Offisiell reiseguide for området rundt Oslo
Kystkultursenteret (the coastal culture centre) is beautifully located in the middle of Son. The centre consists of a museum dock with old boats, exhibitions, a museum shop, a goldsmith and more. Jostushuset tells the story of a fisherman’s home in Son.
The smithy has changing exhibitions about life in Son in the old days.
From 1650, Nesset has been referred to as a port and loading place, where timber was loaded onto ships and sent to Holland or England. The settlement at Nesset in the innermost part of the Bunnefjord has a rich history characterized by small farms, shipping, wood and ice exports and fishing. At the end of the 1870s, steamships arrived, and with them new opportunities. The steamships made Nesset an important hub in Follo, and passenger traffic created the modern Nesset. Travellers from all over Follo came to Nesset by horse and carriage or car, and continued from there by ship to the capital.
The first passenger boat to visit Nesset was the wheeled boat Bjørn Farmand, built in 1855 and named after Harald Fairhair's son. Nesset has also had a general store established by Finn Eriksen in 1936 and a bakery started by Johs. Fredriksen
At the bus station at Nesset, a license was granted by the King as early as 1804 to run an inn here. Since then, Nesset Bad and Restaurant, known as "The White Horse", has been a popular meeting place where many young people in Follo found their spouse. The restaurant burned down in the 1960s, but the memories live on.
Just 40 minutes south of Oslo you will find the idyllic coastal town of Son, located on the sunny side of the Oslofjord.
Son is known for its old city center with wooden houses and narrow alleyways often associate with cities along the southernmost coast of Norway.
Son offers a wide variety of cafes and restaurants as well as small niche boutiques. Only 10 minutes away You will find Oslo Fashion Outlet in Vestby, a good place to visit in combination with Son.
During the summer season there is a boat connection from Oslo during the weekend.
Enjoy the good life in Son. Enjoy a restful time at Son SPA or rent a kayak and explore the surrounding area.
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Henie early showed a talent in figure skating and already at the age of eleven she participated in her first Winter Olympics. The following year, at the age of twelve, Henie won the first of five consecutive Norwegian Championships. From 1927–1936 she won three Olympic gold medals, six European Championships and ten straight World Championships. At the age of 25, she was appointed Knight of the 1st Class of the Order of St. Olav, the youngest person ever.
Henie signed a tour contract in the United States and did a number of skating shows before going to Hollywood, where she signed a five-year film contract with 20th Century Fox. Her first Hollywood film, One In A Million (1936), was a formidable success. By 1940 she was one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses, alongside Clark Gable and child star Shirley Temple. Alongside her film career, Henie continued to give her popular ice shows, and also visited Norway to sold-out stadiums.
In 1955, Sonja Henie met shipowner and art collector Niels Onstad (1909–1978). They married the following year, and in the years that followed, building up her art collection became an all-consuming interest for both of them. Henie entered the arts with as much commitment and drive as she did sports and film. She collected art by Pablo Picasso, Pierre Soulages, Fernand Legér, Jakob Weidemann and Anna-Eva Bergmann. When the art center at Høvikodden was to be built, she was involved in every detail.
Henie Onstad Art Center opened on August 23, 1968. Sonja Henie died of leukemia on October 12, the year after the inauguration, at the age of 57.
The fortress's outdoor area is open and accessible all year round free of charge.
Kongsvinger Fortress was built in the 1680s to defend Norway against Sweden. It was built on the remains of a former fortress, Vingersundet skanse, on the River Glomma and was designed to protect the interior against attacks from the east. The fortress has played an important role in several wars and has been central to the defense of Norway. Today, the fortress is a landmark and is used for cultural activities and recreation, as well as housing a museum and a hotel.
The fortress was built in the 1680s to protect Norway from Sweden.It was placed by the Glomma river and the traffic routes through Vinger to prevent the advance towards Christiania (Oslo). The fortress has been central to several wars, especially against Sweden, and was headquarters for the invasion of Sweden in 1719 and during the planned invasion in 1788.
The fortress was decommissioned as an active defense in 1823, but has been reopened on several occasions, including during the dissolution of the union in 1905. After the Second World War, the fortress was used for the internment of traitors and as a home for various military units.
