Photo: Kurth Brekke·CC BY 3.0· Wikimedia Commons
Islands / Færder / Østre Bolæren
Østre Bolæren is the easternmost of the main islands in the Bolærne group. It carries clear traces of Bolærne fort and the military installations from 1916, and during the war the Germans ran a camp for Soviet prisoners of war in the area. Most of the island lies within Færder National Park.
This is the easternmost of the three large Bolærne islands, 0.59 km², rising to 35 metres. Bolærne fort stood here. The guest harbour is where the ferry from Tønsberg berths and where the old military installations have been turned into an activity and conference centre. On the northwest side a compass rose is carved into the rock.
Færder National Park. The boundaries and the rules are in Naturbase, and they are worth checking before you land anywhere outside the marked areas.
Private boat or kayak (ferry to Mellom-Bolæren).
Boats do run here, but the quay is not in Entur’s system — usually a summer service or a private crossing that never enters the national journey planner. Check with the operator before you build a day around it.
The armed forces bought Bolærne in 1916 to build a coastal fort at the outer end of the Oslofjord. Bolærne fort on Østre Bolæren was operational from 1916 to 1999 and formed part of the barrier across the approach together with Rauøy fort, with artillery and minefields meant to close the fjord.
During the Second World War the installation became part of Festung Norwegen and was expanded by the Germans, using Soviet prisoners of war as labour. The prison camp lay on Mellom-Bolæren, immediately west of the island.
A compass rose is carved into the rock on the northwest side: 16 lines, 24 to 25 centimetres across. Analysis of the magnetic declination suggests it dates from the middle of the 1500s. Vestfold county bought the island in 2004 and converted the military installations into an activity centre.
The island is run as an accommodation and conference venue with room for 236 people, a restaurant, meeting rooms and a guest harbour for 75 boats. Canoes, kayaks and rowing boats are for hire, and there are volleyball and football pitches. A protected coastal spruce forest grows here. The island became part of Færder National Park in 2013. Ownership is split between Vestfold county, with 90 per cent, and Færder municipality, with 10 per cent.
There is a regular ferry connection from Tønsberg to Østre Bolæren; check the operator's current timetable, since departures vary with the season. The guest harbour takes up to 75 boats. Accommodation and meals are booked through the company that runs the island. On protection: the island lies within Færder National Park, established in 2013, and the coastal spruce forest is protected, so keep to the paths and the signed areas. Check Naturbase, the national database of protected areas, for any access restrictions on the neighbouring islets.
The compass rose in the rock was cut some time in the 1500s. Sailors used it to check their compasses against a fixed reference on land, long before the fort arrived.
A coastal fort that was in service for 83 years, from 1916 to 1999, is now a place people book for Christmas parties and weddings. The gun positions and bunkers are still there between the football pitch and the restaurant.
The fort flanked the fjord together with Rauøy on the other side, two forts that between them could close the whole approach to Oslo with fire and mines.
Oslo Sea Experience passes Østre Bolæren on its private fjord trips from Tjuvholmen.
The Norwegian version notes which facts were taken from each source: Østre Bolæren på norsk.