Akershus Castle and Fortress
Construction of Akershus Castle and Fortress was started in 1299 by King Håkon V Magnusson to protect the town against attack. When Oslo burned down in the fire of 1624, the whole town was rebuilt beneath the fortress walls. On the fortress grounds within those walls lies Akershus Castle, which has served as a royal residence, a site of national assemblies and other gatherings of distinguished men, an administrative and educational centre and a venue for art exhibitions and cultural performances. After the Second World War, the castle was renovated and used for banquets for the King and government of Norway. Today the fortress, which was once built to protect the town from foreign attack, is eminently well suited for representation purposes, a place where visitors to the capital can get a unique insight into the city’s history.
The Romerike Hall is named after the conscripted peasants from the Romerike district outside of Oslo who took part in the reconstruction of the building after the fire of 1527. In 1633, the hall was renovated again, this time with bricks instead of half-timbered walls. The hall at that time was divided into three rooms and was panelled in green wainscoting. From 1642 to 1651, the middle room was used as an office room for the governor, Hannibal Sehested. When the hall was redone as a temporary church in 1738, the rooms were converted into a single big hall again.
Christian IV’s Hall is named after King Christian IV, king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 to 1648. At that time, the hall was divided into several rooms and was used as a royal residence. The queen’s rooms faced south and west, while the king’s apartments were at the opposite end of the building. In 1738, the hall was renovated and given its current interior arrangement. On the walls hang the series of tapestries, "The Riding School" (Rideskolen) from about 1650, by E. Leyniers.
