Solbergtårnet rises 30 metres from a forest clearing near Skjeberg, combining contemporary architecture with one of Norway's densest concentrations of Bronze Age rock art. The tower was designed by Canadian-born, Bergen-based architect Todd Saunders, who was approached in 2004 without a predetermined brief. His insight was that the flat Østfold landscape hid its beauty at ground level; only from height could the surrounding nature be appreciated. The result, completed in 2010, is a striking nine-storey structure containing only a staircase and an elevator, rising from an asymmetrical ramped wall that starts at ground level and gradually ascends to form the tower.
Along the ramp, Saunders designed seven small pavilions showcasing information about the local Bronze Age rock carvings, making the approach itself an interpretive journey through 3,000 years of history. The Solberg field consists of three separate rock carving sites depicting ships, four-wheeled wagons, sun wheels, and, unusually, a tree symbol that is extremely rare in Scandinavian rock art and interpreted as a fertility or tree of life symbol. The name Solberg translates as sun mountain, fitting for a site where Bronze Age people carved sun wheels into the rock.
From the summit, visitors get panoramic views across the Oslofjord and the Swedish border landscape. The tower sits within the broader Oldtidsruta, the Ancient Trail along highway 110, which also includes the famous Bjørnstadskipet, one of the largest known ship carvings in northern Europe. Saunders' design transformed this area from a highway drive-through into a destination, revealing a landscape of ancient sacred art that most people simply drove past without knowing it existed.
Along the ramp, Saunders designed seven small pavilions showcasing information about the local Bronze Age rock carvings, making the approach itself an interpretive journey through 3,000 years of history. The Solberg field consists of three separate rock carving sites depicting ships, four-wheeled wagons, sun wheels, and, unusually, a tree symbol that is extremely rare in Scandinavian rock art and interpreted as a fertility or tree of life symbol. The name Solberg translates as sun mountain, fitting for a site where Bronze Age people carved sun wheels into the rock.
From the summit, visitors get panoramic views across the Oslofjord and the Swedish border landscape. The tower sits within the broader Oldtidsruta, the Ancient Trail along highway 110, which also includes the famous Bjørnstadskipet, one of the largest known ship carvings in northern Europe. Saunders' design transformed this area from a highway drive-through into a destination, revealing a landscape of ancient sacred art that most people simply drove past without knowing it existed.
