Munkholmen: Island With Intriguing Yet Dark And Scary History

Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – A place must not be of great size to have a long and rich history. Munkholmen is certainly proof of that. Located in the Trondheim fjord, Norway, Munkholmen is today a beautiful small island and a popular tourist destination. However, this was by no means the case in the past.

Olav Tryggvason becomes king of Norway. Painting 1860 – credit: Peter Nicolai Arbo (1831–1892)

Visiting Munkholmen was something most wanted to avoid at all costs. The small island has a very intriguing yet dark and scary history.

Before the 12th century, Munkholmen was used as the  Court. of Justice. It was also the central place for execution. Heads of enemies of the state were placed on stakes as a warning to potential enemies. Among them were also heads of Haakon Sigurdsson and Tormod Kark to warn visitors. It happened by order of the Viking King of Norway,  Olav Tryggvason.

Source: AncientPages.com – Read the rest of the article here