Kragstøtten

Kragstøtten is a historic monument and viewpoint beside Voksenkollveien in the Voksenkollen area of Oslo, Norway, overlooking the city, the surrounding hills and the Oslofjord. The monument commemorates Hans Hagerup Krag (1829–1907), a Norwegian engineer who served as Director of Public Roads from 1874 to 1903 and played an important role in developing Norway’s road network. He was also among the founders of the Norwegian Trekking Association in 1868 and helped make the hills around Holmenkollen and Voksenkollen accessible through the construction of new roads. Following his death, sculptor Gustav Lærum created a life-sized bronze statue of Krag, which was unveiled in 1909. The statue depicts the former road director wearing a coat and hat, holding a walking stick and standing directly on a rocky outcrop without a conventional pedestal. He faces the landscape that his engineering projects helped open to the public. The surrounding viewpoint has been a popular stopping place since the early twentieth century, with a small roadside parking area allowing visitors to enjoy the extensive views across western Oslo and the fjord. The name Kragstøtten is commonly used for both the monument and the viewpoint.

Kragstøtten appears in Lords of Chaos (2018), the biographical horror film directed by Jonas Åkerlund about the early Norwegian black metal scene and the band Mayhem. The viewpoint provides the setting for a brief scene in which Euronymous, Necrobutcher and Hellhammer stop their car to listen to a demo cassette sent by the Swedish vocalist Per Yngve «Dead» Ohlin. The roadside parking area and panoramic view are prominently featured, while the statue of Hans Hagerup Krag is briefly visible as the band members drive away.

In Lords of Chaos (2018), Kragstøtten appears approximately six minutes into the film, when three members of Mayhem are driving through the hills above Oslo. Euronymous, played by Rory Culkin, is accompanied by bassist Necrobutcher, played by Jonathan Barnwell, and drummer Hellhammer, played by Anthony De La Torre. They have received a package from Swedish vocalist Per Yngve «Dead» Ohlin, played by Jack Kilmer, who hopes to join the band. Along with a letter and a cassette containing a recording by his previous band Morbid, Dead has included a dead mouse nailed to a small wooden cross. The three musicians react with disgust and amusement to the unusual package before throwing the mouse out of the car window. They subsequently pull into the roadside viewpoint at Kragstøtten, where another car is already parked and a family is enjoying the view across Oslo. The musicians remain in their vehicle and play the cassette, listening with growing enthusiasm as they discover the distinctive voice of their prospective new singer. The surrounding landscape and the parking area are clearly visible, with the contrast between the peaceful family outing and the young black metal musicians adding a moment of dark humour to the scene. As they prepare to leave, the band members shout offensive remarks towards the family before driving away. The camera also briefly reveals the bronze statue of Hans Hagerup Krag beside the road, identifying the location as the historic viewpoint on Voksenkollen. The sequence introduces Dead, whose arrival in Mayhem would become a defining part of the band’s history and the events depicted later in the film.

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