1872–1885

Upbringing and childhood

On 16 July 1872, Roald Engebreth Gravning Amundsen was born at “Tomta” on Hvidsten in Borge (Østfold/Viken). He was the fourth son of Gustava and Jens Amundsen. Only a few months later, in October of the same year, the family moved from “Tomta” to Christiania (Oslo) and Roald Amundsen grew up with his older brothers Leon, Gustav and Tonni at Uranienborgveien 9 in the capital. At home it was the nanny Betty who mostly took care of the boys.

The Amundsen family home at Uranienborgveien 9. Photo: Follo museum, MiA / Private collection.

In the summer and on other holidays, the Amundsen brothers are often in Hvidsten, where Roald Amundsen keeps in touch with his teenage girlfriend Kamilla Schiørn. Amundsen keeps the letters from Kamilla for the rest of his life, taking them to Uranienborg when he moves there more than 20 years later.

In 1878 Roald Amundsen started at Gjertsen’s School, and in 1880 he started at Otto Andersen’s School. Amundsen, according to several sources, was not very good at homework, but he apparently wrote a good essay about Norway in 1814. He took the examen artium for university entry as a private student.

Class photo from Otto Andersen’s School, 1890. Roald Amundsen sits at the bottom left. Photo: Follo museum, MiA.

Related resources

1872
Roald Amundsen born July 16
1872 – 1885
1872–1885 Upbringing and childhood
1880
Starts at Otto Andersen’s School
1886
Jens Engebreth Amundsen dies
1887 – 1889
Polar interest aroused
1890
Starting university
1893
Gustava Amundsen (née. Sahlqvist) dies
1893
Mountain ski tour with Urdahl and Holst
1894
Hunting in Arctic waters with the Magdalena
1895
Ship’s Officer’s exam
1896
Hardangervidda with Leon
1897 – 1899
Belgica expedition
1899
Cycling from Christiania to Paris
1900
Studying geomagnetism in Hamburg
1903 – 1906
Gjøa expedition
1907
Polar bears as draft animals
1908
Amundsen buys Uranienborg
1909
The North Pole reached?
1910 – 1912
Fram expedition
1914
Amundsen becomes a pilot
1916 – 1917
The polar ship Maud is being built
1918
Maud expedition
1922
Nita and Camilla move in
1923
Uranienborg for sale
1924
Amundsen goes bankrupt
1925
To 88 degrees north
1926
Norge expedition
1927
Lecture tour in Japan
1928
Latham flight
1934 – 1935
Uranienborg becomes a museum
1938
Betty’s house burns down
2015
A chest full of photographs is discovered
2020
Roald Amundsen’s home goes digital