Akershus Fortress

The cornerstone of the castle was laid in the late 1290s, by King Håkon V. It was supposed to replace Tønsberg and Båhus, two of the most significacnt Norwegian castles of the period. The construction should have represented a response to the Norwegian nobleman, Earl Alv Erlingsson´s attack on Oslo. The stronghold has proudly held out many, primarily Swedish, sieges.

In the early 17th century, the structure was redeveloped and remodelled under the reign of the King Christian IV. The first time the stronghold was used in battle was in 1308, when it was besieged by the Swedish duke Erik of Södermanland – subsequent “usurper” of the Swedish throne.

Since the major part of Norwegian trade and commerce in that period was by sea, the fortress’s proximity of the sea represented a principal feature and thus it was also used as a naval base. It’s said that the strategic importance of the castle for the capital is that who ruled Akershus fortress ruled the whole of Norway.

After the castle was captured without combat by Nazi Germany in 1940, it was transformed into the place where many executions and torturing happened.

When the World War II was over, some of the Norwegian fifth columnists (such as Vidkun Quisling) were executed here as well.

Nowadays, the castle is open to the public and tourists.

Oslo City Hall

Designed by Arnstein Arneberg and Magnus Poulsson and constructed in 1931, Oslo City Hall houses both the City Council as well as some galleries and arts centres. This building with characteristic architecture is the place where the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies are held.

Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology

Established in 1914, the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology was built within the framework of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the codification of the Norwegian Constitution, nevertheless, it wouldn’t become a museum until 1932. After relocation in the 1950s the museum “returned” to its contemporary placement in 1985.

The Royal Palace

Being constructed in the course of the first half of the 19th century as the residence of Norwegian and Swedish king Charles III, the building has represented the official residence of the Norwegian Monarchy until present. When the structure was completed, members of the ruling dynasty moved here from Paleet, a splendid town house in Christiania.

As a matter of fact, Charles III and his successors used the Palace only during their stays Oslo; otherwise they spent most of their time in Stockholm. Probably the most frequent visitor of the Palace was the king Oscar II, who, nonetheless, preferred using his seaside villa rather than the dim Palace.

After the fall of the Bernadotte dynasty in 1905, the Palace has been occupied by the Danish prince Carl, who, on having accepted the complete independence of Norway, took the name Haakon VII and also became the first monarch ever to settle here permanently.

During the reign of the contemporary King Harald V, the general refurbishment of the building was started.

Munch Museum

As obvious from its name, Munch Museum (Munchmuseet) is dedicated to the work and life of the famous Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. Donated by Oslo municipal cinemas, the museum started its activities in 1963 which is the date when the painter would have celebrated his 100th birthday. Its vast collections include works personally willed by Munch to the municipality of Oslo as well as some other paintings donated by his sister Inger Munch.

Nowadays, the museum houses an extraordinary permanent collection counting well over 1.000 paintings, 15.000 prints, several sculptures, 500 plates, more than 2.000 books and various other entries.

The museum building was designed by Gunnar Fougner and Einar Myklebust. The latter of them played a major part in the enlargement and modernization of the museum which took place in 1994 – the date of the 50th anniversary of painter’s death.

Viking Ship Museum

Situated at Bygdøy in Oslo and being a part of the Museum of Cultural History of the University of Oslo, the Viking Ship Museum houses a large number of exhibits related to the Viking period of the Norwegian history, not only boats and nautical equipment but also pottery, knives, weapons or amulets.

Henie-Onstad Art Centre

Founded in 1968 by an Olympic champion Sonja Henie and her husband, the Henie-Onstad Art Centre features a collection consisting of more than 600 single objects, and covering a period of time of over 40 years.

Akerselva

Akerselva - the river twisting through Oslo - is considered to be “Oslo’s green lung” since a large number of parks and trails are found by its banks. A stroll along Akerselva from the rural area of Frysja to the city centre represents a great experience and so does a walk through the historical part of Oslo.

Hovedøya

Hovedøya is a rather small island, one of several similar islands in the Oslo Fjord area. Its name comes from hofud – meaning height in Old Norwegian - for the island represents the tallest point of the whole Oslo Fjord. The island is extremely popular for it’s surprisingly lush and vegetation including a great variety of trees, shrubs as well as flowers.

Tryvannstårnet

Situated not far from Tryvann, about 600 metres above sea level, this 118 metre high tower is at times dubbed Oslo’s CN Tower. In fact, it offers tremendous views all over the Oslo Fjord and surroundings. In a height of 60 metres, if weather conditions allow, one may even spot the Swedish border. The observation deck was, however, due to fire safety regulations, closed in 2005. Another reason of the closure was also a declining number of visitors and financial difficulties related to the maintenance of the building.