The island Isegran is a living coastal culture park and a center for the dissemination of traditions, history and experiences. Boats are restored in the same buildings they were once built in, and Isegran's unique history is continued in a green oasis at the intersection of the city and river. Isegran is also a museum port with a beautiful sight of traditional boats along the banks, most in private ownership. In the museum's maritime exhibition in the magazine you can follow the restoration of IOD (International One Design), designed in 1936 by regulator boat designers.
Visit the beautiful island that lies in the center of Fredrikstad, in the river Glomma, and can be reached via Kråkerøy Bridge or by the free City Ferry. It is the perfect place for food, culture and recreation.
Minemagasinet on Isegran offers local food, entertainment, accommodation and beautiful views of the Old Town and Vaterland in the south. On the island there is also a maritime center for the construction and rehabilitation of wooden boats, and also the country's only boatbuilding school..
The Isegran House, also known as "The Yellow House" and "Empirehuset" was built in 1730, on the tuft of the old guard house in Isegran and is considered to be Østfold's oldest standing wooden building. The Renaissance garden outside Isegranhuset was restored in 1985 and is maintained every year thanks to a fantastic diligence effort, one can also enjoy the view of Cicignon and listen to the siltring from the water wheel in Glomma.
Isegran is the first place in Fredrikstad mentioned in history. The earl of Borgarsyssel, Alv Erlingsson, also known as MindreAlv, had a small fortress on Isegran in the late 1200s. In the 1670s the island was fortified with a large battery platform, Isegran's tower and later a small fort was built to protect the river. Until 1680, Isegran was Norway's only naval port.
During the great Northern War, the island was the fleet base for Peter Wessel Tordenskiold. In the late 1800s, Isegran became the main base for the mines defense of Svinesund and the Glomma mouth.
The world-renowned painter Edvard Munch´s (1863-1944) family is from Fredrikstad, both on the mother's and father's side. His mother, Laura Cathrine Munch (born Bjølstad), was born i in Fredrikstad on May 10, 1837, but even the forefather on the father's side came to Fredrikstad many years before this. He was Søren Rasmussen Munch and was born in Kristiansand in 1668. As a young boy, he became employed in the newly built gale "Prinds Christian", and became a lieutenant in admiral Tordenskiold´s arny. Munch was moved to Isegran a few years later, and served there until 1721. Munch later started a small wooden shop in Fredrikstad. He also married here, and one of his sons named Edvard Munch. All later Edvard Munches in the family were named after him, also the painter Edvard Munch (1863 – 1944).
At Isegran, you will also find the Cathedral of Hope – an open-minded art and environmental project that is about building hope through cooperation. The cathedral, which is open to everyone, is a meeting place between people of all ages, nationalities and faiths.
The buildings in Isegran are today mainly owned by Fredrikstad Municipality. Several of the buildings can be rented out for conferences and parties.