Drøbak
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Drøbak in Norway is the centre of the municipality of Frogn, in Akershus county. The town is located along the Oslofjord, and has 13,358 inhabitants.
Traditionally, Drøbak was the winter harbour of Norway's capital, Oslo, since in severe winters the fjord will freeze from outside Drøbak all the way up to Oslo. It had a city status between 1842 and 1962, upon which point the municipality was merged into the rural municipality Frogn and lost its city status. The city status was regained by the municipality council on 13 February 2006. It was also decided that adjacent villages such as Heer would be included within the city.
A notable event in Drøbak's history is the World War II sinking of the German cruiser Blücher in the Drøbak narrows, on the early morning of 9 April 1940. The cruiser was transporting German soldiers and bureaucrats for the planned swift occupation of Oslo, but the sinking by the Oscarsborg fortress delayed this, and thus allowed for the evacuation of the Norwegian Royal Family, parliament, and cabinet, and for the nation's gold reserves to be denied the occupiers.
Early Drøbak had ferries that crossed the fjord, which have been largely replaced in modern times with an underwater tunnel. If you just want to go for pleasure then take a trip with Jacobine that was a former ferry.
In summertime, cruise ships come to visit Oslo almost every day. Often, as many as four or five cruise ships visit per day, in addition to all the regular traffic, and you see them all from Drøbak. Drøbak is a popular sea-side tourist spot and has mild summers around 20 degrees Celsius.
Drøbak is known for its many art galleries. The town has a Santa Claus museum, and letters often end up in Drøbak from Europe similarly to how they end up in Santa Claus, Indiana in the United States.
