Tour of Oslo, Norway

Oslo was built around its harbour as it has always had a strong maritime connection. Today, it is home to approximately 980 companies and 8,500 employees within the maritime sector.

The city's port is the largest general cargo port in the country and is the leading passenger gateway.

The view right shows, as with many port cities nowadays, the port area of Oslo is also becoming a vast leisure and tourist facility. The most notable building is the new Town Hall with its twin towers.

Ski Resorts . Tryvann Vinterpark 8 miles north of Oslo.

Kongsberg Skisenter 51 miles west of Oslo.

The main street in Oslo is the Karl Johans gate (Karl Johan Street), named after King Karl Johan.

This street connects the main railroad station in Oslo and the Royal Palace, as seen in the distance.

The Royal Palace in Oslo was built in the first half of the 19th century as the Norwegian residence of Norwegian and Swedish king Charles III.

The Royal Palace is now used as the official residence of the present Norwegian Monarch, King Harald V, who has reigned since 17 January 1991.

The crown-prince and his wife reside at Skaugum in Asker Municipality outside Oslo, the three princesses of Norway live on estates in Oslo, Fredrikstad and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Christiania Torv, (square) is a beautifully preserved medieval square, Oslo's market square in the middle ages, centre of the Old Town.

Around the square are several historic buildings, oslo's original town hall (now the theatre museum), and the garrison hospital, the oldest building in oslo.

Just a block down Kongens gate is the engbret cafe, the oldest restaurant in the city. Christiania Torv is also a pleasant place to have lunch in one of it's outdoor cafes.

The Oslo Opera House is the seat of The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the national opera theatre in Norway. The building lies in Bjørvika, in the center of Oslo, just south of the Central Train Station.

The architects were the Norwegian firm Snøhetta who were also the architects of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (the Library of Alexandria) in Egypt.

The Opera House was finished in 2007 with the opening event held on 12 April 2008. King Harald V of Norway opened the Opera House that evening at a gala performance attended by national leaders and royalty.

Oslo is sometimes referred to as "Tigerstaden", "The city of tigers". To symbolize this, a really large bronze tiger has been placed in front of the main railway station. It is a popular meeting place: "We meet by the tiger!"

The name Tigerstaden for Oslo seems to have come from a poem by the Norwegian poet Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson from 1870 called "Sidste sang"

The Storting (Stortinget) is the Norwegian Parliament in the middle of Karl Johansgate in the City Centre.

The Storting building was completed in 1866 to the design of the Swedish architect Emil Victor Langlet.

It is possible to take a guided tour of the Storting, also in english. Approximately 25,000 people visit the Storting and get guided tours each year.

Website.

Vigeland Sculpture Park is a part of Frogner Park, located in Oslo, about 2 miles northwest of the city centre. The park covers 80 acres (320,000 m2) and features 212 bronze and granite sculptures created by Gustav Vigeland.

Vigeland personally sculpted every figure out of clay and individual craftsmen were contracted to fabricate the pieces into what they are today.

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The Viking Ship Museum is located at Bygdoy in Oslo. It is part of the Museum of Cultural History of the University of Oslo, and houses the Viking ships from Tune, Gokstad, and Oseberg.

The museum displays the Viking Age Oseberg ship, Gokstad ship, Tune ship, and finds from the Borre mound cemetery and elsewhere.

The Bygdoy Peninsula is located across the harbor from downtown Oslo. Visitors can either enjoy a short ferry trip across the harbour to the Bygdoy Peninsula or they can catch a bus from the Oslo city centre.

More Information.

More Oslo Museums.

Akershus Fortress is an old castle in the centre of Oslo, built to protect the city, it has also served as a prison.

The earliest parts of the castle were built in the late 1290s, for King Håkon V. It was constructed in response to an attack on Oslo by the Norwegian nobleman, Earl Alv Erlingsson of Sarpsborg.

The fortress has never been successfully captured by a foreign enemy. It surrendered without combat to Nazi Germany in 1940 after the Norwegian government evacuated the capital in the face of the unprovoked German assault on Denmark and Norway.

Several people were executed here by the German occupiers. After the war, eight Norwegian traitors who had been tried for war crimes, and sentenced to death, were also executed at the fortress.

Akershus fortress is still a military area, but is open to the public daily until 9pm. In addition to the castle, the Norwegian Armed Forces museum and the Norwegian Resistance museum can be visited there.

Many of the Norwegian Royalty have been buried in the Royal Mausoleum in the castle.

More Information.

Tusenfryd is an amusement park at Vinterbro, Norway. The park is located 15 kilometers south of Oslo.

TusenFryd's healthy revenue allows the park management to build new rides almost every year. Tusenfryd is also one of Norway's largest employers of youths.

It was officially opened on 11 June 1988, and took 18 months to build. As of 2004, TusenFryd averaged 445,000 visitors a year.

Buses depart from Oslo Bus Station on all park operating days. Single fare about: children 25 kroner, adults 40 kroner.

For more information on Oslo, visit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo.