The Fortress Where Charles XII Fell
The fortress that was never taken, and the spot where a Swedish king fell.
Take the trip in PinPoint World
Find the trip under Plan in the app, and stamp each stop when you are there. Free, and you can start without an account.
Fredriksten Fortress towers over Halden and withstood six attacks without being taken. The walk starts at Rød Manor by the river Tista and climbs through the wooden houses of Sørhalden to the fortress. At the memorial to Charles XII you stand where the Swedish king was shot in 1718, and nobody knows for sure who fired. From the outworks Gyldenløve and Overberget you see the whole fortress and the town below. The museum is only open in summer, but the ramparts are open all year.
The stops
- 1
Rød herregård
One of Norway's best-preserved manor houses, with gardens and a park down to the Tista.
- 2
Fredriksten fortress
This 17th-century fortress withstood six attacks. The museum tells its story up to 1905.
- 3
Minnesmerke over Karl XII
The memorial marks the spot where the Swedish king was shot on 11 December 1718.
- 4
Gyldenløve
The only part of the fortress an attacker ever captured, with a view over the whole fortress.
- 5
Overberget
The largest of the outworks, south of the fortress, with a view over the town.
About the trip
- Where
- Halden
- Getting around
- On foot
- Time
- 2 h 24 min
- Distance
- 3.7 km
- Stops
- 5
- Themes
- History, Views, Family
Practical
- Start
- Halden station. The Østfold Line has a train every hour from Oslo S.
- Finish
- Halden station, down through Sørhalden.
- Toilets
- At the museum and the restaurant at the fortress, and at the station.
- Accessibility
- Short, steep slopes up to the fortress, about 110 metres of climbing. Gravel and grass on the ramparts. Hard going with a pushchair, and not for wheelchairs without help.