2022 Nordic Cruise - Day 6 Kristiansand

I’m always hesitant to mention weather karma too early in a trip, but we had another perfect day today. And the people in Kristiansand were out in droves to take advantage of it. But more on that later.

Kristiansand was founded in 1641 by King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway. He’d intended for it to become a commercial city, but until the late 19th century it remained relatively unimportant. Fires destroyed much of the city in 1880 and 1892, and as it was rebuilt, its population and industry grew.. It is now the 5th largest city in Norway, with a population of over 40,000. This is the first Norwegian port we’ve visited that looks like an honest-to-goodness city. 

We spent several hours walking around the city center and along the river and harbor parks, people-watching, exploring and geocaching. The city is immaculate, full of flowers and sculptures. There are lots of parks, playgrounds and pedestrian streets.

The Neo-Gothic cathedral was built on the city’s central square in 1885. It was built of brick, after the fire of 1880 destroyed the previous version. The interior is fairly plain, but has a wonderful wooden ceiling (rather daring, given the history of fires) and a pipe organ upon which concerts are frequently given. 

Market stands and restaurants spilled into the street alongside the cathedral. Most enticing was the smultringer truck. You could get ice cream and other treats there, but I’d go for the donuts. 

Main square

And gardens across from the municipal buildings above.

The Posebyen district is a few blocks from the cathedral. Over 300 years old, it is Northern Europe’s longest continuous wooden housing development. The charming low-rise white timber houses somehow survived the fires in the 1800s. They’ve been meticulously maintained, preserving an architectural style once common throughout the north of Europe. 

The River Otra runs through Kristiansand. Lots of new-ish housing line the banks. The complexes include such quality-of-life features as community gardens, creative wastewater treatment flowing stages and green rooftop terraces 

There is a public beach in the harbor. Kristiansanders of all shapes and sizes were out enjoying the sunshine and 70 degree weather. 

The city fortress was built on an island between 1662-1672 and connected to the mainland by a 100 m (300 ft) bridge.  The channel was deep enough that tall ships could anchor there.  By the 19th century, however, the channel was filled in and one could walk to the fortress. The original roof and other woodwork on the round fortress were destroyed in the fire of 1892. It was replaced by a modern structure over glass windows in 1972. Only 8 cannons of the original 62 remain.

Walking back to the ship, we passed a mural of a real Huldra, tail and all. She did look pretty scary. Greg observed that she was not at all alluring.