Akerøya sits in the sound between Hvaler's inner islands, a position that controlled all ship traffic heading north toward Christiania. When the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658 handed Bohuslen to Sweden, Norway's southeastern flank was suddenly exposed. Fortifying Akerøya around 1660 was the direct response: cannons, barracks and a garrison to watch the new border.
The fort saw its most dramatic chapter on 8 July 1716. The Swedish king Karl den tolvte was besieging Fredriksten fortress in Halden and had anchored his supply fleet in the narrow Dynekilen strait nearby. The 25-year-old Danish-Norwegian naval officer Peter Wessel Tordenskiold sailed in with just seven small vessels and attacked. In a five-hour battle he destroyed or captured all 29 Swedish transport ships, cutting the king's supply line and forcing the siege of Halden to collapse. It remains one of the most audacious naval raids in Scandinavian history.
The fort was strengthened again in 1744 and 1788 but lost its strategic value during the Napoleonic wars and was demolished in 1807. The ruins sat untouched for over 150 years until volunteers began restoring the site in 1962. Today Akerøy fort is only accessible by boat, which adds to its atmosphere. Summer boat services run from the Hvaler harbours.
The fort saw its most dramatic chapter on 8 July 1716. The Swedish king Karl den tolvte was besieging Fredriksten fortress in Halden and had anchored his supply fleet in the narrow Dynekilen strait nearby. The 25-year-old Danish-Norwegian naval officer Peter Wessel Tordenskiold sailed in with just seven small vessels and attacked. In a five-hour battle he destroyed or captured all 29 Swedish transport ships, cutting the king's supply line and forcing the siege of Halden to collapse. It remains one of the most audacious naval raids in Scandinavian history.
The fort was strengthened again in 1744 and 1788 but lost its strategic value during the Napoleonic wars and was demolished in 1807. The ruins sat untouched for over 150 years until volunteers began restoring the site in 1962. Today Akerøy fort is only accessible by boat, which adds to its atmosphere. Summer boat services run from the Hvaler harbours.