Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Therealhighlight ofthezooisthe
Northern Wilderness
(NordiskVilmark), wherevis-
itors are transported over the habitat of moose, wolves, lynx and wolverines on elevated
boardwalks.
Posebyen
OLD TOWN
Offline map
Google map
The Kristiansand Posebyen (Old Town) takes in most of the 14
blocks at the northern end of the town's characteristic
kvadraturen
(square grid pattern of
streets). It's worth taking a slow stroll around this pretty quarter, whose name was given
by French soldiers who came to
reposer
(French for relax). A scale model (with buildings
around 1m high) of the city as it appeared when designed by Christian IV is on view at
Vest-Agder Folk Museum. The annual
Kristiansand
guide, published by the tourist office,
includes a good section called 'A Stroll through Posebyen' to guide your wandering. The
tourist office alsooffersavariety ofdifferent guidedtoursoftheOldTown,including ones
that take you inside people's houses and others that will have you singing with the town's
choral societies. The most well-preserved buildings include
Bentsens Hus
Offline map
(Kronprinsens gate 59)
,whichdatesto1855,the
former post office
Offline map
(Kron-
prinsens gate 45)
dating to 1695 and
Gyldenløves gate 56
Offline map
(1802).
Christiansholm Fortress
FORTRESS
Offline map
Google map
(Kristiansand Festning; admission free; grounds
9am-9pm mid-May-mid-Sep)
ThemostprominentfeaturethatsitsalongtheStrandprom-
enaden is the distinctive Christiansholm Fortress. Built by royal decree between 1662 and
1672 to keep watch over the strategic Skagerrak Straits and protect the city from pirates
and rambunctious Swedes, the construction featured walls up to 5m thick and an armoury
buried within a concentric inner wall. It was connected to the mainland by a bridge over a
moat (filled in during the 19th century) deep enough to accommodate tall ships. The fort-
ress served its purpose - it was never taken by enemy forces.
Agder Nature Museum & Botanic Gardens
GARDENS
(
www.vestagdermuseet.no
;
Gimleveien 23; adult/child Nkr40/15; noon-5pm mid-
Jun-mid-Aug)
The winding paths through the established 50-hectare park at Gimle Estate
leadthroughabotanicgardenthatalsocontainsrocks,minerals,stuffedanimalsandgreen-
houses containing the largest collection of cacti in Norway. The estate house has 19th-cen-
turyperiodinteriorsandextraordinaryteethlike columnsatthefront,andthere'salsoahis-
