Kristiansten Fortress

Kristiansten was built on the hill east of Trondheim after the great fire of 1681 and finished in 1685, designed to protect the city from attack from that side, and it did its job once, in 1718, when it helped repel a Swedish force. The central donjon, a square white tower, stands within earthworks and bastions on open grassy ground. It has been out of military use since 1816 and the grounds are now a public park, used for sledging in winter and as a viewpoint year-round: the whole of Trondheim, the river bend, the cathedral and the fjord lie below. The tower opens for visits in summer with an exhibition on the fortress and the city's defences.

History

General Johan Caspar von Cicignon, who drew up Trondheim's new town plan after the great fire of 18 April 1681, also planned the fortress, built from 1682 to 1684, strengthened in 1691 and 1695 and modernised in 1750 with new bastions and casemates. It held when Swedish forces laid siege to Trondheim in 1718, was decommissioned in 1816 and then served as the fire watch, and the donjon has been a museum since 1997 (Wikipedia, Kristiansten Fortress).

Highlights

• The white donjon - the square central tower of the 1685 fortress.
• The earthworks - bastions and ramparts on the open hilltop.
• The city panorama - Trondheim, the Nidelva and the fjord below.
• The public grounds - a park used year-round by the city.

When to go

May to September for the tower's opening season and the best weather; the grounds are open and free year-round, and the hill is a popular sledging spot after snow. Sunset gives the best light over the city.

Practical notes

The walk up from Bakklandet is short but steep. The tower interior is small and open only in summer with limited hours. The grounds are a park with little interpretation outdoors.

Nearby

Bakklandet and the Old Town Bridge are below; Nidaros Cathedral is across the river.

Key facts