OSLO, NORWAY

                                     Norway's Largest City

         We arrived in Oslo from Denmark by ferry in the early morning. The center of town is small and the architecture more modern than we’d seen previously. The streets are narrow. Oslo has city bikes like Copenhagen, but many fewer bike riders.

    Oslo, founded in 1048, is located at the end of the 60 mile long Oslofjord and is framed by water and forested hills. The capital city has a population of a little over 500,000. The Akers River, running east and west through the city, is only five miles long, but drove flour mills in the 1300s, saw mills in 1500s, and the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s. Nature is at your doorstep with fields, forests, fjords, farms, mountains and meadows all within the city limits. Oslo is Norway’s only big city.

      A combination of Scandinavian-style socialism and a reverence for antiquity define the city. The city has great architecture, sweeping boulevards and imposing buildings. Well preserved buildings and the polished royal palace are alongside innovative facilities---recycling refuse and sonic traffic signals are a couple of examples. The low key casual city has a pleasant city center that is a jumble of old and new architecture. The small capital has a busy port, many parks, lots of statues and good museums. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo each December. Buses, trams and a subway make getting around the city easy.

      Most city sites are clustered around the main boulevard, Karl Johans Gate which runs from the train station to the Royal Palace. The city relocated after a 1624 fire. Stones from church facades were taken to build the fortress. The city has 30 miles of tunnels. Norway knows how to build tunnels and there are many in the country!

      Several glass high-rise buildings blend in with the older architecture. The stock exchange dates to 1856 and the American Embassy is a black modern building with lots of tall narrow windows that almost look like gun placements. We haven’t seen a good looking American Embassy yet.

      There are statues of both FDR and Churchill in the city. Norway is most grateful for the American and British help during WW II. Chestnut trees in the park date to 1898.  The first skating rink was built in 1904 and is where Sonja Heine practiced before winning her three Olympic gold medals.

     There are 60,000 boats registered in Oslo, and harbors seem to be full of them for the summer. In winter the boats are taken out in the water because of ice.

     Parliament is an 1866 odd shaped yellow brick building. It flies the flag when parliament is in session. The granite lions at the entrance were made by prisoners at the fort. In 1940 the Nazis used the building as a prison.

    

    The  Grand Hotel is across the street from the Parliament building. The stately 1870 building was constructed a decade after Stortinget and is where Nobel recipients stay.

    

     In 1299 King Haakon V constructed the fortress, Akekshaus Festning, to counter the Swede threat from the east. In 1824 fire destroyed the city and it was rebuilt in brick and stone. The park-like grounds provide good views of the harbor and fjord.  During WW II the Germans used Akerhus as a prison and execution grounds. Today it is the site of the Resistance Museum.  The museum tells the story of WW II experience, appeasement, Nazi invasion, resistance, liberation and finally return of the king. It is told in a one way chronological order. Since I missed the Resistance Museum in Copenhagen I wanted to visit this one. The museum is well done and everything is explained in English.

      Akerhus Slott castle, also dating to 1299 overlooks the harbor and is one of Oslo’s oldest buildings.  In the 15^th century King Christian IV renovated the castle into a Renaissance Palace. We did not have time or much desire to tour the castle, but we did a quick look-see since it is located at the fort.

      Norwegian trolls live in the mountains. Stories of them abound and children grow up on the stories, many of which are teaching tools. Trolls are much like fairies and leprechauns and are popular items in shops.

Stave Church

      Beside many tunnels the country also has many speed cameras on their roads. After three hours of driving and viewing gorgeous scenery including snow on the mountains we stopped at the spectacular Kjosfossen waterfall with its 590-foot drop. Then on to an original stave church in Borgund. Built in 1129, there was an admission to enter the church and the young people guarding the church wouldn’t even let you get close enough to get a good picture. Stave churches were a blend and bridge of Viking paganism and Christianity. Overnight in 1066 it was declared that everyone would be Lutheran. At one time there were over 1000 stave churches, but today only 25 remain.

See posts:  Frogner’s PK 6-16-10      Viking Museum 2-27-11           

                   Bergan4-7-13 & 4-10-13   Flam Train 8-5-12     

                       Nobel Peace Center  9-26-10    Norway 9-14-14

NORWAY

Lovely Country

       At the Hanseatic Museum we picked up a guided tour in English. Our timing was perfect! The museum is situated in one of the old trade houses at Bergen. The museum has old interiors from the 18th and 19th centuries.  In 1360 German merchants set up import/export offices in Bergen and dominated the trade for 400 years.

