In 1183-84 King Sverre built his castle on a small rocky hilltop above what would later become the suburbs of Trondheim. Sverresborg, Norway’s first stone castle, gave King Sverre, the King of the Birkenbeiner, a stronghold during his wars to rule the country.

We walked up to the castle ruins where only some stone walls seem to remain. Apparently, the gatehouse and surrounding walls were stone but the plateau inside had wooden houses with sod roofs. They recently dug out the castle well, where they found a skeleton — or most of one, the head is missing — probably from one of the two times the castle was broached.

While the Germans occupied Norway from 1940 – 1945, they used the castle rock for fortifications.

The view from the hilltop was magnificent; the wind, blustery and icy cold.

~ Nancy Samuels