Ny-Hellesund

The natural harbor of Ny-Hellesund dates back to the Viking Age and the Middle Ages. On Dutch nautical charts from the 16th century, Hellesund is referred to as "Heiligensondt," meaning "the holy harbor." This is likely due to the strong St. Olav tradition tied to the area. During the era of sailing ships, Ny-Hellesund was one of the busiest natural harbors on the southern coast of Norway. Ships traveling between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea could seek refuge here and obtain supplies. Over time, the traffic led to permanent settlement, with an inn, lighthouse services, and businesses like timber trade and lobster export. Ny-Hellesund is now the only outlying harbor on the southern coast that is protected as a cultural environment.

Vilhelm Krag (1871 – 1933) and Havbukta

Vilhelm Krag is the quintessential poet of Southern Norway. He coined the term "Sørlandet" in a newspaper article in 1902 and advocated for the recognition of the region’s history, culture, and distinctiveness.

Born in Kristiansand, Krag moved to Christiania (now Oslo) at the age of 17, where he lived most of his life. However, especially after friends purchased the fishing property Havbukta in Ny-Hellesund for him in 1917, he spent much time there. He was also a frequent traveler—visiting Italy four times, Paris sixteen times, along with trips to Iceland, Algeria, and Tunisia. He was a prominent cultural figure of his time, serving as a journalist, author of 43 books, head of the National Theatre, senior consultant at Aschehoug publishing house, and president of the Norwegian Writers' Association.

As a poet, Krag’s works spanned a wide range—from neo-romantic poetry to novels, plays, and more burlesque stories like those about Major von Knarren. His most "Southern Norwegian" works include Holmerne de graa (1905), Vandringsmand (1907), Fra det blaa Bryggerhus (1911), and Hos Maarten og Silius (1912). Although he expressed his love for the region in many ways, he was also quite critical, particularly of religious fanaticism, narrow-mindedness, bourgeois hypocrisy, and the oppression of women.

Vilhelm Krag is one of Norway’s most set-to-music poets, with his poetry, especially through composer and singer Ivar Bøksle, finding relevance in contemporary times. At his home in Havbukta, Krag invited many artists and nurtured his friendship with his neighbor Nicolay "Lyna" Langfeldt, whose tall tales and stories inspired him, including those about Maarten and Silius. Krag was also involved in preserving the old inn in Ny-Hellesund, hoping to turn it into a home for elderly artists. This effort failed, as did his attempt to have the building moved to the newly established museum in Kristiansand.

Gabriel Scott (1874 – 1958)

Gabriel Scott, along with Vilhelm Krag, is one of the most significant authors in what became known as "The Southern Norwegian Poet School." Born in Leith, Scotland, where his father was a sea priest, Scott’s family moved to a vicarage in Høvåg, Lillesand, in 1883. In 1887, he moved to Kristiansand to attend secondary school, but after just half a year, he left school and became an apprentice at Kolbjørnsvik Mechanical Workshop in Arendal, earning his journeyman certificate in 1894 from the Skiensfjorden Mechanical School.

That same year, he debuted with the poetry collection Digte, after several of his poems were published in the local press. Over the years, he wrote not only poems but also plays, children’s books, short stories, and novels. In the late 1890s, he spent time in Grimstad, where his father was a priest. His novel Fugl Føniks (1898) caused an uproar in the town, partly because many of the characters in the book were easily recognizable.

Scott’s literary breakthrough came with the novel Jernbyrden (1915), and in 1918, his most famous book Kilden was published, which tells the story of the fisherman Markus. He also published burlesque stories, often in the voice of the character Pieder Ro, and became a popular children’s author with books like Sølvfaks and Trip, Trap, Tresko. Scott was socially engaged, often focusing on issues like the fate of children in orphanages (De vergeløse, 1938). His works are marked by a nature-lyrical and pantheistic outlook on life, as seen in Kilden, Alkejegeren, and Det gyldne evangelium. Though he had a strong religious inclination, he was skeptical of theology. In his 1927 novel Hyrden, he wrote:

O Lord God, protect my house
from theologians and bedbugs.

Scott eventually settled on Tromøya in Arendal at his home "Maagereiret," but each summer, he would sail the coast and visit his colleague Vilhelm Krag in Havbukta.

