Kristiansten Fortress, Trondheim (must see)

Kristiansten Fortress sits on a hill east of Trondheim. It is named for Christian V, King of Denmark-Norway. It was built after the Swedish attack on Trondheim and the subsequent devastating fire of 1681. It was completed in 1685, just in the nick of time. The Swedes returned in 1718 with fire in their eyes. But, nothing stays the same.

Charles XII of Sweden led the invasion of 1718. He sent an army under General Carl Gustaf Armfeldt to seize Trondheim, but the Norwegians were ready. The defending army under general Vincent Budde resisted bitterly. The newly constructed Kristiansten Fortress and its associated defenses were effective. Armfeldt fell back.

Charles XII was felled by a bullet while attacking Fredricksten Fortress in the south. Armfeldt's army retreated to Sweden. They were starving and sick. Almost the entire army was lost in a freezing blizzard. Napoleon would have profited from a study of this campaign, but he needed to get to Moscow.

General John Caspar von Cicignon was a military engineer and chief inspector of fortifications. He drew up the plans for Kristiansten Fortress after the siege and fire debacle of 1681. The fortress was built between 1682 and 1684. He also built an advanced redoubt in the east and another by the river Nidelva.

The entire complex was encircled by a palisade, effectively fortifying the city. In 1750 the fortress was further improved with new bastions and casemates. The main building is a cube shaped defensive tower or donjon. Quarters and supply stores were in the center of the donjon.

Twenty-three patriots were executed in the fortress by Nazi occupiers in World War II. An ecumenical chapel is on the execution site. The tower and museum are the main draw in the fortress. A recreational area surrounds the fort. The national flag is raised when the Fortress is open.