Kongsvinger Fortress is a popular tourist destination, with a museum, hotel, and events as part of the town's cultural offering. The fortress has been of great importance to the town of Kongsvinger, both as a defense and as an important part of the town's identity.
You may book accomodation on the castle here
At the castle you will also find the Fortress Museum, which shows the history of defence from the Viking Age to the present day. In 2002, H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon opened the exhibition "The Good Helpers". During the last war, there was extensive cross-border cargo and courier traffic across the border with Sweden. The exhibition shows how the war affected the local community along the border. There is also a short video about the history of the fortress.
The picture gallery on the museum's third floor is "Fra Grændsevagten" – a photographic exhibition about the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905. The photographs depict the life, excitement and drama in and around Kongsvinger Fortress.
The museum is open 11.00-16.00 Saturday/Sunday in April and September. Exceptions are Palm Saturday/Sunday, Easter Eve, Easter Monday, 17 May and the first Saturday in June.
The ordinary opening period is from 1 May to 31 August every day between 11:00 and 16:00.
Out of season we are open by appointment.
You may book a guided tour of the castle here.
Follow urban artist Martin Whatson on his creative tour of the Oslo region
Urban artist Martin Watson creates street art all over the world, but for a period of eight months, he has travelled in his home region and created art works inspired by the stories he found and the people he met there. Taking in the contrasts between local traditions, mighty nature and urban life, he has created seven murals in different places along the way. Together, they make up a playful portrait of the Oslo region.
The craftsman in Gjøvik
In the town of Gjøvik, Martin Whatson pays tribute to the craftsman. Gjøvik was home to the first private glass factory in Norway, and it's only fitting that a three-story-tall glassblower now decorates one of the town's walls. Whatson's glassblower reminds us of the Oslo region’s long-standing traditions of artisan craftsmanship, which are still very much alive.
Martin Whatson's guide to the Oslo region
Explore the different artworks and the places where they were created.
– Asker, a child's paradise
– Løten, birthplace of Edvard Munch
– Vinstra, land of Per Gynt's
– Oslo, city of innovation
– Fredrikstad, home to a king
– Horten, viking village
The story of the polarship Maud
101 years after Maud's launch in Vollen, the polar ship sailed home on the Jensen fleet (named after the boatbuilder from Vollen) into the Oslofjord in 2018, after a long journey from Cambridge Bay in Canada. Maud was salvaged, financed and organized by Tandberg Eiendom in Asker, and a Maud House is now being planned at Tofte in Asker.
The Maud expedition under the direction of Roald Amundsen from 1918 to 1925 was a scientific research expedition with the goal of reaching the North Pole by freezing itself in the ice and drifting northward. Harald Ulrik Sverdrup was the scientific director during the expedition and, together with the crew, carried out groundbreaking scientific collection work that became widely known around the world.
The dream of reaching the North Pole was not fulfilled and therefore this expedition largely ended in the shadow of Amundsen's previous achievements, the Northwest Passage and the South Pole in 1911.
The Maud expedition, which lasted 7 years, was a long journey in time and scope and finally this story will be collected and Maud will become a main attraction in a future Maudheim Tofte.
Maudheim
Maudheim will be ideally located for future visitors to southern Asker, along the coastal path that continues into the magnificent nature reserve along the fjord towards Østnestangen.
Maudheim can already be visited today and the harbor area has become a popular place to spend the days with a good view of the sea and good opportunities for recreation. Here Maud lies waiting for her house and there is also a small plane from 1920 identical to the one they had on board and made the first flights from the polar ice.
This area was previously the landing port for timber for Hurum Fabriker, which produced cellulose until 2008. There are a few elements in the harbor that testify to this time, which will also become part of the future story in Maudheim Tofte.
Amundsen – the first man to reach the South Pole
Roald Amundsen secretly planned the South Pole expedition after he heard that Robert Peary had reached the Pole Point. He had been allowed to borrow the ship "Fram" from Fridtjof Nansen and was afraid he would take the ship back if he told about the change in plans. The members of the expedition became the first in history to reach the South Pole point on December 4, 1911, five weeks before the expedition of Robert F. Scott made it there on his second attempt.
