Varmland: Part 3 - Day 2 Evening: Eda Skans, Peace Statue Sweden-Norway Border, Kongsvinger Fortress, Eksharad Church

11 May 2018

From Fordonsmuseum, we continued our way towards Norway. Along the way, we stopped at Eda Skans. We sat by this view to have our ICA lunch. I had salad while he had grilled chicken. 

Eda skans is a fortification in the municipality of Eda between the central areas of Charlottenberg and Åmotfors on Bysjön. The site was chosen to defend the pass between the lakes Hugn and Bysjön . An attacker who came from Norway on the way from the Norwegian Wings, the current Kongsvinger , could easily be shot with artillery from the heights south of the Eda church . In the winter, artillery from Eda Skans was able to master the winter road over Lake Bysjön. Source from Wikipedia.

Soon after, we have reached the Sweden-Norway Border. Behind me is a peace statue.

We entered into Norway at 5.20pm for a few hours to visit Kongsvinger Fortress, and back to Sweden again.

Kongsvinger Fortress (Norwegian: Kongsvinger festning) is located in the city and municipality of Kongsvinger in the county of Hedmark, Norway. It is situated on a hill west and north of the Glomma river, standing astride the ancient Vinger Royal Road, which connected Norway and Värmland, Sweden as well as on the north-south Norwegian route along the Glomma. As Kongsvinger formed a key junction point for these routes, fortifications were constructed there to protect against invasion from the east. Although a significant part of the Norwegian border fortification during several wars with Sweden, Kongsvinger never saw attack. The closest offensive occurred in 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars, when a Swedish column advanced against the fortress of Kongsvinger. They reached the Glomma River after a victory at Lier on 18 April, but did not cross the river and invest the fortress. On 10 March 1809 an interim armistice was signed at Kongsvinger. Source from Wikipedia.

Later in the evening, we visited Ekshärad Church. He said that this place is unique because of the tombstones in the graveyard. They are grave crosses made of iron. This church is made of wood from 1686-88. This church has additional outer wall made of pieces of triangular wood that you can see in every red of the building

The iron crosses. The iron cross is designed as a tree of life and has loose hanging "playing leaves" as well as upright spikes where painted wooden eggs were previously attached to certain festivals. I have never seen these crosses before, not even in Skogskyrkogården, Sweden's UNESCO Woodland Cemetery.

That night, we slept in Knappsforsen in the car.