Throughout the 300-year history of the Eksersisplassen, of the many officers and regiments who practiced here, Colonel Holtermann is probably the most well-known. From 1895 to 1901 he was the commander of the Fjords battalion. During that time he was responsible for turning the battalion into a national elite and Nordfjordeid into a place of military excellence, which it remained until 1913.

Colonel Holtermann also developed new methods of marksmanship and field training. He created several new shooting lanes (see overview) and made use of large areas around the town centre for field practice (see map, red arrows show the practice areas).

Photo: The proving grounds approx. 1927 with its first shooting range. Here you see the staging (to the right) and the targets by the sea.

Photo: The view from the stove on the Skipenes approx. 1895. Here Colonel Holtermann created a new shooting range with a distance of 600m.

In 1896-97 the army introduced the Krag Jørgensen, a repeating bolt action rifle which carried more powerful ammunition and was capable of a straighter shooting trajectory. According to one story a cow at Taklo (to the left) was killed by a projectile during a shooting practice at Stovehogjen. In the year 1900 a new shooting range was developed at Vårsetra, which was in use until the late 1950s. The pictures to the right are from Vårsetra in 1931 and 2017. The iron target next to the board here is from this shooting range.

There was also a fourth shooting range by what is today the entrance to Nordfjord hotel with three different target areas to the south (see overview). This range was used by German soldiers during the war.

Malakoff is the name of the area stretching from Jektehola along the river towards Skipenes. The name originates from the Crimean War in 1853/56, when the French and British laid siege to the Russian forces at Fort Malakoff in the city of Sevasopol, a famous battle in the history of modern warcraft.

It was most likely Colonel Holtermann who named this area «Malakoff». Before coming to Eid Holtermann was a teacher and instructor at the Military Academy in Kristiania – later Oslo - in subjects such as war history and military tactics. It is very likely that he used this area for the practice of siege warfare. Hence the name: it had to be «Malakoff».

Military proving grounds (ca. 1682 – 1976)

Along with Colonel Holterman, two other prominent officers from the Eksersisplassen  were War Commander John Myklebust and Regimental Sergeant Major Samuel Kjøsnes. Both played a significant part in the development of society both in Nordfjordeid and the surrounding villages. 

Captain Myklebust was a company leader for the military recruits. He later became a major and war commander for the North West region of Norway. As a civilian he was a farmer, businessman, politician and philanthropist. He made invaluable contributions to the development of schools, among which was establishing the town’s secondary school, folk high school and college (gymnasium). He was also Nordfjoreid’s mayor for 19 years and his efforts were  indispensable for the development of the town, both its infrastructure and businesses.

Regimental Sergeant Major Kjøsnes came to Nordfjordeid in 1887. He was the head of the Military Band (Kjøsnes-musikken), until it ceased in 1913. The military music was uplifting and motivating to the soldiers and contributed to the excellence of the Fjordane’s battalion. Sergeant Major Kjøsnes was an inspiration to his musicians and many of them would later start their own band in their home towns. Following the closure of thebattalion music, Kjøsnes initiated the Eid’s music team.

From military to culture

In 1976, the Armed Forces handed over «Plassen» to Eid council who turned it into an arena for sports and cultural activities. Today this is the gathering place and final stop for the parade on 17th of May, Norway’s National Day. 

Since 2003, «Plassen« is hosting the annual «Malakoff Rock Festival», one of Norway’s largest music festivals. It started as an initiative by 3 students at Eid College, and today the festival has on average 20,000 visitors every year. Crucial for its success has been a fantastic team of volunteers, including individuals and organisations.

In 2005 the play «Elskhug og Eksis» was performed at «Plassen». The play takes places on 17th May 1895. Captain Myklebust, as interpreted by Erlend Ona Gjul, has a central role. This historic play is now performed bi-annually. «Elskhug og Eksis» is one of the most popular plays in Norway for the young, with a cast of more than 100 actors. «Kjøsnesmusikken», central to the play, is today under the direction of Eid’s music team.