Castle Rock Tower

The Castle Rock/Slottsfjellet Tower is Tønsberg's most famous landmark, and is part of the Slottsfjellsmuseet, which is located at the foot of the hill. Today, Slottsfjellet is the largest ruin park in the Nordic region, from the magnificent development of the 1200s by King Håkon Håkonsens and Magnus Lagabøte.

The tower was built in wood in 1888 by the Tønsberg Seamen's Association in 1856. This burned down in 1876.

In connection with the city's 1000th anniversary in 1888, the tower was rebuilt as a thousand-year memorial, as it stands today. The tower is 17 meters high. At the top you will have a stunning views of the city (80 moh).

In the Middle Ages, Slottsfjellet was a royal resident and an important power center in Norway. It was also the largest medieval fortress in the 1300s.

Around the mountain there was a tall ring wall with watch towers and castles, and on the mountain were the Saint Michael church and the royal hall of Breidastova and the original main tower - probably even bigger and more beautiful than the tower of the day.

The powerful mountain cliff was created for a castle facility in the untidy times when old Tunsberg - Norway's most important naval port in the east - grew forth, and the battle of power between Norway's many kings ravaged the country.

A lot of exciting Norwegian history was written on The Castle Rock hill, or Mikkelsberg, as it once looked for the Mikael church on the mountain. Here, well-known Norwegian medieval kings and princesses got married, and power struggles between Baglerne and Birkebeinere became apparent. In the 1100s, the bagels shivered in the castle, but were later besieged by King Sverre and Birkebeinerne.

In the tower there is the cross from the Mary Church. A model of Cato Enger's model of old Tønsberg; Castrum Tunsbergis (Tunsberghus) is cast in bronze and stands outside the tower. Slottsfjelletårnet has its own postmark with motif.

The tower has three king inscriptions:

1906 - King Hakon VII during the coronation process
1958 - King Olav V during the signing process
1992 - King Harald V during the opening of Tønsberg and Nøtterøy Library