Rooftop of the Castle
Entrance to Haakon Hall... The police were guarding this entrance.
View from one of the windows
Canons!
At the Rooftop of the Castle
No comments:
Post a Comment