Valbergtårnet

Built between 1850 and 1853 to a design by architect Christian Grosch, this watchtower gave Stavanger's fire watchmen a permanent lodging with a clear view over the wooden town below — critical in an era when a single fire could spread through the whole city. Tobias Sandstøl, the tower's last watchman, served 18 years until 1922 and is thought to be the real-life inspiration for 'Tobias in the Tower' in Torbjørn Egner's classic children's book about Cardamom Town. A watchmen's museum now occupies the ground floor, beneath a viewing platform that still looks out over Stavanger's harbour.