A prosperous and comfortable Oslo is an example of restraint, hard work and dedication of the northern peoples, who needed to work hard and constantly invent something new to survive. In the Norwegian capital, the best trends of modern architecture and progressive solutions in the field of urban infrastructure have come together. The magnificent Opera House and the Astrup-Fearnley Museum Complex are prime examples of urban planning for the future.
On the other hand, there are almost no old buildings and quarters left in Oslo. City churches were erected in the late 18th - early 19th centuries; the palaces are not particularly splendid and luxurious. You can only get an idea of the medieval architecture of the Norwegian capital by looking at the Akershus Fortress and the old Aker Church.
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What to see and where to go in Oslo?
The most interesting and beautiful places for walking. Photos and a short description.
Akershus
The 14th century castle in the central part of Oslo, the center of a powerful medieval fortification, which served as defensive functions until the 17th century. During the reign of Christian IV, the castle was rebuilt in the Renaissance style. In the 19th century, the complex fell into disrepair, after which a complete restoration was carried out, and it became a place for state receptions. The castle chapel contains the tombs of several Norwegian kings.
Royal Palace
A mid-19th century structure originally built for King Karl Johan as his summer residence. The outer facade of the palace looks rather modest and emphasizes the northern Norwegian restraint. The interior is decorated with works of national art. The building is surrounded by a park, and there is a regular changing of the guard on the palace square. It is possible to visit the palace with a guided tour from June to August.
Parliament Building (Storting)
The structure, erected by the Swedish architect K. Johans. It is located near the Royal Palace. Compared to the royal residence, the parliament building looks quite elegant. The Storting is the seat of the Norwegian parliament, which consists of 169 deputies. Special excursions are organized for tourists, but from September to June they are held only on Saturdays.
Town hall
The building in which the city council of Oslo sits. This is a modern building, erected in the middle of the 20th century. The idea of building a new town hall arose after the breakdown of the Swedish-Norwegian union in 1905. The town hall building is an important architectural monument of the 20th century and a well-known symbol of Oslo. The annual Nobel Peace Prize ceremony takes place on its territory.
Karl Johan street
One of the main streets of the city, named after King Charles IV Johan. It stretches from the Royal Palace to the Central Railway Station. The street is pedestrianized. There are many restaurants, shops and souvenir shops at your disposal in Oslo. The main city attractions are located along the street: the Norwegian National Theater, the Cathedral, the Parliament building, the palace park.
Aker Bruges District
At the beginning of the 19th century, Aker Brygge was an industrial area where the shipyards of the Akers Mek corporation were located. In the 80s. XX century, it was decided to create a recreational and entertainment zone on the territory of the district. Industrial buildings were quickly demolished, some of the buildings were reformatted and rebuilt. Today Aker Brygge is a fashionable area with expensive shopping malls, apartments and trendy restaurants.
Viking Ship Museum
Museum on the Bygdø peninsula within the city limits of Oslo, where famous Viking drakkars are exhibited: Oseberg ship, Gokstad ship, Tyun ship. The exposition is part of the collection of the Museum of Cultural History. The building for the museum was erected at the beginning of the 20th century with funds from the state budget. Each ship is housed in a separate room. In addition to ships, you can see various exhibits of the Viking era in the museum: carts, beds, vessels, sledges.
Kon-Tiki Museum
The exposition of the museum tells about the life and work of the Norwegian traveler T. Heyerdahl. This man is known for crossing the Pacific Ocean on a raft in 1947, and also made several more long expeditions (including to Easter Island). The museum contains all the ships on which the traveler sailed: "Kon-Tiki", "Ra", "Fatu-Khiva", "Tigris", "Ra II". The collection was founded by one of Heyerdahl's associates - K. Haugland.
Vigeland Museum
The collection of the museum is dedicated to the work of the original Norwegian artist E. Vigeland. The museum building was designed in 1926 with the participation of the master himself. The main hall of the museum is painted with frescoes that demonstrate various moments of human life. The collection consists of paintings, drawings, sculptures created by Vigeland. Inside the building, in the chapel, is the artist's grave.
