The Coastal Path Karlsvika-Vallø, through Furustrand
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Furustrand
You are now walking along the coastal path between Karlsvika and Vallø which stretches 5km along the Oslo fjord. Part of this walk, around four hundred metres passes through Furustrand and here we would like to tell you a bit about Sigurd Ring and Alvsol, and about areas in the district that a worth a visit. God tur and greetings from us at Furustrand!
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Points of interest
#1
KING RING’S BURIAL MOUND
It was around here that the mighty Viking King, King Ring was buried around 1200 years ago. - Who was King Ring you might be asking? - Well, we will tell you - King Sigurd Ring was the King of Denmark, but also of Svitjord – modern day Sweden. The Skjoldungesaga tells us that Sigurd Ring was married to Alvhild, the daughter of King Alv of Alvheim, and that they had a son Ragnar Lodbrok. When Sigurd Ring was an old man and after Alvhild’s death, he came to Skiringssal to take part in the great blóts. There he encountered an exceptionally beautiful young women named Alvsol. She was the daughter of King Alv of Vendel. Sigurd Ring wanted to marry Alvsol, but her two brothers would not allow it. Sigurd battled with the two brothers and killed them, but he lost Alvsol anyway. She took the poison that her brothers had given her, to ensure that she would never belong to Sigurd Ring. When she died, her body was presented to him, he carried it aboard a large ship and laid her brothers next to her, he gave them a sea burial, letting the ship sail out as it burned. Sigurd Ring himself was said to have been fatally wounded after the fight with the brothers, and he was buried in a burial mound on Ringshaug beach.
#2
SEA COTTAGES IN THE HANSA STYLE
You are now walking next to our sea cottages that are made in the hanseatic style. Can you see the resemblance to the pier in Bergen? But who exactly were the Hanseatic? -The German Hanseatic League were the Middle Ages’ biggest, strongest, and most effective trading organisation. Tønsberg was an important town to the Hanseatic, so important that the powerful organisation set up their own trading station in the town. The Hanseatic league was an association of around one hundred north German trading towns, with the goal of protecting their trade, whilst creating a monopoly. The league was founded at the beginning of the 13th century with Lübeck at its centre, and after a while the Hanseatic league controlled almost all the sea trade in northern Norway. Militarily, the Hanseatic league were strong, and they did not hesitate to go to war with countries or cities if they felt that the trade deal between them was not beneficial enough to them. The foremost Hanseatic cities were of course in Germany, but European cities such as Bergen, London and Bruges were also important to the league, and they had large important offices there called ‘kontore’. In Tønsberg they established a so-called depot, which was a trading station. From the station in Tønsberg the German merchants bought commodities such as timber, animal pelts and to a lesser degree fish as well as cod liver oil and seal blubber. Primarily they imported corn from Pommern and salt from Lüneburg into Tønsberg, but also beer and more exotic goods such as silk, jewellery, and wine.
#3
SAGA OSEBERG
Tønsberg is steeped in Viking history, and the world’s most famous Viking ship was excavated just a few kilometres from here. Do you know what it is called? In 1904 they opened the ancient Oseberg burial mound in Slagen and excavated the beautiful Oseberg ship, which is today on display in Bygdøy outside of Oslo. After several years of preparation, the ‘New Oseberg ship foundation’ began to build a full-scale replica of the ship on Vikingodden in Tønsberg in 2011. The replica of the Oseberg ship was built entirely using the old Viking methods, without the aid of modern tools. Ship builders and carpenters worked to construct the ship with its beautiful lines. A blacksmith forged the nails in the same way a Viking smith would have done 1000 years ago. The replica of the Oseberg ship, which was christened the ‘Saga Oseberg’, was launched on the 20th of June 2012, King Harald and Queen Sonja were present for the launching. The Saga Oseberg is moored next to the bridge in Tønsberg. Maybe you would like to join us in rowing the legendary Viking ship on the town fjord, like a real Viking?
