Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A Bike Ride to the “Three Swords”
Moments
On a summer day we like to get the makings of a picnic and set out to
see
Sverd I Fjell,
or the Three Swords monument at Hafrsfjord. This is
the spot where King Hårald Fairhair united Norway into one kingdom
in 872. In 1983 Fritz Røed created this monument, and it was unveiled
by King Olav. The monument, standing as a symbol of unification,
depicts Viking sword sheaths modeled on actual swords found in vari-
ous parts of the country. The crowns on the tops of the swords repre-
sent the Norwegian districts that took part in the epic battle for
unification. From the center of Stavanger, bike along Mosvannet Lake,
continuing along Route 510 toward Sola. Allow about half an hour to
reach this monument. The area of Møllebukta itself, in which the mon-
ument lies, is a popular outdoors spot of great beauty.
the most effective and eloquent tributes in Stavanger to the workaday heroism
of 19th- and early-20th-century Norway.
The fourth museum,
Ledaal
, Eiganesveien 45, was built by Gabriel
Schanche Kielland, a shipowner and merchant, in the years 1799 to 1803. The
mansion is a fine example of the neoclassical style as interpreted in western Nor-
way, with interior furnishings that are mainly rococo, Empire, and Biedermeier.
This is the official—but rarely used—residence of the Norwegian royal family
during their visits to Stavanger and Rogaland county, of which Stavanger is the
capital. It's painted a shade of Pompeian red and set adjacent to one of Sta-
vanger's most evocative cemeteries. It's separated from a road leading into Sta-
vanger, about a 15-minute walk uphill from the harbor, by a wall of very large
boulders. The look is country-rustic and baronial, and is completely permeated
with a sense of genteel 18th-century aristocracy and all-wood construction; it's
closed in December and January.
The fifth museum is
Breidablikk
, Eiganesveien 40A. Set across the road
from Ledaal (see above), it was built by another merchant and shipowner, Lars
Berensten, in 1881 and 1882. Both the exterior and interior of the house are
preserved in their original condition. It's a teeny-weeny bit kitschy, thanks to an
exaggerated alpine-
gemütlich
style, a coat of almost-too-bright ocher paint (with
dark brown trim), and yard upon yard of elaborate gingerbread running along
the eaves and verandas. It's Victoriana/Carpenter gone wild, and an amusing
sightseeing diversion; it's closed December and January.
Utstein Kloster
This is Norway's only preserved medieval abbey. In the
9th century, Utstein was one of the royal residences of Harald Hårfagre, the
Fairhair, Norway's first monarch. In 1250 it belonged to Magnus Lagabøter (the
Lawmender) who as king would draft Norway's first constitution, then the most
democratic in the world. Magnus gave Utstein to the canons of an Augustinian
order, who constructed their abbey around his fortress at the end of the 1200s.
With the coming of the Reformation, Utstein became one of the largest private
estates in western Norway. In summer sporadic concerts featuring leading jazz
and classical musicians are staged in its chapel.
Mosterøy.
&
51-72-47-05.
Admission 40NOK ($5.70) adults, 10NOK ($1.40) children, free for children
under age 7. May to mid-Sept Tues-Sat 10am-4pm; Sun noon-5pm.