Akershus Fortress

Read in Telegram in English
Leer en Telegram en Español

In Norway, a friend of mine went to prison...

Don't worry, this has nothing to do with our iceclimbing training in Norway, it just coincided. Occasionally visiting Oslo, I suddenly wanted to see an old friend, but they told me that he was in prison.

Early spring in the mountains of Norway

In any other country in the world this would be very bad news, I would sincerely sympathize with him. But in Norway everything is different - this event does not reach even the concept of “trouble”. And after talking with him on the phone for a while, I’ll be honest... I was even a little envious.

We got on the phone without any problems - prisoners in Norway are allowed several phone calls every day. At the other end of the “line” there was a cheerful, calm voice, definitely in high spirits - they gave him his favorite pancakes with jam for breakfast.

- How is it in a Norwegian prison? - I asked

Norwegian flag over Akershus fortress in the center of Oslo

And here it is: a clean, spacious room for 6 prisoners, no aggression at all from either the staff or the inmates. Wake up at 7 am, exercise, then they have two free hours. From 9 A.M. to 17 P.M. - work with a lunch break in the carpentry shop, they are engaged in the manufacture of wooden furniture, the work is paid better than in many places in the wild...

Free evening, access to library, gym, volleyball court. Two-hour visits from the outside are allowed twice a week. Among the restrictions - there is no free access to the Internet - that is so panful indeed.

Guard of honor at the Royal Palace in Oslo

I wanted to visit my friend, but I was not allowed - as a foreigner I needed a certificate from Interpol and the consulate of my own country - I am not sure which one would be more difficult to get.

The effect of being “behind bars” is amazing. People who violate the law are placed in quite comfortable conditions, where they are obliged to lead a healthy lifestyle. For many prisoners, lack of access to alcohol and drugs, a comfortable social atmosphere, a regulated daily routine, proper nutrition, and even the need to exercise - al that already has a positive effect.

Needless to say, every prisoner in Norway has access to the highest quality medical care.

Oslo

The system works to ensure that people with behavioral deviations - here we are talking about mild or moderate cases, maniacs do not count - have every chance of self correction and social rehabilitation. This is the point of the Norwegian penitentiary system, and in theory, any similar system. Not to crush their lives permanently, but to help people return to a healthy life.

Any stable operating structure has its historical prerequisites; it is obvious that Norway did not immediately find itself at this level of development.

Some hundred years ago in the same Norway - no oil and or any signs of prosperity

Having become interested in the question, I decided to use my free day in Oslo and go on an excursion to the Akershus Fortress. In the past, Akershus was Norway's most terrible and brutal prison, where those sentenced to life in prison or death were held. And there were quite many of them, given the country's turbulent recent past.

Akershus Prison during the Nazi occupation of Norway

Norway which today is the country with the most humane system of punishment, 100 years ago was extremely cruel and inhumane towards its prisoners. Now on the site of the former prison in the Akershus fortress there is a museum where, without any political slogans (this is very important for the museum), the past of Norway is shown. What can I say - over the past 100 years this country has gone through several stages of evolution, having tasted the “delights” of occupation, communist fever, partisanship, and democracy.

The beginning of the 20th century was turbulent for Norway

There is no shame in showing the past if there is no desire to return to it.

The gloomy casemates of the ancient fortress were a place of lifelong torture. Many crimes in Norway in the 19th and early 20th centuries were punished extremely cruelly. The prisons were overcrowded, conditions were so harsh that the number of prisoner riots exceeded the state's ability to control them.

Cell of a political prisoner in Akershus prison, early 20th century. Almost luxury conditions

Akershus prison housed the most “incorrigible” criminals by the standards of that time. Overcrowded cells and hard labor killed people. The rate of suicide, murder and death from disease in Akershus prison was one of the highest in Europe.

A souvenir from Norway's recent past

One of the exhibits at the Akershus Fortress Museum is a selfmade weapon, with which a prisoner killed several guards during an (unsuccessful) escape attempt. Can you imagine the level of hatred and madness that pushed the unfortunate man to literally tear several jailers to death with a piece of wood studded with nails?!

In September 1923, Rudolf Hansen beat two Akershus prison guards to death with this thing

The Akershus Fortress Museum makes a heavy, but generally balanced impression. And, perhaps, optimistic. The country, which today is one of the first in the terms of living standards, social guarantees and freedoms for its citizens, most recently (by historical standards) was hell for those who did not agree to live by its laws. And there were so many of them.

Akershus fortress and former prison in Oslo

And outside, spring was in its full swing. The day was very warm and sunny, a light wind from the fjord played with the rigging of ancient ships moored at the pier. Noisy seagulls frolic and fished. The first spring flowers appeared in the dark thawed areas.

Ancient sailboats moored in the port of Oslo

Even for me, a casual visitor to the fortress, it was a joy to go outside from the heavy dark walls of the ancient casemates.

Author of texts and photographs - Alex Trubachev
Your professional mountaineering, rock climbing and ice climbing guide in Norway

MCS EDIT 2024