Norway’s capital and most populated city. Situated at the end of the Oslofjord in the southern part of the country, Oslo is the economic and governmental center of Norway, as well as a major European maritime hub.
Once settled into our apartments, we wandered towards the west side harbor area and found ourselves in a high end residential area called Aker Brygge. The former wharf and shipyard area was redeveloped starting in 1982, and with a recent “face lift” in 2010-14, the waterfront neighborhood is now home to numerous restaurants, shops and high rise apartment homes.
Our next excursion took us to Oslo’s museum peninsula, Bygdoy, for visits to the Viking Ship Museum and the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History.
The Viking Ship Museum houses the remains of 4 Viking ship burials, excavated in the late 1800’s.
The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History is recognized as the world’s first open air museum (1881) and includes 150 structures relocated from several different parts of the country. The restored Gol Stave Church was of particular interest as most of these wooden structures have decayed or been destroyed over the centuries.
Erin found the Stave Church quite interesting, and is clearly texting all her friends about it.
There were also a number of farms, each consisting of dwellings for farmers, livestock and food stores.
Dated from 1250 AD, this exhibit claims to be the oldest surviving wooden structure in the world!
After lunch we made our way to the Akershus Fortress, a medieval castle build in the 1290’s to protect Oslo. It’s also been used as prison, and more notably, the place of execution for some of Norway’s WWII war criminals.
The fortress also houses the Norwegian Resistance Museum. The collection details the resistance efforts to the occupation of Norway By Nazi Germany from 1940 to 1945. Definitely worth a visit if you are ever in the Oslo area.
Working our way towards the central head of the fjord, in search of the Oslo Opera House, we came across a curious set of high rises. A quick google search identified these as the Barcode project…old wharf and industrial space converted to high end office space and residential towers, each designed by a different architect. The much maligned project is considered a blight to Oslo’s open, green space concept…according to opponents.
The Oslo Opera House
Home to Oslo’s national opera and ballet companies, as well as two upscale restaurants, the Italian marble and white granite structure has public access from the water’s edge, up two wide ramps to the roof. Pretty damn cool…
