August 28 Ullensaker (Day 336)
All around us I see references to ‘Ullensaker’, I thought we were in Jessheim! It turns out that Ullensaker is like a county, Jessheim is the town. Ullensaker (translates as ‘woolen items’) predates the town by many years, in fact the train station here predates the town! The station was built in 1854 on the train line from Oslo going north to Eidsvoll, at the south end of Mjøsa Lake. The town built up around the station and became the center for commerce and regional services. Predating all of the present infrastructure is an ancient mound, just a 30 minute walk from our apartment!
Rakni’s Mound “is the largest free-standing prehistoric monument in Norway and is one of the largest barrows (burial mounds) in Northern Europe.” We started out on the city streets heading for the site.
We came upon this symbol on a post as we started down a paved path paralleling a busy road.
This is the marker for the St. Olav Ways, a pilgrimage route from Oslo to Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, burial place of St. Olav.
The pathway turned to gravel and passed several old farmhouses and this large farm.
Part of the farm buildings have become a hostel for hikers on the pilgrimage path. This farm is prehistoric! It predates written history, way back in Viking times!
The path narrowed and entered a wooded area.
This pathway was a medieval roadway, perhaps even older, following the contours of the land, connecting small communities and scattered farms.
We soon came to the mound.
The mound seemed rather small for being “…the largest free-standing prehistoric monument in Norway… “, but the reader board describes the excavations done here. Radiocarbon dating put the mounds construction between 533 and 551 (pre-Viking times!) and was built by layering 75,000 stacked logs and 80,000 cubic meters of dirt. The excavations revealed …”A layer of coal with animal bones and cremated human skull fragments from an individual between 20 and 35 years old were found at the base of the mound.” Quite a lot of work for a burial of a supposed “petty chieftain”.
Behind the mound is a nice picnic area being used by these sheep!
And in front of the mound is this small pond. I waded out to the raft and enjoyed a few minutes of peace and relaxation!