Fredrikstad Domkirke, and a Wonderful Library,

In my opinion, 48 hours is not enough time to visit a beautiful place—especially when you are interested in both nature and history. We realized this during our visit to the city of Fredrikstad. Even though we made the most of our limited time, there were still many places and things we missed.
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Nevertheless, the delightful river ferry and old town walk left us with wonderful memories. Our tour of the Old City on the first day was both highly informative and unforgettable. Since it was summer, the days were long, with daylight lasting well into the late evening, so we got some extra time to explore the New City as well.

After a good night's sleep, and without any particular plans for the day, we had breakfast, loaded our luggage into the car, and checked out of the hotel. Our hotel was in Cicignon, and from there it was very convenient to walk in almost any direction.

We asked the hotel if we could leave our car in the parking lot for a while and set out to explore. Since we had no fixed plan and intended to simply follow wherever our mood took us, the first landmark that caught our attention was a church. So, naturally, we headed in that direction.
Fredrikstad Cathedral

Fredrikstad Domkirke is visible from many parts of the city. Whenever I visit churches in Norway, I hope to see their interiors, but unfortunately, many of them are closed when we arrive. The same happened with this church. It was not open during our visit, so I had to be satisfied with walking around it and appreciating its beautiful exterior—which I happily did.

Fredrikstad Cathedral is a parish church located in the western part of Fredrikstad. It was built between 1879 and 1880 in the Gothic Revival style, using brick, with a floor plan in the shape of a Latin cross. The church has a single 72-meter-high tower at the western end, forming part of the main facade.

The church was consecrated on 13 October 1880 and was originally known as Fredrikstad Vestre kirke.
After spending some time admiring the architecture, we continued our walk towards the waterfront.

Kirkeparken and the War Memorial

As we crossed the garden surrounding the church, we came across several sculptures and a war memorial standing in Kirkeparken. Interestingly, although it is called the church garden, there is no cemetery here.

We continued towards the waterside. Along the way, we were surprised to discover another church near the street. St. Brigitte's Church, with its red-brick exterior and distinctive dome-shaped design, caught our attention.

Even on this side of the city, the ordinary residential architecture was beautiful and fascinating. We passed many attractive buildings,

But one particular building caught our attention because of its especially interesting design.

Then another building caught our eye. At first, we thought it might be some kind of official or government building. But when we came closer, we discovered that it was actually a library!

A Wonderful Discovery – Fredrikstad Library

I couldn't resist going inside to explore this treasure of knowledge.
At the entrance, a few computers are for self-service functions, here, we borrow books by scanning them with a registered personal ID or return them back.

The library was spectacular. I have always admired Norwegian society for making knowledge and culture so accessible to everyone. Libraries provide opportunities for people to explore almost any subject they are interested in, with books, films, music, art, audio, and other resources.

When we entered, the receptionist welcomed us with a warm smile. We told her where we were from and explained that we simply wanted to look around the library. We also asked whether we could take a few photographs of the interior and the displays. She happily permitted us.

We walked around, looked at the books, and admired the different collections. There was so much to discover.
One thing I particularly appreciated was the Norwegian library system. If you borrow a book from one library, you can return it to another participating library elsewhere in the country. The libraries are connected through a nationwide system, making it much easier for people to access books and other resources. Of course, you need to be a registered library user to use the borrowing service.

I also noticed some beautiful and creative artworks made using writing materials such as pencils, nibs, feathers, dusters, and paper. The creativity of these pieces really caught my attention.

Those frames are nicely hanging on the walls where we climb the stairs.
The interior architecture was equally impressive. Everything was well organized, peaceful, and inviting. It felt like such a wonderful place to spend time, learn something new, and develop our knowledge and imagination.
It three story building full with opportunity of knowledge.
I was so impressed by the library that we ended up spending quite a long time there.

Walking towards the waterfront, I just turned back and took one photo of the library that was standing brightly in the sun.
Eventually, we continued our walk towards the waterfront. But that part of our exploration deserves a post of its own. There was simply too much to see, and I still need to do some research and gather more information before writing about it.

So, I will continue our Fredrikstad journey in another post soon.

Until then, thank you very much for following our journey. Take care, and enjoy your beautiful time with your loved ones.

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