Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Designed by Oslo-based architectural firm Snøhetta and costing around €500 million to
build, the Opera House, which opened in 2008, has been designed to resemble a glacier
floating in the waters off Oslo. It's a subtle building that at first doesn't look all that im-
pressive, but give it time and it'll leave you spellbound. Impressive at any time, it's prob-
ably at its most magical in the winter when snow provides it with a gleaming coat and the
surrounding harbour fills with sparkling sheets of ice.
Before venturing inside be sure to walk up onto the roof, which was designed to act as
a 'carpet' of sloping angles and flat surfaces. It's a symbolism that obviously works be-
cause Norwegians love to sprawl out across it on sunny days and sunbathe. Also, don't
miss 'playing' the
musical rods
that sit both up on the roof and near the entrance. Floating
just offshore of the Opera House is Monica Bonvicini's
She Lies
, a three-dimensional in-
terpretation of Caspar David Friedrich's 1823-24 painting
Das Eismeer
(The Sea of Ice).
As the tides rush in and out of the harbour, the steel and glass sculpture spins and twists,
which gives the viewer a constantly changing perspective on the sculpture.