       The Hanseatic merchants traded mainly stock fish from Northern Norway and grain from Baltic countries. Only German merchants were allowed to live at Bergen during the period of the Hanseatic Office.  Hanseatics were unmarried and had to live in celibacy as long as they lived in the area. The tenements in the Bergen area each consisted of several smaller trade houses, each run by a merchant with a journeyman and apprentices. Neither light nor heating was allowed in the tenements because of the danger for fire. Behind each tenement there was an assembly hall, called schotstue, belonging to all the merchants of one or more tenements. The assembly halls could be heated, and in connection with these halls there were also a kitchen as well as storage room for food.

       A fire in 1702 reduced the city to ashes, but it was quickly rebuilt on the foundations that had been in place since the 11^th century. The museum is one of the best preserved buildings in the city and is furnished in the style of the 1700s.

      Hanseatic apprentices were teenage boys. They slept two to a bunk, head to toe, in narrow single beds in enclosed cabinets. They actually were locked in at night so there was no monkey business.  Punishment was severe for infractions of the rules. No smoking was allowed because of the real danger of fire.

     The League was created to protect economic interests and diplomatic privileges in cities and countries along the trade routes the merchants visited. The Hanseatic cities had their own legal system and furnished their own armies for mutual protection and aid. Despite this, the organization was not a city-state, nor can it be called a confederation of city-states; only a very small number of the cities within the league enjoyed autonomy.

     It was an interesting visit on a drizzly day and enlightened me to a society I had no idea ever existed.

           

    If you ask people what they associate with Norwegian history and culture, their answers will vary. Some will say the Vikings sailed to foreign parts to pillage and wage war, although the Vikings were in fact also merchants who founded kingdoms on foreign soil and brought back new impulses to Scandinavia. Others will point to internationally famous authors, composers, actors and painters. Others may mention attractions like Vigeland's sculpture park, Holmenkollen and the stave churches or the expeditions of Thor Heyerdahl, Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen. Maybe someone will mention smoked salmon, lutefish, reindeer meat, shrimps or cloudberries.  

    One thing is certain, Norway is more than untouched nature. The country, rich in history, is poor in large historic monuments. Nature has formed the Norwegian character and given it a kind of durability that has formed the Norwegian national identity. Thanks to the country's rich natural resources, Norway has long been an industrial nation. There is special pride in being one of the first countries to eradicate illiteracy!          

   My take away of  Norway include  its many smokers, restaurants not service oriented, AMs are misty but clear by mid morning, expensive, many fountains in parks, few hi-rise buildings, chestnut trees,  narrow streets, public restrooms frequent, clean and free, and courteous drivers   giving pedestrians a break!

    And the scenery is spectacular!

BEAUTIFUL CITY HALLS

                                      Masterpieces Themselves

                            

  OSLO’S Radhuset

Scandinavian city halls are spectacular, nothing like dreary work buildings elsewhere. We were stunned at the gorgeous insides of all the city halls in the capitols of the area. City halls, instead of churches, dominate cities in the northern corner of Europe. In Oslo city hall is the political center and the workplace for 450 municipal employees and politicians.

            The proposal for the Oslo’s City Hall was made in 1915, but because it was in a slum area it was denied.  A competition for the building was held in 1918. The foundation for the Radhuset was poured 1931 when the slum was torn down. The building was interrupted by WW II and not completed until 1951----to celebrate the city’s 900^th birthday. In the main hall a colorful 20,000-square-foot mural shows folks, country folk and all peoples, working harmoniously for a better society. The hall has a 20-meter-high ceiling and floor space of 1500 square meters. The twin towers are of red brick. Outside the entrance, under the overhang, the walls showcase carved wooden reliefs of Norse mythology. 

Three resident artists have access to studios at the top of the tower.

On December 10 every year, the traditional ceremony for the Nobel Laureate is held in the Oslo City Hall.  The ceremony was moved to city hall in 1990 which can host 1000 guests.  Since 1905, members of the Norwegian Royal Family have been regular guests at the ceremony.

It is an amazing building.

