Silver Bridge

Fredrikstad, founded in 1567, is the last town along the river Glomma, the main provider of water to the power stations of Hafslund ASA, my former employer.

Approaching Fredrikstad you can't avoid noticing the "Silver bridge" that binds the east and west bank  together.

In the menu you will find more information about some of the local areas close to where I live with my family.

Old Town

The Old Town of Fredrikstad is really worth a visit.

The historical fortress, founded in the late 1500, was totally destroyed by fire in 1764. In the 1850s and 60s more fires destroyed most of the civilian buildings once again.

After the Artillery withdrew after 350 years, it's now a tourist and recreational area well known in both Norway and abroad. Several times every week, I walk, run or use my bike through or around this magnificent area.

You can find rare bird, big swans, cafés, restaurants, views, green areas to sit down or a bench somewhere to enjoy a nice book. Or just look around and relax.

Close by you can also visit the historic area of Nabbetorp in the north, and Vaterland just outside the old walls south of the main fortress. Both with their significent place in the local industrial history.

The Quay

A small ferry takes you over to the city where you can sit down on....

.... the Quay of Fredrikstad. Every summer it's crowded with people enjoying the sun and a cold beer.

I have tried it... It works...

The nice pedestrian area and city centre has several good restaurants, some hotels and plenty of shops. Parking is no problem, two large parking areas inside two different hills solves the problem a lot of other cities have.

Festivals

The annual festival of Glomma (Glommafestivalen) is held in July. This maritime festival is one of the highlights in Fredrikstad in the summer time, drawing people from all around the eastern parts of Norway, and both local and foreign artists.

The Quay is visited by numerous wooden boats, giving the festival the proper maritime atmosphere.

Another festival, more focused on music, is the Moon festival (Månefestivalen) that's held in the Old Town in end of July. Bands, writers and clovns gather for a weekend filled with cultural experiences for all the visitors.

The Old Town normally fills up with people from all over, and of the weather is nice the get a good time here.