Along the Oslofjord by DFDS Ferry

The shores and bays of Oslo were left astern. But until we say goodbye to Norway, our ferry will take several hours to go along the Oslo fjord to the Skagerrak Strait. The fjord cuts deep into the land for 102 kilometers, the Norwegian capital is located at the very end of it.

On the left side of the ship we pass the Hovedøya island. The name of the island in old Norse means an island with a hill. Indeed, the top point of Hovedeya is located at an altitude of 47 meters, it is the highest island in the Oslo fjord. In the 12th century, a monastery of the Cistercian order was built here, which was looted during the reformation. in the early 19th century, two artillery batteries were placed on the island. Now from them, as well as from the monastery, only ruins remain.

During the Nazi occupation, there was a women's internment camp on the island. The island is famous for its variety of vegetation and is declared a nature reserve, but is open to the public. Tourists are attracted by the ruins and nature, residents of Oslo love the local beaches.

Ferries of lines B1, B2, and B3 run along the islands of the fjord from the Town Hall square pier.

Next island Lindøya ("Linden island") catches the eye a small bright houses-cottages. You can see that almost every house has a flagpole with the national flag. Norwegians are great patriots.

In the 20s of the last century, the island was the port of passenger seaplanes of the airline Det Norske Luftfartrederi. Now the island is built up with cottages, here is a great place for swimming, in the center of the island there is a football field.

Nakkholmen island is the sea front of Oslo. It is also built up with country houses, the size, appearance and color of which is strictly regulated. Despite the fact that electricity was brought to the island only in the 50s, since the permission of development in 1923, this is the most prestigious place in the Oslo fjord. For example, in 2006, one of the houses with an area of 27 square meters was sold for 2.8 million kronor.

In 1716, the Swedish king Charles XII used the island as a base for storming the fortress of Akershus. Here are preserved the graves of Swedish soldiers who died during the assault.

Oslofjord is not a fjord in the geological sense, it is not cut by a glacier in a mountain range, in fact it is a very deep sea Bay. Due to its non-glacial origin, the Bay has a shallow depth, flat shores, and many Islands. In addition, the climate is relatively mild and warm.

That is why the banks of the Oslofjord are the birthplace of the ancient Norse people. traces of settlements Dating back to the stone and bronze ages have been found here. The oldest remains of Viking ships - drakkars-were also found here. Now about 40% of the population of Norway lives on the shores of the Gulf and coastal territories, this is the most densely populated part of the country.

The world-famous Norwegian artist Edvard Munch had a cottege Studio on the Åsgårdstrand island, where his most famous painting "The Scream" was painted.

During world war II, on April 9, 1940, a German squadron of warships and landing craft entered Oslo fjord, intending to capture the Norwegian capital. In the Drøbak Sound, the ships came under fire from Norwegian coastal batteries. The heavy cruiser Blücher was severely damaged by 280 mm and 150 mm shells, but continued to move. Already out of fire, the cruiser received two torpedoes from a coastal torpedo battery, lay on Board and sank. This slowed down the course of the landing operation and gave time for the evacuation of the Norwegian Royal house and government, also managed to take out the gold reserve.

Oslofjord has the most intensive shipping in Norway. Here are the routes of ferries, cargo ships, and the waters of the Bay are plowed by many recreational and sports boats, boats and yachts.

Norwegians are passionate fans not only of skis and skates, they are also attracted to the water element. Every third family in Norway has a yacht or motor boat. Fortunately, there are plenty of beautiful places where you can go on a trip by water in the Scandinavian country.

On this I finish my story about my first and hopefully not last, trip to Norway, tomorrow we are waiting for Denmark and Copenhagen.