Defending Trøndelag - from Viking times to the Second World War
Throughout the ages, Trøndelag has been of great military significance. You can live through a thousand years of history as you visit the military monuments of central Norway.
Hegra Fort - protecting the Norwegian border
Fort Ingstadkleiva, later known as the Hegra Fort, was built in 1909-11 to protect the main approach to Sweden. But the first time the fort was put to the test was during the German occupation in 1940. Manned by 200 men and one woman, the fort stood up against German attacks for 23 days. Major Holtermann then chose to surrender in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. The story of the men and women that showed that standing up to the German forces was not in vain is told in the museum at the fort.
Austrått Manor
Chancellor Ove Bjelke completed this renaissance palace in 1656. The palace is built around the original 12th century chapel (gårdskirken) and is richly adorned with stone work, elegant external
galleries and wooden sculptures. The interior is furnished in baroque style and is extensively decorated with wood carvings. Open for groups outside normal hours by arrangement.
Address:
Austrått Manor
N-7140 Opphaug. Tel: (+47) 72 52 15 13.
E-mail: nkmuseum@nkim.museum.no
http://www.nkim.museum.no/
Open: 01.06.–15.08 1100–1700. Café open 20.06–31.07.
Price: 60,- (a), 40,- (g), 30,- (c)
Signpost: N, GB, D
Situated: 100 km from Trondheim
Austrått Fort and Fosen military history collection - strategic importance during the occupation
Guarding the far reaches of the Trondheim Fjord - and built at the expense of the lives of prisoners of war, is the gloomy coastal fort at Austrått that dates from the Second World War. The enormous triple gun tower was originally on board on the German battleship "Gneisenau", but after the ship was bombed its guns were mounted ashore. When the fort was ready for battle it had to be manned by a crew of 117. The part of the construction that was designed to move on ball bearings weighs more than 600 tonnes. The gun tower is now an important tourist attraction at Fosen, and the guided tour takes visitors five floors down into the rock.
Guided tours through an enormous gun battery (800 tonnes), positioned at the mouth of Trondheimsfjorden by the German occupation force during World War II. Fascinating and impressive.
The tour also includes the Fosen military history collections Open for groups outside normal hours
by arrangement.
Address:
Austrått Fort and Fosen military history collection
N-7130 Brekstad. Tel: (+47) 72 51 40 36. Fax: (+47) 71 51 40 01.
Open: 10.06.–15.08 1100–1700
Price: 80,- (a) 50,- (c/h/s)
Signpost: N
Situated: 100 km from Trondheim. 1 km from Austråttborgen
The gun tower in Austrått Fort
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