Fram Museum
The museum exposition is dedicated to the numerous sea expeditions of the Norwegians. The central exhibit is the ship "Fram", which went on three major voyages in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. These trips were organized with the aim of exploring and conquering the North Pole, but the attempt was successful only the second time. Along the way, the islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago were explored. The Fram Museum was opened in 1936.
Munch Museum
The opening of the museum was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the birth of Edvard Munch, the famous Norwegian graphic artist and expressionist. This event took place in 1963. Over time, the museum has become one of the largest cultural centers in Oslo. The collection consists of several hundred paintings, 1.8 thousand prints, 4.5 thousand drawings and several sculptures belonging to the master's hand. In 2004, several exhibits were stolen from the museum, but two years later they were returned to their place.
People's Museum of Norway
Open-air museum, organized at the end of the 19th century. It covers an area of 14 hectares. The exposition consists of traditional Norwegian houses from different eras, collected from all over the country (more than 155 buildings in total). Inside, a traditional setting has been recreated, giving an idea of the rural and town life of the past times. An especially valuable example is the ancient church dating back to 1200.
National Gallery
City Art Gallery, which exhibits paintings by famous Norwegian and European artists. The museum was organized in the first half of the 19th century. There are works by Picasso, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Matisse, Gauguin, Goya, Van Gogh and other artists of the 19th - 20th centuries. Separate expositions are dedicated to Norwegian painters, there is even a collection of Russian icons of the Novgorod school. On Sundays, admission to the gallery is free.
Henie-Unstad Arts Center
The center is about 10 km away. from the Norwegian capital. It was founded by spouses Nils Unstad and Sonya Henie in 1968. The collection is based on a private collection of the family, consisting of 110 paintings. The Arts Center consists of six exhibition halls, auditorium and conference facilities. Outstanding masters - "classics" of contemporary art: Picasso, F. Leger, J. Miro, M. Ernst, P. Klee and others are exhibited here.
Astrup Fearnley Museum of Contemporary Art
The museum building is located on the territory of the picturesque harbor. This modern structure consists of three parts, united by a common glass roof. The museum is located in two parts of the building, offices are located in the third. From pavilion to pavilion you can go over bridges over canals.There is a small picturesque park in front of the museum, perfect for relaxing after visiting the museum exposition.
Nobel Peace Center
The Nobel Peace Center is a discussion club, museum, archive and creative space. It opened in 2005 in the presence of the Norwegian royal family. The expositions of the center show the peacekeeping role of Europe in resolving military conflicts and problems of a planetary scale, such as neglect of nature, climate change, and pollution. There is a school at the institution.
Oslo Opera House
The National Opera Stage, housed in an outstanding building of modern architecture. The theater opened in 2008 and almost immediately became one of Oslo's most popular attractions. Even the President of Finland and the Queen of Denmark attended the opening ceremony. The architecture of the building of the opera house is dominated by asymmetric lines, unusual shapes and large spaces. According to the audience, the main hall has achieved excellent acoustics.
Norwegian National Theater
Norway's largest drama theater, built in 1899. A hundred years later, the building was declared a national cultural heritage. The construction of the theater was financed from private funds, at first it existed on sponsorship money. Later the theater passed into state administration. On the theatrical stage, plays by Norwegian, Swedish, German playwrights predominate, but sometimes works by other authors are also staged.
Cathedral
Oslo's main temple, built in the 17th century at the expense of the townspeople. Since the 12th century, there have been two Christian churches in its place, but both have not stood the test of time. Stones, remnants of walls and other building material left over from old buildings were used in the construction of the Cathedral. In 2006, a major reconstruction was carried out and many interior details were replaced, but the old altar of the 17th century has survived.
