Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
how the forces of good and evil tug at each of us. Step inside beneath the red,
blue, and gold seal of Oslo and under an equally colorful ceiling. The box
above on the right is for the royal family. Back outside, notice the tiny square
windows midway up the copper cupola—once the lookout quarters of the fire
watchman.
• The big square that faces the cathedral is called...
Stortorvet:
In the 17th century, when Oslo's wall was located about here,
this was the point where farmers were allowed to enter and sell their goods.
Today it's still lively as a flower and produce market (Mon-Fri). The statue
shows Christian IV, the Danish king who ruled Norway around 1600, dramat-
ically gesturing that-a-way. He named the city, rather immodestly, Christiania.
(Oslo took back its old Norse name only in 1924.) Christian was serious about
Norway. During his 60-year reign, he visited it 30 times (more than all other
royal visits combined during 300 years of Danish rule). The big GlasMagas-
inet department store is a landmark on this square.
• Return to Karl Johans Gate, and continue up the boulevard past street musi-
cians, cafés, shops, and hordes of people. If you're here early in the morning
(Mon-Fri) you may see a commotion at #14 (in the first block, on the left, look
for the big
2 sign
). This is the studio of a TV station (channel 2) where the
Norwegian version of the
Today
show is taped, and as on Rockefeller Plaza,
locals gather here, clamoring to get their mugs on TV.
At the next corner, Kongens Gate leads left, past the 17th-century grid-
plan town to the fortress. But we'll continue hiking straight up to the crest
of the hill, enjoying some of the street musicians along the way. Pause at the
wide spot in the street just before Akersgata to appreciate the...
Crest of Karl Johans Gate:
Look back at the train station. A thousand
years ago, the original (pre-1624) Oslo was located at the foot of the wooded
hill behind the station. Now look ahead to the Royal Palace in the distance,
which was built in the 1830s “with nature and God behind it and the people
at its feet.” If the flag flies atop the palace, the king is in the country. Karl
Johans Gate is a parade ground from here to the palace—the axis of mod-
ern Oslo. Each May 17th, Norway's Independence Day, an annual children's
parade turns this street into a sea of marching student bands and costumed
