On the northwestern tip of Fjøløy island, the German occupation forces built a coastal fortress in 1942 to 1943, part of the Atlantikwall defences guarding the approaches to Stavanger. The battery consisted of three 21-centimetre mortars in concrete emplacements, manned by about 150 soldiers housed in barracks, with ammunition bunkers, a command post, and a network of trenches cut into the rock. After the war, the fortress was sealed and left untouched for nearly 70 years.
In 2011, Fjøløy Fort opened to the public for the first time. Volunteers from Fjøløy Festung Venner cleared vegetation, restored paths, and opened the bunkers for guided tours. One of the 1942 barracks buildings has been converted into a staffed DNT cabin with 22 beds, operated by Stavanger Turistforening, making it one of the most unusual DNT cabins in Norway: sleeping in a former military barracks surrounded by gun emplacements and bunkers.
Adjacent to the fortress stands Fjøløy fyr, a cast-iron lighthouse erected in 1849 and automated in 1981. The lighthouse is one of the older surviving iron towers on the coast, painted white with a red lantern room. The island itself is connected by bridge to Rennesøy, which in turn is connected to Stavanger via the Ryfylke tunnel. A marked trail loops through the fortress area, past the lighthouse, and along the coastline with views across Boknafjorden.
In 2011, Fjøløy Fort opened to the public for the first time. Volunteers from Fjøløy Festung Venner cleared vegetation, restored paths, and opened the bunkers for guided tours. One of the 1942 barracks buildings has been converted into a staffed DNT cabin with 22 beds, operated by Stavanger Turistforening, making it one of the most unusual DNT cabins in Norway: sleeping in a former military barracks surrounded by gun emplacements and bunkers.
Adjacent to the fortress stands Fjøløy fyr, a cast-iron lighthouse erected in 1849 and automated in 1981. The lighthouse is one of the older surviving iron towers on the coast, painted white with a red lantern room. The island itself is connected by bridge to Rennesøy, which in turn is connected to Stavanger via the Ryfylke tunnel. A marked trail loops through the fortress area, past the lighthouse, and along the coastline with views across Boknafjorden.