DENMARK’S Radhus

            Denmark’s City Hall is the landmark between the train station, Tivoli, and the Stroget. The 345-foot high tower has 300 steps leading to the top. The tower’s carillon chimes its familiar tune all over the capital. The building is full of Danish symbolism inside and out. The golden statue is of Bishop Absalon, who founded Copenhagen more than 800 years ago. The Round Tower was built in 1642. Polar bears climbing on the roof represent Danish protection from Greenland. An iron gate in the center of the floor is an elevator for the transport of 1200 chairs.  The building itself was inspired by an equivalent building in Siena, Italy.

            Construction began in 1892, and the current building was inaugurated in 1905. The architect  designed it in National Romantic-style. It is dominated by its richly ornamented front, the gilded statue above the balcony and the tall, slim clock tower. In addition to the tower clock, the City Hall also houses Jens Olsen’s World Clock.  The architect used Italian Renaissance-style and  medieval Danish design.

            A fire in 1728 destroyed the original building. The second city hall was built in 1728 and destroyed by fire again in 1795.

BERGEN continued

                 More About Bergen, Norway

            In this quaint picturesque city small wooden houses painted lovingly in bright colors are a special feature of the city. Owners take great pride in maintaining them. Many date back to the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Bergen was chosen as one of Europe’s cultural cities in 2000.

            We walked to the fort at the far end of the city where, in spite of the misty day, we had a good view of the city and harbor.  Hakon’s Hall, 1247 and 1261, is the largest secular medieval building still standing in Norway. Built of local stone, its corners, window and door casings were worked in soapstone. The hall was the most imposing building in the royal residence at "Holmen", the political centre of the 13th-century Norwegian kingdom. It was built for great occasions in the history of the monarchy and the realm.  In  1520 it was used for storage. Roofless by the 17th century, it was refitted as the storehouse of Bergenhus Castle around 1680. The hall was restored in 1880-95. A German ship explosion in 1944 set the Hall on  fire, leaving only the walls standing. Restoration followed. The Hall today is used for ceremonial occasions, and for concerts. Rosencrantz Tower dates back to medieval times. The tower served as a combined residence and fortified tower to Bergen.

            People have worshiped for  900 years in the Bergen Cathedral, Domkirken, built in 1150. The original small parish church was damaged  in 1248 and 1270 by fire. In the early 13^th century Franciscan Friars were granted use of the church and built a beautiful church next to their convent. Again fire damaged the church in 1463 and 1488. When Lutheran Reformation was introduced to Norway the old cathedral was in ruins. The first Lutheran Bishop claimed the old Franciscan church and made it the Cathedral of the country’s oldest diocese. The cathedral was rebuilt after fires in 1623 and 1630. Restoration took place in the 1880s. The old rococo interior was replaced with the present interior. A new organ was acquired in 1997.

            At the Hanseatic Museum we were lucky to pick up an interesting English guided tour just as it began. In 1360 German merchants set up import/export offices in Bergen and dominated the trade for 400 years. A 1702 fire   reduced the city to ashes, but the museum  was quickly rebuilt on the foundations that had been in place since the 11^th century. The museum is one of the best preserved buildings in the city and is furnished in the style of the 1700s.  Hanseatic apprentices were teenage boys. They slept two to a bunk, head to toe, in narrow single beds in enclosed cabinets. They actually were locked in at night so there was no monkey business.  Punishment was severe for rule infractions. No smoking was allowed because of the real danger of fire. The guide was very knowledgeable and made this visit not only interesting but a lot of fun.

            The 12^th  century St. Mary Church  is the oldest building in Bergen, and one of the most outstanding Romanesque churches in the country. The Baroque pulpit is one of the finest in Norway. Hanseatic merchants worshiped here 850 years ago.

            St. Jorgen’s Church, built in the Middle Ages, forms part of the old leprosy hospital. Rebuilt after the 1702 fire, it is now used for special services for students, associations and English congregations. We ran on to this church by accident and happened to run into a couple of English-speaking fellows who enjoyed filling us in on the history and background of the church.

Bergen was heavily bombed  in WW II. In 1944 a German ship loaded with explosives entered the harbor as the captain wanted to see his brother. The explosion tossed boats up onto land, broke windows and threw the ship’s anchor 4 kilometers away.  This reminded me of the Nova Scotia harbor explosion during the same time period.

            Norway is more than untouched nature. The country is rich in history, but Nature and  its rich natural resources has formed the Norwegian character and given it a kind of durability that has formed the country’s national identity. There is rightfully a special pride in being one of the first countries to eradicate illiteracy!