Drøbak, Norway

Traditionally, Drøbak was the winter harbour of Oslo, since in severe winters the fjord would freeze from outside Drøbak to Oslo. The cargo would be taken into Oslo on horse drawn sledges. In the 18^th century, Drøbak grew as the sail ship industry established itself here. Here the ships loaded their cargo of ice blocks and timber and returned with grain and industrial products for the Oslo area.

Drøbak is close to Oscarsborg fortress, which played a major role in the early days of World War II. The fortress is located at the narrowed point in the Osofjord and already in 1643, a stronghold was built here. At the end of the 1800s an extensive expansion took place, and in 1905 the fortress was the strongest of Norway’s military defences. This is where the German cruiser Blucher was sunk on the early morning of the 9^th of April 1940. The cruiser was transporting German soldiers and bureaucrats for the planned swift occupation of Oslo, but the Battle of Drøbak Sound, resulting in the sinking by the fortress delayed this, and thus allowed the evacuation of the Norwegian royal family, parliament, and cabinet, and for the nation’s gold reserves to be denied to the occupiers. The Blucher still lies at the bottom of the sound, though the ship’s anchors have been lifted and one of them is in the Seaside Park in Drøbak besides a statue of Colonel Birger Eriksen, who was the one who ordered that the Blucher be fired on.

In the 19^th century, as Oslo began to grow, Drøbak became an ideal seaside resort for the summer months. Steamboats landed the visitors in Drøbak, and they stayed in the hotels and guesthouses. Eventually, a seaside resort and spa was established near the town.