Sverresborg (Norwegian: ''Sverresborg i Bergen'') is a

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

and former

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

situated in the

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

city of

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

History

It was built by King

Sverre Sigurdsson Sverre Sigurdsson ( non, Sverrir Sigurðarson) (c. 1145/1151 – 9 March 1202) was the king of Norway from 1184 to 1202. Many consider him one of the most important rulers in Norwegian history. He assumed power as the leader of the rebel party ...

(ca. 1150–1202) in the mid 1180s, 250 meters northeast of

Bergenhus fortress Bergenhus fortress ( no, Bergenhus festning) is a fortress located in Bergen, Norway. Located at the entrance of Bergen harbour, the castle is one of the oldest and best preserved stone fortifications in Norway. History The fortress contains ...

. King

also had a

Sverresborg Sverresborg (Norwegian:''Sverresborg i Trondheim'') or ''Sverre Sigurdsson's castle'' (''Kong Sverres borg'') was a fort and residence built in the medieval city of Nidaros (later Trondheim) by King Sverre Sigurdsson. The fortification was built ...

built in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

. It is thought that the fortress had an outer wall of stone and inner buildings of wood. ''

Sverris saga ''Sverris saga'' is one of the Kings' sagas. Its subject is King Sverre Sigurdsson of Norway (r. 1177–1202) and it is the main source for this period of Norwegian history. As the foreword tells us, the saga in its final form consists of more ...

'' mentions that 600 men and 40 noble women lived in the fortress ca. 1207. Sverresborg was the site of several battles during the

Civil war era in Norway The civil war era in Norway ( no, borgerkrigstida or ''borgerkrigstiden'') began in 1130 and ended in 1240. During this time in history of Norway, Norwegian history, some two dozen rival kings and pretenders War of succession, waged wars to clai ...

. The castle fell to the

bagler The Bagli Party or Bagler (Old Norse: ''Baglarr'', Norwegian Bokmål: ''Bagler'', Norwegian Nynorsk: ''Baglar'') was a faction or party during the Norwegian Civil Wars. The Bagler faction was made up principally of the Norwegian aristocracy, clerg ...

s and was destroyed, but was rebuilt by Håkon Jarl. The baglers destroyed it a second time and it has been rebuilt several times. Much of the remaining structures are from the 17th century. The site was reinforced by King

Håkon Håkonsson Haakon IV Haakonsson ( – 16 December 1263; Old Norse: ''Hákon Hákonarson'' ; Norwegian: ''Håkon Håkonsson''), sometimes called Haakon the Old in contrast to his namesake son, was King of Norway from 1217 to 1263. His reign lasted for 46 y ...

after the great fire of 1248. The medieval fort remained until the mid-16th century. Directly underneath Sverresborg lies the residence of the master of the ramparts (''Vollmesterboligen''), the oldest of which go back to the 18th century. The master of the ramparts was in charge of the maintenance and upkeep of the fortifications and buildings. In August 1665, the fortress participated in the

Battle of Vågen The Battle of Vågen was a naval battle between a Netherlands, Dutch merchant and treasure fleet; and an England, English flotilla of warships in August 1665 as part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The battle took place in Vågen, Bergen, Vågen ...

. The last known expansions took place during the

Napoleonic wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

Present day

In the 1830s a park was laid out in the area and in 1911 a petty officers school was established for Bergen Brigade (''Bergenske Brigades Underoffiserskole''). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

occupants established two anti aircraft batteries in the fortress. After the war, Sverresborg used as the execution site in connection with treason settlement. Seven German and one Norwegian war criminals were executed in Sverresborg in 1946. The fortress has not fulfilled an operative capacity since World War II, but is still used by the military of Norway for office and training facilities. The area is today under the command of the commandant of

Bergenhus Fortress Bergenhus fortress ( no, Bergenhus festning) is a fortress located in Bergen, Norway. Located at the entrance of Bergen harbour, the castle is one of the oldest and best preserved stone fortifications in Norway. History The fortress contains ...

and is a military area, but open to the public.''Sverresborg'' (Bergen Hash House Harriers)
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References

Other sources

*Krag, Claus ''Sverre – Norges største middelalderkonge'' (Oslo: H. Aschehoug & Co. 2005) *Litleskare, Ola ''Bergenhus på kryss og tvers'' (Bergen: 1998)

External links

Bergen history site (Norwegian)
Castles in Norway Forts in Norway Royal Norwegian Navy Military installations in Bergen 1184 establishments in Europe 12th-century establishments in Norway {{Fort-stub