#4
BORGTÅRNET
You are now standing outside our very own local landmark - Borgtårnet or the Borg tower. Here we have apartments on the ground and first floor, can you guess what we called them? Sigurd and Alvsol of course! The tower is built of wood and brick, and actually contains some brick from the medieval castle Tunsberghus, located on slottsfjellet in Tønsberg, which was Norway’s biggest and most powerful castle in the Middle Ages, and was largely built of brick. Brick was a status symbol in the Middle Ages. Under the reign of Magnus Lagabøtes (1263-1280) a large brick kiln was built at Tallak in Tønsberg, and bricks were produced there right up until the beginning of the 16th century. If you take a walk on slottsfjellet to Tallak you can see the place where the brick kiln was located, and even a few bricks that were made in the high Middle Ages. The brick kiln at Tallak is thought to have been the second biggest in Norway. The use of bricks in the Middle Ages was a visible status symbol, showing that one had power and money. Magnus Lagabøte built amongst other things a brick castle on Slottfjellet in Tønsberg, the so called ‘brick castle’ was the fortresses’ main tower. The castle was used both as a defence and residential tower. If you look at our Borgtårnet, maybe you can see which bricks have come from the castle at Tønsberg? The answer is that the layer with the slightly larger bricks, those which are accentuated, are from the Middle Ages.
#5
AMPHITHEATRE AND SIGURD RINGS’ CASTLE
You are now standing next to the Amphitheatre. Amphitheatres date right back to ancient times and ancient Greece. This is a theatre where the stage is surrounded on all sides by ascending steps for the spectators to sit on, something that creates an amazing sound for the public. The amphitheatre has played host to school classes, theatre groups and concerts performed by local bands. Do you know what the word amphitheatre means? Amphi means round, or encircling. Behind the amphitheatre lies Sigurd Ring’s castle which consists of sixteen cottages around the castle courtyard. All the cottages have names deriving from Norse mythology. Can you name any Norse Gods? Tor, Odin or Balder for example
#6
LIGHTHOUSE AND VENDEL CABINS
You are now walking through our home harbour, past the lighthouse and the four vendel cabins. The lighthouse with the nice red lantern on the top, is like all our other huts along the coastal path, created from the drawing board of the architect and our father, Svein. They were inspired by the Rubjerg Knude lighthouse on North-Jylland. Rubjerg Knude is one of Denmark’s biggest tourist attractions located in old Vendsyssel, which was ruled by King Alv of Vendel. King Alv was the father of Alfsol, who you will hear referred to several times here at Furustrand. So, you can probably now understand where our vendel cabins get their name from?
#7
BATTERIODDE AT VALLØ
If you follow the coastal path out of Furustrand heading south to Vallø you will come to Batteriodde. Here there is a small, but picturesque canon fortress from the beginning of the 19th century, a witness to times of discontent. The bloody Napoleonic wars that raged from 1807 to 1814, led to turbulent times in Europe, including in Tønsberg. Therefore in 1807 , the town’s residents decided that three canon batteries would be built at Vallø, of which Prinds Christians battery was one. Crown Prince Frederik was in league with Napoleon, and England had just declared war on Denmark-Norway. The Norwegian merchant fleet was threatened by the English war ships, and it was felt that Tønsberg and the saltworks at Vallø were also under threat. Therefore, during the winter of 1807-1808 Vallø was fortified with three canon batteries. Prinds Christians Battery was in possession of 7, 24-pound canons, and 2, 6-pound canons. The little fort could pack a punch. There was also a so called ‘cannonball glow furnace’ next to the battery, which was used to warm up the cannonballs, so that they were glowing red. If a red-hot cannonball hit the right mark, then the enemy boat could catch fire. Another cunning ammunition used was canister shot - a tin can filled with around 25 1-pound balls. When it was shot out, it created a shotgun effect.
