Castles of Norway

Abstract Norway has a rugged terrain and a cold humor. Its nearly noteworthy citadel, named Akershus, is dictated in Oslo, Norway and was strengthened in chivalric times. Its computer architecture was ripe(p) for that time extremity, and was extremely beta in the protection and defense of Norway. Akershus was in any case a fortress as tumesce as a castle, which led to better protection. This was also in the time of the Vikings, the much feared defenders of Norway, who were cognise to be very brutal in war.It was rebuilt, updated, and repurposed several times through with(predicate)out biography, and is outright a trademark in Norse memoir and culture, serving as a too large tourist hub. There puzzle been umpteen castles over the centuries that people hire ap localizeed the best because of their location, defense, architecture, or history such(prenominal) as the Windsor fort, Holyrood Palace, Buckingham Palace, and the Chateau de Versailles. However, another, le sser cognise castle seems to be right on par with these beauties the Akershus castle in Oslo, Norway.Akershus get the better of the standards in all(prenominal) of these categories and more, which is close to seeming the reason it is plainly the closely famous castle in Norway. It was created and protected by the Vikings in the mediaeval ages, and to this day stands pontifical in strong, just as it did at the turn of the fourteenth century. Location Norway has a very rugged, mountainous terrain, containing some of the highest points in Europe labor amalgamation of the Alpine-Carpathian mountain take to the woods with barely iodin-fifth of its total field less than one hundred-fifty meters above sea level (Norway Topography, n. . ). The principal(prenominal) river, the Glama goes through the southeastward and is deuce-ace hundred-eighty miles long. Much of Norway has been scraped by ice, and at that place are one thousand, seven-hundred glaciers totaling some ter zetto thousand, four-hundred square kilometers. There are many great harbors and almost numberless fjords, along with vast strings of islands stretching all along the coastal areas of Norway. Norways climate is also somewhat harsh, yet manifestly mild when compared to other locations at its latitude. snowfall covers the ground at least three months a year.During the summer months, when the sea is cooler than the land, the situation is different then the westerly winds cool the coast more than the landlocked so the rawest summers are in the inland valleys of the southeast. Average temperatures vary between blackball ten degrees Celsius in January in Spitzbergen and sixteen degrees Celsius in July in Oslo. Even though there is much snowfall, the warm waters of the Gulf Stream keep the seaports clean of ice, but the inlands are cooler in the winter months because of the mountains blocking out warm winds (Norway, n. . ). In northern Norway, there is perpetual sunninesslight in certain part of the summer. In northernmost Norway, the sun remain above the horizon for almost twain and one-half months. Southern Norway never has day-and-night daylight, though it averages nineteen moments of daylight a day in midsummer. The further north you go, the longer this period of twenty-four hour light lasts. The opposite happens in the winter, where the sun substantially ever rises at all. During these times, the Yankee Lights, also called an aurora, can be seen in the sky (Norway, n. d. ).Defense Norway had one of the best, most feared, and advantageously cognize armies in all of the medieval ages the Vikings. The Vikings were greatly feared for their strength and skill in battle Their primary choice of weapons consisted of spears, swords, and others also (Top / Weapons, n. d. ). Vikings swords were double-sided steel and relatively lightweight. They also had large battle axes, utilise to cut through an opponents armor. The wealthiest Vikings had coats of mail, which were coats of metal links put in concert to protect them from arrows and such.While every Viking wore a helmet, they offered itty-bitty protection. This was meant to protect the rest of the body that a helmet cant protect. The Vikings helmets were made of either leather or iron. There is a common misconception that they wore double-horned helmets into battle, when really, those were scarcely utilize for ceremonies. Another misconception is that they often employ archery as a method in battle. The Vikings mainly used methods of archery for hunting. They also used them for battle occasionally, but mostly for long-range shooting.However, when applied in fighting, they were very utilizable in large battles (The Vikings, 2011). The Vikings main enemies were the Christian Monasteries, as they were Pagans, not Christians like most people in Britain. A Viking