Posebyen

The Kristiansand Posebyen takes in most of the 14 blocks at the northern end of the town's characteristic kvadraturen. It's worth taking a slow stroll around this pretty quarter, whose name was given by French soldiers who came to reposer (French for relax). A scale model (with buildings around 1m high) of the city as it appeared when designed by Christian IV is on view at Vest-Agder Folk Museum.

The annual Kristiansand guide, published by the tourist office, includes a good section 'A Stroll through Posebyen' to guide your wandering. The most well-preserved buildings include Bentsens Hus (Kronprinsengs gate 59), which dates to 1855, the former post office (Kronprinsengs gate 45; 1695) and Gyldenløves gate 56 (1802).