Introduction to Drøbak

- «the city where the sun never sets»

We present our small town with a smile, because Drøbak is also known for its fabulous sunsets! Here you can sit by the blue Oslofjord in the boat or in a nice nightclub where you enjoy a better meal and lift a glass towards the sun as it goes down behind wooded hills to the west. White sails in the south wind and the scent of salty sea help to create the special Drøbak atmosphere on a beautiful summer evening. And maybe a wooden snail comes in tough with tonight's catch of fresh mackerel…

Winter also offers experiences in Drøbak: The fjord with frost smoke and drifting ice framed by a snow-covered landscape, cargo and passenger ships gliding past with lit lanterns - and glare from lighthouses and the floodlit Oscarsborg Fortress in the winter darkness. For now you are also in Santa's hometown, his spirit hovers over the city, the forest and the fjord… we treat ourselves to a little nostalgia, humor and adventure!

A short Drøbak story

Drøbak grew out of sailing ships in the 1700th and 1800th centuries. Here the ships loaded large blocks of ice and timber for export, and took home food and handicrafts and industrial products. In 1814, Drøbak became a customs post, and on 20 August 1842, Drøbak was granted city status as the first of the settlements in Akershus county. The place then had close to 1000 inhabitants.

The name Drøbak comes from the location: It is steep up from the fjord to the land within, and probably Drøbak is an abbreviation of "Drøye bakker".

The small cluster of wooden houses grew year by year, and to this day we can enjoy original, preserved wooden buildings from the 1700th century. The inner city of Drøbak is today a protection zone with strict architectural regulations to take care of the unique buildings. Fishermen, sailors, craftsmen and traders built their houses based on the opportunities and economic conditions of the time. And the small wooden buildings that once housed the poor along Fiskerstranda are today sought-after treasures. Drøbak is in many ways Norwegian history in a nutshell - today's prosperity must be experienced against a background of past poverty and hardship.

In 1962, the urban municipality of Drøbak was merged with the neighboring and agricultural municipality of Frogn. Drøbak is today the center in Frogn Municipality, with approx. 15 inhabitants. Today we find a wide range of nightclubs, shops, public institutions and small businesses in Drøbak. Many of them live in the classic wooden buildings that we are so proud of.

Old Drøbak conservation association stands today as a strong advocate for preserving and maintaining the city's old houses and environment. On the association's website, you can take a historical tour of Drøbak with photos showing the city before and now. You can choose between Norwegian, English, German and Italian text.

The bathing and artist city

The country's capital grew rapidly in the 1800th century, and many sought out the big city on a beach holiday in the summer. Fully loaded steamboats docked in Drøbak with wealthy guests from Christiania (which later became "Oslo" in 1925). Hotels, guest houses and shops experienced a heyday in the summers. Drøbak's contact with the sea again became a source of development, now with beaches and outdoor life as an asset. Drøbak became a seaside resort with a spa in Varmbadet in Badeparken close to the center. Drøbak is still a popular seaside resort with beaches, boulders and diving facilities - all with free admission.

Many well-known Norwegian painters and authors have had Drøbak as their place of inspiration and residence. Here came the Nobel Prize winner Knut Hamsun and the poet Herman Wildenvey, as well as painters such as Kristian Krohg, the brothers Bergslien, Hans Fredrik Gude and Edvard Diriks - who were Edvard Munch's cousins. In our own time, perhaps the artist Ferdinand Finne is the most famous. His saying "The road is created while you walk" can be used for a trip around Drøbak!

The fortress town

Drøbak's history is inextricably linked to Oscarsborg Fortress. Where the Oslo Fjord is at its narrowest, a fortress was built as early as 1643–45. Towards the end of the 1800th century, a large-scale expansion of the fortress took place, and at the dissolution of the Union with Sweden in 1905, Oscarsborg was perhaps Norway's strongest military resource. That large parts of the fortress were built by Swedish masons is therefore a fun reflection.

But the fortress gained the most importance in 1940. When Hitler-Germany attacked Norway without a declaration of war on April 9, 1940, an improvised and poorly trained garrison managed to sink the German cruiser "Blücher" with cannon shots and torpedoes. The invaders got to taste their own product, because the cannons "Aaron" and "Joshua" were made in Germany. They were fired on the orders of Colonel Birger Eriksen, who after the war was honored for his efforts.

The Germans had gathered key people and the most important resources on board the Blücher. When the cruiser went down and took nearly 900 men into the depths, the invasion was delayed. The Norwegian royal family, the government, the Storting and Norges Bank's gold reserves were evacuated from Oslo, and this laid the foundation for later Norwegian war efforts from London. Blücher is still located as a war grave at the bottom of the Oslo Fjord, at Askholmene northeast of Oscarsborg. It was a ticking environmental bomb until it was emptied of bunker oil in 1994-95. The anchors of Blücher have been raised, and one is today a memorial in Badeparken in Drøbak, close to the statue of Colonel Birger Eriksen.

Oscarsborg Fortress currently has no military functions, but has a military commander and split flag. The fortress has a solid defense museum, and is an exciting experience with guided tours. Restaurants, hotels and guest harbors help to make the fortress something in itself. The courtyard is used in the summer for large-scale cultural events, with professional opera productions as a specialty. From Drøbak there is a regular ferry to Oscarsborg.

Drøbak Aquarium - Oslofjorden's marine biological center

The aquarium was built with the help of Drøbak Båtforening and contains a large number of species of fish, shellfish and marine animals found in Drøbaksundet. The aim was to recreate the environment and life in the fjord, and the aquarium is today the only saltwater aquarium in Eastern Norway. Many schools organize class trips here, this is a living presentation of nature and the environment for both children and adults. Today, the Aquarium is run in collaboration with the Marine Biological Research Station in Drøbak, which is part of the University of Oslo.