Nordahl Grieg (1902 – 1943) and "To the Youth"

The guesthouse at Kvanneid in Høvåg, Lillesand, was once an important cultural institution in Southern Norway. Both Vilhelm Krag and Gabriel Scott visited for short and long stays, and in 1929, Nordahl Grieg came to the guesthouse, where he wrote the poetry collection Norge i vår hjerter. Here, he met Gabriel Scott and sailed with him westward to Havbukta, where they visited Vilhelm Krag. Through his friendship with Krag’s youngest son Preben, Grieg was invited to stay in Bua, a small annex in Havbukta, returning year after year. It was here, at the suggestion of Trond Hegna, president of the Student Society in Oslo, that Grieg wrote his most famous poem,

To the Youth:

Surrounded by enemies, go
into your time!
Under a bloody storm –
we call you to battle!

It was also in Ny-Hellesund that in 1937, Grieg wrote the play Nederlaget, about the French Paris Commune (1871-72). In his time, Nordahl Grieg was one of Norway's most prominent poets, also active as a writer, dramatist, journalist, and political activist. At the age of 18, he went to sea on the cargo ship D/S Henrik Ibsen. In 1922, he debuted with the poetry collection Rundt Kap det gode Haap, and two years later, he published the novel Skibet gaar videre. Grieg took a philosophical language degree at the University of Oslo in 1925 and made several trips to Europe, China, and the Soviet Union. As a declared communist, he led the "Friends of the Soviet Union" association but never joined the Communist Party. In 1937, he traveled to Spain as a war correspondent to cover the Spanish Civil War. During World War II, he enlisted in the fight against Nazism as a pilot and was shot down over Berlin in 1943.

In 1945, a collection of his poems, Friheten (Freedom), was published, showcasing his talents as a national poet and his opposition to the German occupation. It remains the best-selling Norwegian poetry collection of all time.

The Association "Skolehuset i Ny-Hellesund"

The schoolhouse was built through community effort by the people of the outlying settlement in 1865, and at its peak, it had 36 pupils. It was closed in 1963. In 1976, the property was transferred to Søgne municipality, and in 1991, the Association Skolehuset i Ny-Hellesund was founded. According to its purpose, the association aims to "make visible and preserve the values inherent in the coastal environment. The distinctiveness and importance of coastal culture for our district are documented and brought to life through various forms of expression aimed at all groups of people."

Since the establishment of the association, a wide array of cultural activities has been developed and carried out at the schoolhouse. The house is visited by school classes and used for cultural events such as concerts, theater performances, lectures, and bazaars. A permanent exhibition about the cultural history of the outlying settlement is now planned, where the artistic and literary history will also have its place.

Getting there
It is a ferry that travels to and from Ny-Hellesund several times each day all year. Ny-Hellesund is also a former shipyard, called "Verftet", which is now converted into guesthouses.

Olavsund
Olavsund (Olav Strait) is the strait that runs between Kapelløya and Helgøya in the central part of Ny-Hellesund. According to legend, it was formed when Saint Olav struck with his sword against the mountain on the run from pursuers.

Today you can see the monograms of several members of the Norwegian royal family who have visited Ny-Hellesund.

Coastal fort
During World War II, the German occupying military forces built a coastal fort on Helgøya. Work began in 1942 and included Russian prisoners of war in the work. The purpose of the facility was to protect coastal traffic and the west entrance to Kristiansand.

The fort was originally called "Norway's little Gibraltar." The fort had a workforce of 150. It was armed with four 10.5-centimetre (4.1 in) coastal artillery guns had a range of approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi). To protect the fort, there were machine guns, mortars, and flame throwers. Furthermore, the fort was equipped with radar, searchlights, and smoke systems. All together there were 31 buildings there along with 26 bulletproof stone bunkers in the area.

The fort was abandoned in 1945 and many of the buildings were demolished and equipment and facilities were removed in an attempt to erase its memory over the following 30–40 years. In 1987, however, restoration work was begun. Several of the 10.5-centimetre (4.1 in) M/13 Schneider guns are back in place. Fortification, trenches, roads, and tunnels in the area is secured and repaired, so the area is easily accessible.