Haraldshaugen

Haraldshaugen was raised in 1872 to mark a thousand years since the battle of Hafrsfjord and the unification of Norway under Harald Fairhair, who according to saga tradition was buried near here at Haugar. The monument is a granite obelisk about seventeen metres high on a mound, surrounded by twenty-nine smaller stones representing the old Norwegian districts, enclosed by a low wall. It stands on open ground near the shore with the sea beyond. The site has been a place of national ceremony since, with constitution day gatherings held here. Nearby stands the Krosshaugen stone cross, a much older monument from the early Christian period, and the coastal path runs past both.

What you actually see

• The granite obelisk - a seventeen-metre monument on a burial mound.
• The twenty-nine stones - smaller markers for the old Norwegian districts.
• Krosshaugen - an early Christian stone cross nearby.
• The coastal setting - open ground and shoreline north of the town.

When to go

May to September for the best weather; the site is open ground accessible year-round. Constitution day on 17 May brings ceremonies here, which is the one time it is genuinely busy.

Honest expectations

The monument is nineteenth-century national romanticism rather than an ancient site, and the burial tradition is not archaeologically confirmed. The visit takes thirty minutes. There are no facilities beyond parking.

Nearby

Haugesund town is south; Avaldsnes with its medieval church and Viking farm lies on Karmoy.