picnic with friends
low tide - looking for crabs
Stavern’s geographical position results in a staggering average of 200 sunny days per year and it is surprisingly hot during the summer. Unusually long spring and summer months offer a natural attraction for a country more used to long winter months, especially when blue skies meet the sea in an uninterrupted horizon.
The Coastal Path - The longest marked pathway to be found in Norway starts in Stavern. This 35km pathway will take you past 17 campsites, 3000 summer cabins and a totally unspoilt stretch of coast line. Experience the exhilarating sea air as you explore this truly unique area.
The first main construction in Stavern can be traced to Count Ulrik Fredrik Gyldenløve who built Citadellet on the island of Karlsøy among the idyllic skerries of Stavern in the 1680’s. Karlsøy was later renamed Citadell Isle after the fort. During the Nordic war (1709–1720) the fort became of great importance as the only naval base for the Danish/Norwegian fleet as well as for the ships that continued to sail between Norway and Denmark with mail and provisions.
It was during these years that naval hero Peter Wessel Tordenskiold made his mark in Stavern. History tells us that he fell in love with a girl from Stavern and legend has it that her ghost now wanders along the ramparts of Citadellet. Gustav Vigeland (sculptor) created a bronze statue of Tordenskiold that stands on a rock in the port overlooking his old berth.Citadell Isle is now an idyllic recreational area. In the early 1900’s , the old Commander’s Residence on the Isle became a holiday retreat and was much favoured by national artists such as Hans Gude, Christian Krogh and Odd Nerdrum who have said that Citadell Isle later inspired their work.
Fredriksvern Verft
In 1750 King Fredrik V commissioned the construction of Fredriksvern Verft, which would be Norways premier naval base and largest naval port. In central Stavern, the yellow and ochre coloured barracks that were once used as boat sheds and quarters for the Commanders, Officers and crew can still be seen and are well worth a visit.
