On the west side of Pipervika in the Oslofjord, vis a vis Akershus Fortress, lies Aker Brygge. The area was formerly called Holmen (the Islet), where some industrial companies appeared in the early 19th century. Aker’s mechanical workshop (later also shipyard) was established at Holmen in 1854.
When the workshop was closed, in 1982, the development of Aker Brygge began in four stages. Some buildings were demolished, others renovated, and the result is a grandiose meeting place for shopping, dining and entertainment. There are as many as 6,000 employees here and 900 people are residents at Aker Brygge.
About 12 million people visit the area every year, and the place has become a symbol of the 1980s YAP era. We visited Aker Brygge at the beginning of December, to have a pre-Christmas bath. Here the saunas are lined up, and we ended up at KOK.
It wasn’t that simple, though, because when we arrived with our bags full of towels and swimwear, it turned out that “someone” had booked a sauna for the following day. Presumably the booking ended up on the next day because it was full – without Hunstad Booking noticing.
Then it was just a matter of strolling along (take this day’s bath somewhere else, which comes in an another article soon) and try again the next day. And yes! This was good stuff. We ended up on the fleet ‘Vega’. It was nice winter weather outside, but the sauna heater didn’t quite keep up, and the sauna never got more than 70 degrees Celsius. Or maybe we just didn’t put wood in the oven often enough.
But we had a splendid experience anyway, including a few baths in the dark – overlooked by Akershus fortress and Nesoddferga.
A bath by Aker Brygge is just right!