From Vollen to the North Pole
The polar ship Maud was built at Christian Jensen's ship wharf in Vollen. The client was Roald Amundsen who planned an expedition to the Arctic, where the goal was to do research in these areas and hopefully reach the North Pole. In June 7, 1917, Maud was completed and was launched where the Oslo Fjord Museum is located today. In the summer of 1918, "Maud" finally sails from Oslo towards the northeast passage. Attempts were made to drift across the Arctic Ocean without success, and other attempts were made to reach the North Pole by plane. The boat remained behind, and after 80 years on the seabed in the northwest passage, the ship was transported home to Vollen in August 2018.
The scientific results from the expedition are still relevant, but Roald Amundsen encountered several obstacles and the ship never reached the North Pole. Amundsen went bankrupt in 1925 and Maud was sold at forced auction. She eventually sank in Cambridge Bay, Canada, where she lay on the ocean floor for 80 years. Maud is in storage in Sagene Båthavn on Tofte pending a permanent «Maud house».
The Oslofjord Museum
At the Oslofjord Museum, you can see an impressive collection of old wooden boats, learn about life in the sea and the history associated with leasure boats on the Oslo Fjord. The children find it fun to make an boat driven by elastics that can be tested in the pool.
Access to Vollen can be done by scheduled ferry or bus. The trip to Maud in Tofte is best made by car. Great day trip to combine with visits to local beaches, restaurants and coastal galleries.
Thank you to MiA/Oslofjordmuseet and Jan Wangaard for text and photos.
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The market was large in Europe, especially in England. There, the breweries also needed large amounts of ice to cool down the light beers they produced. Since the conditions were right with cold winters in Norway, this became a market for farmers who owned ponds and ponds, including here in Holtnesskogen. For the owners, the profits could be good – it was said that ice cream had a higher price per kilo than sugar in England.
It was hard work. When the water had frozen, all the snow had to be shoveled away. Then the workers cut blocks off the ice with special saws. Each block measured 60 centimetres in all directions, and weighed around 160 kilograms. The ice blocks then had to be lifted into a chute of wood, and were sent down to the harbor where they were loaded onto a waiting ship. Sawdust was often used between the blocks to ensure that they did not melt during the long transport.
Strict quality requirements were set. The ice had to be completely transparent, and it was forbidden to spit tobacco that could stain the ice.
Accidents at work could easily occur while handling the heavy ice blocks. However, the major accident here in Holtnesskogen was due to something else, and happened after ice production had ended. Mass had been taken out from the bottom of the dam, which led to a dam break, and the water gushed downwards with a crash that could be heard to Holmestrand. The road to Rødtangen was destroyed – and at the bottom of the pond they found a lot of alcohol cans that had been thrown here during the prohibition era.
While the owners of the dams had good income from exports, the workers were poorly paid for the job. They were mostly paid on piecework, and in 1890 received around 2.5 øre per block they handled. The hourly wage could often end up at around 20 øre.
The market for Norwegian ice cream gradually declined. New ice machines made it possible to produce ice without natural winter cold, and quite early in the 1900s it became less profitable for the owners to export ice.
The idyllic ponds with water lilies and reeds we can enjoy the sight of were once workplaces for many people.
The old Magistrate's Villa from the 1920s has been converted into a stately meeting place. Traditional craftsmanship and historical references have been central to the restoration.
Wergelandshaugen is a place for a festive occasion, wedding, baptism, confirmation, memorial service, seminar or meeting place for colleagues and friends.
Wergelandshaugen has a beautiful and peaceful location, here you will immediately notice the tranquility that rural surroundings can provide. In the associated English garden, you can see and smell the plants and flowers from ancient times, back to the Middle Ages. The historic garden has been painstakingly restored to the 1920s, according to photographs and with contemporary plants. New this year is the portal to the forest and the balance park for children and young people.
You are invited to art experiences both outside and inside. Twice a year, Wergelandshaugen has artists in residence and various art exhibitions are held. There is also a sculpture park on the property where the sculptures appear as surprises placed in the scenic surroundings of the ravine landscape.
Wergelandshaugen is accessible by train, 35 minutes from Oslo S or 10 minutes from Oslo Lufthavn Gardermoen, then a 5-minute walk from Eidsvoll station. If you drive and arrive by car, it takes 50 minutes from the center of Oslo, large car park at the end of the property.
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