Monday, April 20, 2009

My World Tuesday


Kristiansten Fortress is located in Trondheim. It was built after the city fire of Trondheim in 1681 to protect the city against attack from the east. Constructed finished in 1685. It fulfilled its purpose in 1718 when Swedish forces lay siege of Trondheim. The fortress was decommissioned in 1816 by king Charles John.





Trondheim was traditionally protected fortifications by the river Nidelven and Skansen, but the city was vulnerable to attack from the east. The Fortress was therefore put on a hill to protect the city centre and control the area from Ila to Lade. General Johan Caspar von Cicignon was responsible for the new town plan of Trondheim after the great fire of April 18, 1681. In 1750 the fortress was modernized with new bastions and casemates to protect against mortar artillery. Two new isolated defensive works were also built to the east - Grüners and Frølichs redutt - but they are hardly visible today.

The main building featured in the picture is the defensive tower - Donjonen - with artillery, quartering and stores was the centre of the defences. After decommissioning in 1816 it was location of the fire watch, and since 1997 as a museum.



In the final days of the Great Northern War, Karl XII of Sweden initiated a second invasion of Norway in the fall of 1718. While Karl XII led his main army in an attack from the south, an army under General Carl Gustav Armfelt was sent to seize Trondheim. Armfelt advanced against Trondheim, which was defended by an army of 6,900 men under Vincens Budde. The Swedish forces were resisted both by Norwegian forces and by the people of the countryside, who bitterly recalled the previous Swedish occupation of Trøndelag. Provisions were not available, and the Norwegian winter set in. Although he reached the city and laid siege, the strength of Kristiansten Fortress and other fortifications was such that he chose to retreat. Karl XII issued a sharp rebuke and ordered Armfelt to take Trondheim. Although Armfelt's forces surrounded Trondheim, Budde's forces were able to keep him at bay. Camping in the open and poorly fed, many of Armfelt's troops fell ill and his capable forces were reduced to 4000 men. When Karl XII was killed in December by a bullet at Fredriksten Fortress in Halden, Armfelt's forces retreated to Sweden. On their way back across the mountains, almost the entire army was lost, mostly because of snow, cold temperature and a strong blizzard; the retreat has been likened to Napoleon’s from Moscow for the severity of casualties.



During WWII the Nazis executed a number of Norwegian patriots at Kristiansten.

The fortress was the official place of execution of convicted and condemned traitors and war criminals following the legal purge in Norway after WWII. The notorious Henry Rinnan was executed here on February 1, 1947, and nine of his followers afterwards, eight of them on the same day in 1947.



This last picture is a view from the fortress. You can see the fjord and the city.

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38 comments:

  1. enjoyed the history of the fort along with the beautiful photos. the panorama provided an excellent perspective of the entire area.
    so enjoy your blog.

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  2. Beautiful photography as always. We too have a few forts in New England from this era. Thanks for the extra pictures and details. You have a beautiful city.

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  3. Det var en fin historietime Ivar.
    Stilige bilder av et fint motiv.

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  4. Nyyyydelige bilder!!!! Fantastisk flott plass :)

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  5. What an incredible place! The white building looks incredibly thick! A place filled with a rich history. Thank you for this wonderful tour in photographs, Ivar!

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  6. Det var litt av en historie. Flott formidlet! Dette kunne de fint brukt på nettsidene sine.

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  7. Ei godt fortalt historie med flotte bilder til!

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  8. Ringve museum kryr det av dem.
    Med litt bolle eller loff, er det bare å skyte løs.

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  9. Her har du dokumentert så det står etter - enhver historiker burde være misunnelig.

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  10. What a great post! Thank you for sharing! The panorama picture is wonderful!

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  11. Ivar: Very nicely captured of a really neat place.

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  12. What great landscape and architecture. And they have preserved one great piece of history!

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  13. Dette var historietime, flott og lærerik post Ivar med nydelige bilder.

    Ha en fin uke der oppe, og takk for kommentar.

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  14. Ivar, this is so beautiful it takes my breath away.
    The marvellous stonework, the slate roof, the subterranian barracks and passages hiding the extent of the fort from the sea and your wonderful photos of Trondheim from the fort. I wish I had known a few of the things I have learned from your blg before we were there.

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  15. That's a great view from that fort. They sure were serious about protecting themselves! Glad it was effective.

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  16. As usual such wonderful photos. I think they have fortified this place very well.

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  17. Beautiful photos, I learned some history which is always a good thing.

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  18. Imponerende,både bildene dine og informasjonen.

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  19. You did a wonderful job photographing the fortress and telling us about it's history. Incredibly beautiful shots.

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  20. i really like fortresses because they always have history. Interesting post and the pictures are just so beautiful!!

    My world is up too.

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  21. Thank you so much for the history as well as the beautiful photos. I feel as if I have been on an adventure.

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  22. Wonderful piccies and a very interesting history too

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  23. That is an amazing defensive structure! Great images and history.

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  24. It would be difficult to know if one of your photos was "bad" because you choose great subject matter. Love your blog. Trondheim so different than Texas.

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  25. Thanks for sharing the history of this place. Your photos are breathtaking.

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  26. Thank you Ivar for showing these excellent photos and for the piece of history of Norway. In June, 2006, I was in Trondheim with a Norwegian relative, and we went to Nidarosdomen, among other places. We didn't see this fort. It's impressive and beautiful at the same time. Nidarosdomen is also interessant and I took some photos, which are not even half the quality of yours. I want to use these pictures for my ABC post tomorrow. I hope I don't annoy you!
    I was very impressed by its history and by Olav Haraldson's life. He will be the subject of my ABC post of next week. Have a wonderful week!

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  27. interesting history complimented by wonderful photos..thanks

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  28. Outstanding tour and excellent photographs, as always. Thank you!

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  29. amazing pictures.. you thought me something new !

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  30. Wonderful photography..as someone who is interested in history and fortresses, I was completely engrossed in yr post..thanks for sharing.

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  31. Wonderful shots! What an interesting place to visit. I really like the shot with the cannon in front. What a great perspective!

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  32. I really enjoyed your tour of the fort. Wonderful history, wonderful pictures. Thanks for sharing.

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  33. I enjoy your photos, and what's more, the place you're living in is beautiful.

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  34. Your pictures are just lovely. And the history to go with them is great, too.

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  35. Bildene er helt kanon, Ivar. Eller kanon bra. Velg selv. :)

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  36. great fortress, looks impressive no wonder it saved the town.

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  37. I feel like I just travelled this part of the world. Thank you for your beautiful pictures and the history attached. I like your site very much. I will definitely will be back to see more.

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Feel free to express your honest opinion, good or "bad". I am eager to learn more about photography ;-)
Thank you.