St olav's cathedral
Catholic temple, which was erected in the middle of the 19th century in the neo-gothic style. After years of persecution against Catholics as a result of the Reformation, they still managed to regain their right to their own cathedral in the Norwegian capital. In honor of the consecration of the cathedral, Queen Josephine presented the parish with a copy of the Sistine Madonna by Raphael. In 1989, Pope John Paul II visited it. He presented to the temple part of the relics of St. Olaf.
Church of the Holy Trinity
A spacious 19th century church, which is designed for about 1000 parishioners. The temple was erected by the architect A. Chateauneuf in the neo-Gothic style. The building has a cruciform shape and is crowned with a bell tower. The external façade is predominantly red brick. Inside there is a 19th century altar and a historic organ. The windows of the church are decorated with picturesque stained glass windows.
Aker old church
The oldest building in Oslo and the only surviving medieval temple. The building is considered a valuable architectural monument. The first mention of this church is found in the sources of the XI-XII centuries. Presumably, the temple was built during the reign of King Olaf III, who ruled Norway in 1067-1093. The first building was made of wood, later a stone building appeared. In the 19th century, they wanted to demolish the church, but the Society for the Preservation of Historical Monuments stood up for it.
Spasskoye cemetery
One of the oldest necropolises in Oslo, founded in 1808. In the middle of the 19th century, the cemetery acquired its own Lutheran church, in which, surprisingly, the parish of the Russian Orthodox Church has been located since 2003. Burials ceased in the middle of the 20th century and the cemetery was declared a memorial. Here are the tombs of famous political, scientific and cultural figures of Norway.
Oslo Botanical Garden
Norway is a country with a cool climate and a lot of rainy days. All the more, Oslo residents and tourists appreciate the beauty of the city's botanical garden, which blooms in summer and fills the warm air with sweet aromas. The garden was founded at the beginning of the 19th century during the maximum interest of European scientists in botany. In addition to ornamental plants, large quantities of medicinal herbs are grown on the territory.
Vigeland Sculpture Park
The park is located in the open air, it houses 227 sculptures made of various materials: granite, iron, bronze. The exhibits were created by the Norwegian sculptor G. Vigeland. The master created only nudity, some of the sculptures in the park evoke ambiguous emotions, but it is believed that he was an outstanding sculptor. The central composition "Monolith" consists of intertwined human figures and depicts the cycle of life.
Tusenfried Amusement Park
Tusenfried is considered one of the largest and most popular amusement parks in Scandinavia. There are high-speed roller coasters, all kinds of "bungee", carousels for the youngest visitors. On one of the rides, you can feel the real state of weightlessness as in Space. There are many cafes and eateries in the park, where a large selection of street food is served.
Akerselva river
One of the longest rivers in Norway, stretching for 8.2 km. National parks and nature reserves are located on its banks. While walking along the Akerselva River, you can enjoy the wonderful views of northern Norwegian nature. The river also flows through the territory of Oslo and provides economic activities for some of the city's industrial enterprises.
Lake Sognswann
A great area for outdoor recreation, where Norwegians love to go with the whole family for weekends and holidays. Hiking with tents in the vicinity of the lake, cycling, as well as skiing and ice skating in winter are very popular with locals. It is not uncommon to see Norwegian politicians jogging or exercising in the morning.
Holmenkollen
One of the urban areas of Oslo, or rather, part of the Vestre Aker district. On its territory ski and biathlon tracks are equipped, there are hotels, guest cottages, restaurants and a full-fledged tourist infrastructure. Holmenkollen is located on a hill at the highest point in Oslo, and every year one of the stages of the Biathlon World Cup is held here. The area became a sports and cultural center at the end of the 19th century.
Oslo fjord
A picturesque bay, one of the famous Norwegian fjords, which stretches from the Danish Straits to Oslo. People have settled on the shores of the Oslofjord since the Stone Age, and well-preserved remains of ancient Viking Drakkars have been found here. A great many small islets are scattered along the bay, the coastline is heavily indented, which creates obstacles for the passage of large ships.
