Christiansholm Fortress
A round tower fortress from 1672 guarding the east harbour
A round tower fortress on a skerry that is now joined to the mainland. Built in 1662-1672 to guard the east harbour, decommissioned in 1872 and today a venue for culture and events.
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What Christiansholm is
Christiansholm Fortress is a round tower fortress just off the Kristiansand shore. It was built to defend the city's east harbour. The fortress stands on a small skerry around 90 metres from the shore. The skerry is now joined to the mainland, so you can walk to the fortress.
Its military days are long over. Today it is owned by the municipality and used for culture and events.
Design
Christiansholm consists of two towers, one set inside the other. On the outside is the cannon tower, "Kongens batteri" (the King's Battery), 35 m in diameter with walls around 5 m thick. This is where the cannon that guarded the east harbour stood.
In the middle is the powder tower. It rises about 6 m above the outer ring, and its walls are 1.25 m thick. From outside you see a broad ring with a taller tower at its centre.
History
Plans for the fortress date back to Christian IV, who founded Kristiansand in 1641. Construction began in 1662 under Frederik III, and the fortress was finished in 1672. The master builder was Willem Coucheron, and the tower itself went up between 1667 and 1672.
The fortress saw its only battle in 1807, against a British squadron that included HMS Spencer. Christiansholm was decommissioned in 1872.
Today
The fortress is popular with visitors and is used as a venue for culture and events. It is owned by Kristiansand municipality, so it now belongs to the city whose harbour it once protected.
The street grid of the city centre dates from the same era: Kvadraturen is the centre Christian IV had laid out in 1641. For a swim, the city beaches are on the Beaches page, and more places to visit are under Sights.