Rosenkrantz Tower

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The Rosenkrantz Tower (Norwegian Rosenkrantztårnet) is a prominent landmark in Bergen, Norway, and one of the most prominent buildings of Bergenhus fortress. The tower derives its name from governor Erik Rosenkrantz. It was during his reign (1559–1568) that the tower received its present shape and structure. The oldest part of the building, however, is made up of a medieval tower, known as the "Keep by the Sea", built by king Magnus the Lawmender in the 1270s as part of the royal castle in Bergen. The keep was slightly modified c. 1520, then extensively modified and expanded in the 1560s by Scottish stonemasons and architects in the service of Erik Rosenkrantz to attain its present form. Rosenkrantz' building contained dungeons on the ground floor, residential rooms for the governor higher up, and positions for cannons on the top floor. In the 1740s, the tower was converted to a magazine for gunpowder, a function it served until the 1930s. The whole building has been open to the general public since 1966. Today, the tower serves primarily as a tourist attraction.