Oslo Hotels

Hotels in Oslo Norway

 

Oslo Sights & Attractions

1. Royal Palace

The imposing, neo-classical Royal Palace was built by King Karl Johan, a French General placed on the Swedish and Norwegian thrones by Napoleon. It was completed in 1848, but Karl Johan never got to live in it because he died four years before its completion. As some small consolation, his statue does dominate in front entrance. Norway's present King - Harald - works here but has a separate residence. Though the Palace is not open to the public, the lush gardens are well worth strolling around and the ceremonial changing of the guard occurs every day at 1:30 pm.

2. National Theatre

Close to the Royal Palace, the National Theatre is the heart of Oslo's theatrical life. It is a beautiful building, which dates from 1899, its interior and exterior alike featuring a mix of baroque and rococo elements. A statue of perhaps the most famous Norwegian, the playwright Henrik Ibsen, presides with appropriate dignity outside. While you're admiring the National Theatre, it's also worth paying a visit to the Theatercaafen at the Continental Hotel. Its glassed in veranda overlooking the street is a favourite place for actors, artists and intelligentsia to mingle and be seen from spring to autumn. The decor focuses strongly on portraits and sketches of leading Norweigian artists.

3. Akershus Castle

The symbol of Oslo, Akershus Castle dominates both the bay and the Oslo Fjord. Built between 1299 and 1319 by Hakon V Magnusson, it has been attacked and rebuilt many times since then, but in the early 20th century it was restored to the way it looked around the early 1600s, when King Christian IV turned it into a far more imposing structure than it had been previously. He and subsequent Kings and Queens also lived there, a fact reflected in its beautifully appointed interior. Tours by costumed guides provide a fascinating account of the castle's role in protecting Norway. Of particular note is Olav's Hall, used as a prison in World War II for members of the Norweigan resistance. Indeed while you're in the grounds of the castle it's also well worth visiting the Resistance Musuem, which, in newspaper cuttings, period artefacts and personal memoirs, recounts the terrors of the Nazi occupation and the heroic efforts of Norway's seamen to keep open vital supply lines to Britain.

4. Ski Museum

Cross-country skiing is enjoyed by Norwegians of all ages and downhill racing is the national sport. The ski jumping competition at Holmenkollen began in 1892 and is the oldest in the world. In order to get a good idea of just how insane an activity this is you can take the life to the top of the jumping tower. You can also try the ski simulator which lets you experience the jump and a world championship level downhill slalom. It's also well worth visiting the Ski Museum, which traces the development of skiing in Norway. Among the exhibits there are detailed descriptions of the way Norweigian explorers Amundsen and Nansen trained for their expeditions to the North Pole. The Holkommen Restaurant boasts excellent traditional cuisine and peerless views, while the cafeteria sells smorbrod (open sandwiches) .

5. Vigeland Sculpture Park

Vigeland Sculpture Park is dedicated to another the Oslo-based sculptor Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943), who designed its layout and created the many statues that populate it. vigelnad sculpture parkThe approach is through a beautiful park of broad green lawns lined with poplar trees. This is followed by the bridge, which features 58 bronze male and female figures of different ages on parapets. The most famous piece along the south side is the Angry Boy, his face contorted with rage and little fists clenched in fury. Equally impressive is the great Fountain, supported by six giants representing the ages of man. But the centrepiece of the park is the towering, 55 foot monolith representing 121 naked humans scrambling over one another to reach the summit - an amazing totem pole of the human condition. It took 14 years to complete, with craftsmen transferring 1 million measurements from Vigeland's model.

6. National Gallery

The National Gallery is the country's most important art museum. It features wroks by Manet, Renoir, Cézanne, Gauguin, Matisse, Velasquez and El Greco in 60 rooms on 3 floors. There are also numerous works by Edvard Munch, Norway's most important artist, including his most celebrated, "The Scream."

7. Historical Museum

The Historical Museum, one block away from the National Gallery, traces the development of Norweigian culture from the Stone Age through the Middle Ages. The Viking collection is especially fascinating. It features a wealth of artefacts, such as horned helmets, battle axes, farming implements, swords, boats and gold jewelry, which depict the culture of the ancient Norwegians who thrived around Oslo from 780 to c1050.

8. Norwegian Folk Museum

The Norwegian Folk Museum offers an invaluable opportunity to see all the myriad aspects of 19th century Norwegian rural life in one small park, with original farmhouses, country manors, village centers and informative, enthusiastic guides roaming among them dressed in authentic costumes. Winding dirt paths connect all the sites - usually the component parts of different farms - and each building has a sod covered roof, creating an atmosphere somewhat akin to a Scandinivaian Hobbiton. The museum gets busy by midday, so it's best to turn up by 10.00 if you want to get the guides to yourself. In the course of your tour you might see a blacksmith in action, taste freshly baked goods or watch goats and pigs being fed. Interior visits show you rustic furniture, kitchen utensils and domestic items that offer a glimpse of traditional culture. You can have lunch at the museum then round off your visit with a folk dance show at 14.00.

9. Viking Ship Museum

From the Folk Museum it's only a 10 minute walk to the Viking Ship Museum. This museum's jewels are the three longships it contains, which were raised from the Oslofjord in the 19th century and lovingly restored. As burial ships, all three contained a wealth of household implements, jewellery and weaponry that the Vikings considered necessary in the afterlife. When first discovered, the smallest longship contained two female skeletons in a burial chamber luxurious enough to befit royalty. This has led scholars to speculate that it may have been the grave of Queen Asa - the only known queen in the early Viking dynasty - and of her bondswoman. The longships are an impressive enough spectacle in themselves. But they become even more so when you consider that, according to the ancient Sagas, whose statements are now backed up by modern archeology, the Vikings journeyed to North America in such vessels when Leif Eriksson discovered Vinland den Gode (the land of good pasture) in a foray from Greenland in AD1000.

10. Munch Museum

As its name suggests, the Munch Museum is dedicated to the work of Edvard Munch (1863 - 1944). A large, modern structure, completed in 1963, it doesn't contain the original of Edvard Munch's most famous work, "The Scream," but it does feature about 1,000 of his other paintings, many of them equally surreal and lugubrious. It also contains 18000 prints and 45000 drawings, plates and letters. Indeed there is so much material that it has to be displayed in rotation. Munch enjoyed a comfortable, intellectual background, but was deeply marked my his mother's early death and struggled with depression throughout his life. This melancholy is apparent in some of his most celebrated pieces, such as Anxiety, The Sick Room and Death of Marat. Though the titles may not sound enticing, Munch' triumphant Expressionist technique transcends his often dark subject matter.