Category: Sights

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.

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.

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).

The fortress of Oslo doesn’t look like one big fortress; it is incorporated into the surrounding city and today used for different purposes. But you can still today visit the different buildings, follow the walls and fortifications, pass through its stone gates and enjoy views from the uppermost platform of the hill it is standing on. Akershus festning was created between 1287 and 1300 CE and always played an important role in protecting the city. It was besieged and conquered multiple times, used as a prison; during World War II it was occupied by Nazi forces.