what we now interchangeably call Staverns Island or Citadell Island was originally 3 separate islands. the northernmost of the three was Torkilds Island shown here with the popular summer beach and tenting area called Trærne- the trees. visitors are welcome to pitch their tents here and camp for free. some locals even move out here for the summer and rent their houses to summer tourists for some welcome extra income.
on the left side of this shot there's a narrow passage to the island to the west- Citadell Island. The citadel or Stavern Fort was a military base built by the Danish who controlled Norway at the time in the 16-1700s. to the south both Citadell Island and Torkilds Island were connected to the third island Staverns Island by building molos. this not only connected the islands but created a very safe and easily defended harbor between the islands. this was the base for Norway's most heroic naval officer Peter Tordenskiold
the Gunpowder house and the commander's residence are well kept as are some of the walls of the original fort. the residence is maintained for visiting artists to live and work while the gunpowder house with the copper roof was home to a summer theater for many years but now is available for events such as weddings or whatever. Citadell Island, in particular the area around the fort has a very special flora including a variety of plants that are very rare or unique in Norway. they seem to have come from the many ships that had sailed far and wide before their ballasts were emptied on the island when building the fort. old wooden sailing ships would fill the bottom of their hulls with earth to provide stability during long voyages. some of the seeds from distant lands managed to survive in the heaps of their earth. they have not managed to spread and become invasive, presumably because they thrive only in the original earth they arrived with and have not otherwise adjusted to Norwegian conditions.
Staverns Island is by far the largest of the three islands. on top of the highest point is a red house called Kikut, which means Lookout, for Stavern Fort. on the shore where the boat is there's a tiny but children friendly beach called Guttane, preferred by most locals as it is much less crowded that Trærne.
at the top of the southern tip of the island is the lighthouse Stavernsoddenfyr with several houses functioning as residences, a weather station, maintenance and more from 1874 though the tower is much more recent
a few decades ago when the light was automated the premises were kept for meteorologists but more recently they are available as holiday accommodations for the general public on a first come first serve basis. reservations for the whole year are likely fully booked by noon on January 1st but there's always a chance that somebody will cancel.
if you don't have or can't arrange a boat and couldn't get through in time to make a reservation you could always visit the tiny light on the mainland side of Søndre Gap. you'll have to scramble over some rocks and get your feet wet but you'll have a great view of the island and the place to yourself-(ves). though it looks like it is on mainland one must cross about 1 meter of no more than knee deep water to reach the rock where this small light is stationed. from this point it is less than 200 meters to Staverns Island