buccaneer did not think twice about robbing a Christian church. Christian monasteries in Britain were easy to attack, because the monks in the monasteries had no weapons. (Why Did Vikings, 2012). The optical fusion of Viking settlements along the Norse coast was well march on by the time of St. Olavs death in 1030.He is credited with overseeing the races conversion to Christianity. A period of civil war ended in the thirteenth century when Norway expanded its look into overseas to parts of the British Isles, Iceland, and Greenland. Norwegian territorial power peaked in 1265, and the succeeding(a) year the Isle of part and the Hebrides were ceded to Scotland. The Hanseatic League and the Black Death alter Norway greatly. The royalty died out in 1387, and the union that Denmark, Norway, and Sweden tried forming had also soon fly apart (History, n. . ). Architecture In Norway, one of the main resources is wood, so much of the architecture is based around that. This still reigns dependable today, all over Norway. There were woody churches built on wooden posts in the ground in the Middle Ages, known as stave churches. Norway was always a little behind on architectural advances made in the rest of the world, and when they did setting Norway, they made little adjoin. One of the advanced that made a larger impact was the Baroque-inspired Barony Rosendal (The Evolution of Norwegian, n. d. ).They had double-handled saw to disappear a tree, w boundss, crowbars, pickaxes and hammers for stonework, and the anvil, bellows and hammer for smithing at this time, everything was done by hand, which means they requisite a blacksmith, a woodworker, a mason, and a carpenter (Tools for Medieval, 1999-2012). This castle is made only of brick, and is the only one of that nature in Norway. Akershus was built on the ridge of a cliff opposite of the harbor bay, and the highest point of this ridge lays a high tower. The main entrance of the castle is keep an eye on by a draw bridge and a portcullis.The weakest point is on the east side, guarded by a dry moat and a ring wall. T his is what makes it better than most castles of that time (Hericher, 1998, p. 69-70). Specifics Akershus was first built in 1299, and has changed multiple times since then. In 1592, it was off into a fortress, and was then changed into a spiritual rebirth castle in 1637-1648 (Akershus Castle, 2008-2012). It is located at approximately Latitude59. 9, Longitude 10. 7 and was funded mainly under the order of King Hakon V, along with some extra money from the church (Rongen, 2004-2012 Hericher, 1998, p. 0). Today, the Akershus castle is used as a source of tourism. The Armed Forces Museum is now located inside the fortress and displays the military history from medieval times to years following WWII and its free to visit the museum (Akershus Castle Museums, 2008-2011). It is used for major events in the Norwegian judicature as well. It also happens to be the military headquarters for the Ministry of Defense. You can go on tours of the full castle, and there are many important item s and rooms on display such as the one shown in go steady 1.King Sigurd I, King Haakon V, tycoon Eufemia, King Haakon VII, Queen Maud, King Olav V and Crown Princess Martha hold all been buried here ( empurpled Mausoleum (burial, n. d. ). In general, Akershus is the most famous castle in Norway because of its strategical location, its perilous defense, and its large(p) architecture. The Vikings and this fortress held Norway together through the medieval ages, so that Norway is a strong oddment of what a country can be when it is backed by dedication and hard work, much like what was put into Akershus.Today, it has go the celebration and joy of Norway, as they proudly display it to the world, and rightfully so. References Akershus castle Web brochure. (2008-2012). Retrieved from inception Norway website http//www. visitnorway. com///? pid=74461 Akershus castle & fortress (Akershus Slott) Brochure. (1997 2011). Retrieved from CustomWeather, Inc. website http//www. viator. com/ -attractions/Akershus-Castle-and-Fortress-Akershus-Slott/-a2722 Akershus Castle Museums. (2008-2011). Akershus castle (Akershus festning) Brochure. Retrieved from Everycastle, inc. ebsite http//www. everycastle. com/-Castle. html The evolution of Norwegian architecture Government article. (n. d. ). Retrieved 2012, from The Norwegian Museum of Architecture website http//www. norway. org/utnorway//// Hericher, A. -M. (1998). Norwegian medieval castles Building on the edge of Europe. In Chateau gaillard (pp. 69-70). Brepols. History. (n. d. ). Background note Norway Database. Retrieved from http//www. state. gov/////. htm Norway Fact sheet. (n. d. ). Retrieved from WeatherOnline Ltd. website http//www. weatheronline. co. uk///. htm Norway