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

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.

NORWAY’S VIKING MUSEUM

                   VIKING MUSEUM

In Oslo, we visited the Viking Museum which is located on the Bygdey (sounds like big day) Peninsula. It is part of the Museum of Cultural History of the University of Oslo. Three 9^th century ships  are surrounded by artifacts from days of plunder. The Tune Ship was found and excavated in 1867, Gokstad Ship was excavated in the summer of 1880, and the Oseberg Ship was found and excavated in1904.

Made of oak, the ships were buried in blue clay which preserved them well. The boats were used as tombs for the nobility. Things needed for their journey to the ‘other world’ including jewelry, furniture, and food were buried with the bodies, as well as unique treasures such as wagons, horses and especially textiles which are seldom preserved from the Viking era. The three ships, found in the Oslo fjord, are the best preserved Viking ships known.

The ships were stored in various locations, and in 1913 Professor Gabriel Gustafson, who had led the excavation of the Oseberg Ship, proposed the building of a Viking Ship Museum at Bygdøy. The artifacts and archeological finds are also displayed in the museum. The museum is not large, but is well done and the contents are awesome.