6.4.2 Norway: Oslo
Description
This article is from the Nordic countries FAQ, by Antti Lahelma and Johan Olofsson, with numerous contributions by others.
6.4.2 Norway: Oslo
Oslo lies at the head of Oslo Fjord, about 97 km from the open sea.
The city first occupied the small Åkershus Peninsula, where a fortress
was built in 1300. Oslo was founded about 1050 to the east of the
present city. Early in the 17th century fire destroyed the town,
mostly built of wood. King Christian IV ordered the city to be rebuilt
on the Åkershus Peninsula below the fortress, which could protect it.
The new city was laid out on a square plan and was named Christiania
after its founder (the name Oslo was readopted in 1925).
The city remained small until the 19th century; in 1814, it's
population was only 11,200. That year, Norway was separated from
Denmark and was joined into Sweden by a personal union. Christiania
became the national capital and started to grow. The Royal Palace was
built, and the Storting (Parliament) and government offices were
established. By 1910, the population had already reached 225,000.
Today Oslo is a well-planned city with wide, straight streets.
Government offices and the central business district are focused on
Karl Johansgate, which is the main street in Oslo. By the harbour is
the two-towered City Hall (completed 1950), the city's most famous
landmark, facing the fjord and the downtown area.
Oslo is also the cultural heart of Norway. The university, which was
founded in 1811, is the largest in the country. The city also contains
the National Theater, the Bygdøy folk museum with a large collection
of traditional buildings, and a museum of excavated Viking ships. On
Holmenkollen, a mountain overlooking the city, is a famous ski jump,
the site of many winter sports competitions. Frogner Park contains the
statuary of Gustav Vigeland.
<From: Ken Ewing>
I spent a week in Oslo in July, 1989. I don't know what you might be
interested in, but here's a rundown of stuff that I did (please
forgive any misspellings...I don't have my travel info in front of me.
:-)
* City Hall. Called "Rådhuset" in Norwegian. This is a large,
twin-towered building right on the waterfront. The ground floor is
the national tourist office. Here you can arrange for tours, find
out interesting things to see, buy guidebooks, etc.
* Akershus Fortress. Easy to find. It's a genuine medieval fort
right on the waterfront. It's something of a symbol for Oslo in
that having been under siege nine times since its construction in
the 1300's, it has never fallen to an enemy. Guided tours are
available. In or near the Akershus Fortress are many museums,
including:
+ Resistance Museum. A "must-see" for WWII enthusiasts. It
looks very small from outside the door, but it's quite large
inside. It documents the German occupation and TONS of
artifacts, photos, etc.
+ Christiania Exhibit (I think it's called that). This is a
model and show about the history of Oslo. Oslo was originally
located a but further south, and the current site of Oslo
used to be called Christiania, named after King Christian IV.
* Take a water taxi across the bay to Bygdøy. There are several
museums over there, including:
+ Maritime Museum. Pretty big place. If you're into maritime
topics (which I am) you can spend a few hours here.
+ Fram Museum. The Fram is a sailing ship built around 1897. It
was basically designed to be a wooden-hulled icebreaker. The
designer had a theory that the Arctic ice cap flowed with
"currents" matching those of the ocean underneath, and that
if a ship could lodge itself in the ice, it could ride these
currents across the North Pole. He built this ship, lodged it
into the ice, and proved his theory (coming with five degrees
of the North Pole). The ship is now housed within this
museum.
+ Kon-Tiki museum. Contains Thor Heyerdahl's ships Kon-Tiki and
Ra II. You might remember Ra II from the movie made in 1973
(I think). There is also a life-size copy of a statue from
Easter Island, and also a genuine, taxidermed, 30-foot whale
shark suspended underneath the Kon Tiki.
All three of these museums are right next to one another. A little
farther down the road (easy walking distance) you'll find:
+ Viking Ship Museum. This building looks like a church from
the outside, and is not marked very well with signs. It
contains three actual Viking ships dug up from the ground,
plus a bunch of artifacts from the Viking era.
+ Folk Museum. This is a large park that contains exhibits of
the inland culture of Norway (as opposed to the maritime
culture, as the other museums in this area display). The
creators of this park went all over Norway and collect farm
houses (whole houses!), stave churches (pronounced "stahv" --
some of these structures date back to the 1200s and are still
in active use), etc. to show how Norwegian people lived.
There are tours available. Employees wear authentic cultural
dress.
Back in Oslo:
* Vigeland Statue Park. This is a 20-acre or so park with 250
statues by Mr. Vigeland, a famous Norwegian sculptor. It's best to
get a guidebook of some kind, as the park has a theme to its
organization. As I understand it, Vigeland statues are not found
outside of Norway.
* Historical churches. Olso has been around for a long time, and
there are interesting old churches all over town.
* The Royal Palace. Norway has a royal family, although the
parliament is the governing body. The palace has a military guard
that changes regularly.
* Downtown shopping. The downtown area of Oslo is really quite small
and easily explored by walking. The main street, Karl Johansgate,
starts right in front of the Royal Palace and proceeds straight
into the downtown area. About halfway or so the street becomes
closed to traffic, and thus turns into a large walking mall. The
street life is fascinating, with the usual contingent of street
musicians and other entertainers. In the harbour is the new
shopping complex, Akersbryggen; gleaming modern architecture,
restaurants, etc.
Other general tips:
* In Norway (as well as other Scandinavian countries) you can obtain
a "Tourist Card". You can get them for one, two, or three days,
and you buy them at the city hall (Rådhuset). This card gives you:
+ Free transport on busses, trams, and subways.
+ Discount admission to most museums.
+ Discounts at some restaurants.
Among other advantages. I considered it worth the expense. With
the three-day card, you can get discounts on railroad fare to
other places in Norway, but you have to purchase tickets *before
coming to Norway* (which apparently means that you can obtain a
tourist card through a travel agency or perhaps through a
Norwegian consulate).
* Restaurants seem to be rather rare around Oslo. I like eating out,
and I had a rather hard time finding restaurants around town.
* Alcohol is strictly controlled. Beer costs $6-$7 for a pint glass.
Drunk driving laws are strictly enforced with heavy penalties, and
foreigners cannot claim ignorance as an excuse.
* Oslo seems to be a safe place. I never felt in danger of physical
harm at any time. Virtually everyone there (natives, that is)
speaks English (it is a requirement in the school system).
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