Construction began in the late 1290s under King Haakon V, though the exact start is unknown, and the article says it was finished around 1300. The first written mention is a letter from Haakon to an Oslo church in 1300. The fortress stands on the banks of the Oslofjord.
After the fire of 1624, Christian IV had the city relocated closer to the fortress and renamed Christiania. The fortress was remodeled in a Renaissance style with Italian-inspired bastions. The article gives no dates for individual bastions or towers, and no dimensions.
It was besieged repeatedly, including by Swedish forces in 1308, 1449, 1523 and 1567. The article says it has never been successfully besieged by a foreign enemy, yet it surrendered to Nazi Germany in 1940 without combat. It is a military area, a former prison and the site of the Royal Mausoleum, and it is open to the public from 6:00 to 21:00 daily.
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