Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
were performed for the first time. The mementos include pictures and costumes,
and exhibitions relive the era of the circus, vaudeville, and the marionette the-
ater. There's also a rich collection of ballet costumes and portraits of actors, most
of whom are long forgotten. Plan on an hour's visit.
Christiania Torv 1.
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22-42-65-09.
Admission 30NOK ($4.25) adults, 25NOK ($3.55) students and children.
Sun and Thurs noon-4pm; Wed 11am-3pm. Tram: 10 or 12.
HISTORIC BUILDINGS
Akershus Slott og Festning (Akershus Castle & Fortress)
One
of the oldest historical monuments in Oslo, Akershus Castle was built in 1300
by Haakon V Magnusson. It was a fortress and a royal residence for several cen-
turies. A fire in 1527 devastated the northern wing, and the castle was rebuilt
and transformed into a royal Renaissance palace under the Danish-Norwegian
king, Christian IV. Now the government uses it for state occasions. A fortress or
Festning
with thick earth-and-stone walls is constructed around the castle, with
protruding bastions designed to resist artillery bombardment. Forty-minute
English-language guided tours are offered Monday to Saturday at 11am, 1pm,
and 3pm, and on Sunday at 1 and 3pm.
Festnings-Plassen.
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22-41-25-21.
Admission 40NOK ($5.70) adults, 10NOK ($1.40) children, family ticket
90NOK ($13). May-Sept 15 Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 12:30-4pm. Closed Sept 16-Apr. Tram: 10 or 12.
Oslo Domkirke (Oslo Cathedral)
Oslo's 17th-century cathedral at Stor-
torvet (the marketplace) was restored in 1950, when Hugo Louis Mohr com-
pleted its modern, tempera ceiling decorations. The cathedral contains works by
20th-century Norwegian artists, including bronze doors by Dagfin Werenskiold.
There are also stained-glass windows by Emanuel Vigeland (not to be confused
with the sculptor, Gustav) in the choir and by Borgar Hauglid in the transepts.
To see work from the cathedral's earliest days, be sure to view the pulpit and
altar, as well as the five-story-tall organ. Most visits here take half an hour. A
bilingual service (in Norwegian and English) is conducted on Wednesday at
noon, and an organ recital is presented on summer Saturdays at 1pm.
Stortorvet 1.
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23-31-46-00.
Free admission. Daily 10am-4pm. T-banen: Stortinget. Bus: 17.
Rådhuset (City Hall)
The modern City Hall, inaugurated in 1950, must be
seen to be judged. It has been called everything from “aggressively ugly” to “the
pride of Norway.” Its simple brick exterior with double towers houses, among
other things, a stunning 25
Kids
×
×
43 ft.) wall painted by Henrik Sørensen,
and the mural
Life
by Edvard Munch. Tapestries, frescoes, sculpture, and wood-
carvings by Dagfin Werenskiold are also on display. Guided tours in English are
available. Be sure to check out the astronomical clock and Dyre Vaa's swan foun-
tain in the courtyard. Allow about 20 minutes.
Rådhusplassen.
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23-46-16-00.
Admission 40NOK ($5.70) adults, free for children under 12. May-Sept daily
8:30am-5pm; Oct-Apr daily 8:30am-4pm. Guided tours Mon-Fri at 10am, noon, and 2pm. Tram: 10 or 12.
Stortinget (Parliament)
Constructed from 1861 to 1866, the Parliament,
lying in the center of the city, is designed in a neo-Romanesque style. Contem-
porary Norwegian artists have decorated the building as an homage to Norway,
depicting scenes from the history of the country as well as daily life. Guided
tours lasting 20 minutes are open to the public (there's no need to book ahead).
Karl Johans Gate 22.
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23-31-35-96.
Free admission. Guided tours in English July 1-Aug 15 Mon-Fri 10am,
11:30am, and 1pm; Sept 15-June 15 Sat 10am, 11:30am, and 1pm. Closed Aug 16-Sept 14 and June 16-30.
T-banen: Stortinget. Tram: 13, 15, or 19.
13m (85
