Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Norway and Oslo are for sure connected to seafaring. But you don’t need to only think about the Vikings: there have also been polar expeditions starting from there and other crazy adventures with Norwegian participation took place. To learn about this part of Norwegian history you should visit the museum half-peninsula Bygdøy: it hosts three museums in one place; the Frammuseet, Kon-Tiki Museum and the Norsk Maritimt Museum.
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When you’re walking from the Operahuset of Oslo along the fjord and the Langkaia road you will see an improvised cultural center with pyramid shaped houses, the SALT. It is a nomadic art project created in 2014 that was already set-up at Nordland and Bergen, currently it can be found at Oslo. The current allowance guarantees its perfect location until 2027, but you never know whether it is going to be extended. It hosts six stages used for a colorful mix of art and different food trucks; you can order drinks and food via smartphone and they get delivered to the tables next to the water.
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Norwegian stave churches are awesome: multi-level wooden, medieval churches; highly decorated and realized in a special ‘post and lintel’ structure. You can find them throughout Norway and there are only two ones outside the country: one in Hedared, Sweden and one which was moved to Karpacz, Poland. If you want to discover one at Oslo, you should visit the Folkemuseet on Bygdøy island. It is an open-air museum exhibiting buildings from all regions of Norway. The stave church there was relocated from Gol in the Viken province of Norway.
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The Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art is a must-see at Oslo for architecture lovers as well as for fans of contemporary art. But even if you would only love to enjoy great views on the neighboring Aker brygge neighborhood, have lunch at the museum restaurant or swim in the fjord at the beach in front of the museum – it is only a short walk from the city center and very worth to be done. The museum was founded in 1993 financed by the descendants of the Fearnley shipping family. The current building at the shore was opened in 2021.
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Edvard Munch was a famous Norwegian painter, maybe the most important of all times. He was born in 1863 and died in 1944 at Oslo, the city he had already grown-up at. His work focusses on humans and their emotions, the maybe best-know painting is Skrik (or The Scream). It was painted in 1893 and four versions exist: two in paint, two in pastels. One of these four is privately owned, but the other three can all be seen at Oslo: one at the Nasjonalmuseet, two of them at the fantastic Munchmuseet directly next to the Operahuset. They are a real attraction for the city and people squeeze in front of them in large crowds.
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I love to purchase tourist passes in advance. With them you typically can use public transport and visit the most important sights without paying every single time. If you get around a lot in a city it can save you a lot of money and that is quite important at Oslo as it is one of the most expensive cities in Europe. How does it work at Oslo currently? You just need to download the ‘Oslo pass‘ app from your mobile app store and within you can buy passes for different time frames. Once you arrived at Oslo you just need to activate it. The app shows two different tickets: one for public transport, one for visiting sights.
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Gustav Vigeland was the most important sculptor of Norway. He was born in 1869 and died at Oslo in 1943; his connection to the capital city was strong: he gave the rights on his sculptures to the city administration and the city administration assured his means of subsistence. Vigeland was highly influenced by French sculptor August Rodin and his work focusses on the relationship between man and woman; maybe that’s why many people can relate to his work and enjoy seeing his sculptures.
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Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm was born at Lübeck, Germany, in 1913. He wanted to become a journalist; but instead he worked for a ship owning company and became politically active: as a member of the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) and later of the Sozialistische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands (SAPD). When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, Herbert Frahm had to emigrate to Oslo, Norway. There he continued his political work in exile, studied history and worked as a journalist. And he changed his name to Willy Brandt, a name that later became very well known in Germany and the world.
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It is hardly possible to overlook the town hall building of Oslo near the harbor. With its unique design made of red bricks it stands out; the two rectangular towers (used for offices) are clearly visible in the skyline of the city. The building is highly decorated with statues and it even has a small waterfall on the rear side. First of all the town hall building is a symbol of independence: when the union of Norway and Sweden ended in 1905, the decision to celebrate this with the creation of a building was taken.
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The opera house of Oslo is one of the most iconic buildings of the city. Located directly at the fjord the shiny new building was opened in 2008. It is designed to look like a drifting iceberg and contains more than 1,000 rooms. That is quite a surprise because it looks rather small caused by its special shape: The building is like a vast ramp on which everybody can walk up all around the clock to enjoy nice views on the harbor and the city. The facade consists to large extent of Carrara marble which costed a lot of money (more than 6 million Euros).
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