Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
farmhouse, transmutes the slightest fluctuations in natural light into haunting, ever-chan-
ging music. To get here, follow Rv110 east for about 9km from Fredrikstad; the centre is
2.1km north of the main road.
BORGARSYSSEL MUSEUM
This excellent Østfold county
museum (
www.ostfoldmuseet.no
,
in Norwegian; Gam-
lebygaten 8, Sarpsborg; adult/child Nkr40/free; 10am-4pm Tue-Fri, noon-5pm Sat
& Sun Jun-Aug)
lies in the town ofSarpsborg(14km northeast ofFredrikstad). The open-
air display contains 30 period buildings from various parts of the country and includes a
vast collection of cultural art and artefacts. It also has a
herb garden
, a
petting zoo
and
the
ruins
of King Øystein's St Nikolas church, constructed in 1115 and destroyed by the
Swedes in 1567. From Fredrikstad, trains and buses run frequently to Sarpsborg.
OLDTIDSVEIEN
People have lived and worked in the Østfold region for thousands of years, and numerous
examples of ancient stone works and rock paintings lie along the Oldtidsveien (Old Times
Way), the old sunken road between Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg. At Solberg, there are three
panels with around 100 figures dating back 3000 years. At Gunnarstorp are several 30m-
wide
Bronze Age burial mounds
and several
Iron Age standing stones
. The site at
Begby includes well-preserved renditions of ships, men and animals, while Hunn has sev-
eral
stone circles
and a series of
burial mounds
dating from 500 BC to AD 800. The
rock
paintings
at Hornes clearly depict 21 ships complete with oarsmen. The sites are signpos-
ted off the E6, just south of Sarpsborg, but they may also be visited on a long day walk or
bike ride from Fredrikstad.
Halden
POP 28,100
The soporific border town of Halden, at the end of Iddefjord between steep rocky head-
lands, possesses a hugely significant history as a cornerstone of Norwegian defence
through centuries of Swedish aggression. With a pretty little harbour filled with yachts, a
loomingfortressrisingupbehindthetownandasprinklingofdecentrestaurants,thisplace
makes a worthwhile detour.
The Halden
tourist office ( 69 19 09 80;
www.visithalden.com
;
Torget 2;
9am-4.30pm Mon-Fri mid-Jun-mid-Aug, 9am-3.30pm Mon-Fri rest of yr)
, just off