#8
VALLØ SALTWORKS
In the 18th century little Vallø became home to a large and extensive salt industry. Norway was under Danish rule, and from the Danish capital came the order that a salt works should be built at Vallø. The reason for this was simple, people needed salt, and Vallø was in possession of a favourable port. Moreover, from a military and defence point of view it was well suited for military installations. In 1739 the Danish-Norwegian authorities decided to allow the saltworks to be built. The Danish-Norwegian King, Kristian VI signed a contract with the German nobleman and Salt director, Joachim Fridrich von Beust, who was to run the Vallø saltworks. The official name of the salt works was ‘The Royal Norwegian Saltworks’, but throughout history, it has simply been referred to as Vallø saltworks. To build such a large saltworks, it was necessary to call in a foreign workforce, most of whom came from Germany. During the second half of the 18th century, the Vallø saltworks became one of the country’s largest businesses. People from far and wide, applied to the saltworks, hoping to get a job. The saltworks created many jobs, and the ripple effect in the district was great.
#9
BORREHAUGENE
If you would like to see and experience more Viking history, we recommend that you take a trip to Borre Park, a short car ride from here. In the beautiful Borre Park, which lies just below the Midgard Viking Museum, you will find the Nordic’s largest collection of large burial mounds from the early Iron Age. In the period from around 600 to 900 AD, there were nine large burial mounds created at Borre. In addition, three large stone mounds lie amongst the grass clad mounds, something that gives the place a monumental and slightly mythical character. Borre contains the largest number of large Iron Age burial mounds in the whole of Northern Europe, in addition to 30 smaller burial mounds. These large burial mounds are testament to the political power that was expressed through the monumental mounds. Borre was a seat of power in the Iron Age. The Vikings felt at home here and to be interred here was reserved for the elite. According to the sagas and old tales it is said to be the Yngling family themselves that are buried here. It was believed that those who belonged to this lineage were descended from Odin – the Vikings foremost God. In Borre Park there is a fine longhouse, which was the Vikings’ celebration hall. Amongst other things, the Norwegian series ‘ Vikings’ was partly filmed here.
#10
EDVARD MUNCH – ÅSGÅRDSTRAND
The painter Edvard Munch lived for a long time in Åsgårdstrand next to the Oslo fjord. The little town lies just 10 kms north along the coast. Much of his most famous work was inspired by the beach life along the fjord and the Åsgårdstrand area – for example, The dance of life, Detachment, Melancholy, Summer night, The Voice, and Ash. Today, it is still possible to recreate Munch’s most famous painting “The girls on the bridge” in front of Kjøsterud farm down by the harbour. It is also possible to visit Munch’s house in the summer months. The house is surrounded by a beautiful little park and is as authentic as possible to how it was when Munch lived there. Åsgårdstrand is still a small arts town. Here you can find narrow alleyways and old buildings. You can also find a ceramics workshop and art sales and galleries, a second hand and antiques shop and a small shopping centre a little up the hill, and last but not least it is possible to grab a bite to eat!
#11
THE OSLO FJORD - FÆRDER National park
The Oslo fjord stretches twelve miles from Oslo to Tønsberg on this side of the fjord and to Fredrikstad on the ‘other side’. Almost 40% of Norway’s population live within a 45-minute drive from this fjord. The fjord is a great recreation area, with its many islands and rocks offering boating and fishing opportunities. Or you can spend lazy days sunning yourself on the islands’ beautiful beaches. Directly south of Furustrand, outside Vallø, lies Tønsberg’s archipelago with bridge connections to Nøtterøy and Tjøme. The whole of this fantastic area is now protected and lies within the Færder National Park. Take a tour to the National Park Centre at Verdens ende, a great experience both in good and bad weather. To the southeast you can see the Bolærne islands. They create a natural shield for the fjord and were previously military islands. In the summer months there is a scheduled boat to the Bolærne islands, where you can walk the coastal paths, discover the bird, and plant life and enjoy the view. There are also many cultural experiences, a defence museum and café. Verdens Ende and Moutmarka are on the mainland and are accessible hiking areas year-round.