Castle · Oslo, Norway
Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Built 1290.
Photo: Thomas Dahlstrøm Nielsen via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Oslo, Norway |
|---|---|
| Type | Castle |
| Built | 1290 |
| Coordinates | 59.9067° N, 10.7361° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Akershus Fortress is known for
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city.
About Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. It is located on the banks of the Oslofjord. Since the Middle Ages the fortress has been the namesake and centre of the main fief and later main county of Akershus, which was originally one of Norway's four main regions and which included most of Eastern Norway.
History
It is not known exactly when the construction of the castle started but it is believed that it took place around the late 1290s, by King Haakon V, replacing Tønsberg as one of the two most important Norwegian castles of the period (the other being Båhus). It was constructed in response to the Norwegian nobleman, Earl Alv Erlingsson of Sarpsborg's earlier attack on Oslo that occurred in 1287. In the aftermath of the attack, it became clear that the city's existing defences were not effective and therefore, a stronger defensive centre was needed.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Oslo |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL) |
| Distance from the airport | 23.5 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Oslo-Gardermoen International Airport (OSL) · Oslo (Gardermoen), Norway · 23.5 miles away
- Sandefjord Airport, Torp (TRF) · Sandefjord(Torp), Norway · 52.5 miles away
- Scandinavian Mountains Airport (SCR) · Malung-Sälen, Sweden · 112.4 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Norway
More castles
Frequently asked questions
What is Akershus Fortress?
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city.
Where is Akershus Fortress located?
Akershus Fortress is in Oslo, Norway. Its coordinates are 59.9067° N, 10.7361° E.
How do I get to Akershus Fortress?
The nearest town is Oslo, and the nearest airport is Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL), about 23.5 miles away (straight line).
When was Akershus Fortress built?
Akershus Fortress was built 1290.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akershus_Fortress — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q644464 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.