I have learned more about Norwegian history in these last few days than I ever have. Why, you might ask? I spent the weekend (and last Wednesday) visiting the many museums and icons Oslo has to offer. On Wednesday, we were given a guided tour of Akerselva, or Aker River. When Oslo was still Christiania (1624 to 1925), the Aker River divided the population into the rich on the west and the poor on the east. Granted, some of those connotations still exist today; the eastern part is not an area you would necessarily want to walk around on your own. We walked a few miles down the river and visited some of the most interesting parts, including the first paper mill in Oslo. While the guide gave us a lot of interesting information, I don’t know that I was necessarily impressed as the group was too large and we walked at a slower pace than I would have wanted. The scenery is beautiful for being in the middle of a city, so I would recommend walking along the river if you have the chance to come to Oslo; just not with 50 other people.
On Friday, Victoria and I went to the Opera House. While we’ve seen it from afar, neither of us had walked on it, and we decided to check it out. It has wonderful views and the inside is quite pretty. I feel like it’s the Sydney Opera House of Europe. The architectural style is different than any other Opera House in Europe, and, although I’ve never been, I would compare it to the unique design of Sydney’s icon. Like many other theaters and opera houses, the Opera House has a restaurant both on the inside and to the outside. Due to the open doors during the day, there are at least two swallows living inside the building. Nonetheless, the inside is gorgeous, and a must see if you are a fan of architecture.
The same day, we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Muséet for Samtidskunst, which is not far from Oslo’s Opera House. Although I am not a huge fan of contemporary art (some of it is too out there for me), I enjoyed myself quite a bit. The exhibits were poignantly put together. The first floor was almost entirely dedicated to Aase Texmon Rygh’s work. Born in 1925, she went to school in Norway, Denmark, and was inspired in Paris by European modernism and the simplicity of ancient sculptures. This inspiration can be seen in her work around eternity (möbius strips) and on human movement. Some examples of her work are below. Also on the first floor was an interactive piece where the observer physically walks inside the sculpture. Called Inner Space v. The Target by Per Inge Bjølo, it evoked all the feelings it said it would. These were: heightened feelings of confinement, claustrophobia, and bodily awareness. The metal rattled around you and the light was harsh inside. A picture of that piece is also below.
The second floor was dedicated to an exhibit called “Take Liberty!” While on the first floor, you could hear this church music playing on a loop. As we came to the stairs, we realized it was a video of Pussy Riot’s “Punk Prayer – Mother of God, Chase Putin Away!” From there, there were pieces on freedom, liberty, and justice, from Denmark, to the U.S., to Thailand, and so on. As Friday was the 4th of July, I found the documentary titled The March particularly affecting. About the March on Washington in 1963, I felt moved especially as we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. Also, I found it interesting just how much American history Victoria knew. It made me wish I knew more history for other parts of the world than just Western Europe.
That night, I tried finding a friend/classmate, Pablo, at Fotballfesten, the main place in downtown to watch the World Cup. Literally Soccer (Football) Party, it was unbelievably crowded. Needless to say, without a phone or knowledge of just how busy it would be, I was unable to find him. However, some Bulgarians rooting for Colombia took me under their wing and I hung out with them for the first half before going to the student bar closer to Blindern for the second half.
As this was my last full weekend in Oslo, I chose to visit a bunch of museums. I woke up bright and early on Saturday to get my day going. Although it was not open, my first stop was Stortinget, the Norwegian parliament building. Tours are available during part of the summer, but only from 10-1 on weekdays, which falls right during my class. Even so, I enjoyed seeing the building before going to Akershus Fortress, where I learned that two prisoners there carved the lions that I saw in the front of the building. You can see a picture of one of those lions below.
My second stop was Oslo Cathedral. Although it is the main church building in Oslo, and has been since 1697, this is not where coronation ceremonies of Norwegian kings took place; that happened in Trondheim. (Coronation ceremonies ended in 1908 when it was eliminated from the Constitution.) Renovated in 2006 and re-opened in 2010, the artwork – both painted, gilded, and stained glass – is lovely. It is different than other cathedrals throughout Europe as it appears to be made out of some sort of brick instead of cut stone. Some pictures are below.
My third stop on Saturday was to Akershus Fortress, located along the harbor. First build in the 1300s, it has been added onto and partially destroyed over the last 700 years. The grounds to the Fortress are open to the public every day, free of charge, even though it is still being used as a military area. If you want a guided tour of the grounds, it does cost some money, but there are also maps for you to take your own tour. In the 1800s, the fortress was used to house prisoners and was called The Slavery as they would rent out prisoners to the city and use their labor on the fortress grounds as well. Prisoners in The Slavery carved the two lions that I mentioned earlier. The main attraction of the Fortress is, of course, the Castle, which was only 50 NOK for a student ticket. Akershus Castle was built at the same time as the Fortress during the Middle Ages. When Christian IV became king in 1596, he had the castle repaired and expanded in a more Renaissance style. Funds were tight, so stones and bricks were used from older buildings, which you can see in my picture. The Castle is still used today, albeit infrequently. The banquet hall was last used in 2001 for the diplomatic dinner prior to the wedding of Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, and Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, now the Crown Princess. A few other, more detailed descriptions can be seen on my Facebook page.
At Akershus Fortress, a tourist family asked the gift shop desk if they had any maps of the subway system in Oslo. As they didn’t, and I happened to have several, I gave up my guide. After I was done in Akershus Fortress, I decided to go get a new one for myself, which led to some wandering around Downtown Oslo. As the weather was gorgeous, I didn’t mind one bit. Once I got that, I headed to the Nobel Peace Center, where they have exhibits on peace, what peace means, and the Nobel Peace Prize winners. While it was good for a free visit, I feel like I could have had the same experience online. In all, I visited Stortinget, Oslo Cathedral, Akershus, and the Nobel Peace Center on Saturday.
Sunday was just as busy. Loki joined me this time and we started our day at the botanical garden, which is run by the University of Oslo in Tøyen/Sofienberg. After wandering through the gardens and thinking how much I would have enjoyed visiting with my dad, we went to the Zoological Museum, part of the Museum of Natural History (it is split into a Zoological and a Geological building). While small, I always enjoy seeing the dioramas that the museum caretakers create. We then headed over to the National Gallery, which has one of the smallest art collections I have seen in a national art museum probably because Norway is so small. Despite that, they had art from the major eras, ranging from ancient Greece and Rome, to Medieval, Renaissance, impressionists, modern, etc. They have paintings from Picasso, Monet, Manet, and of course, their important Norwegian painters, including an entire room dedicated to Munch. (There is also a museum dedicated to Munch separate from this museum, which may be why they do not have more paintings.) I loved the nationalistic landscapes painted by Thomas Fearnley and Johan Christian Dahl. Loki and I then dashed off to the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, full of furniture, glassware, china, clothing, and household items from across the centuries. It had some of the royal outfits from queens and princesses in Norway, which were gorgeous to see! On Sundays, the national museums like these two are open for free. As an ISS student, I am able to get into certain museums, including all the ones I went to on Sunday, for free with my ID. While I enjoyed the museums, I was definitely museum-ed out by the end.
But my Sunday wasn’t over yet. I purchased a student ticket to visit the Royal Palace. I could not take any pictures while inside, but I can say that it is definitely worth the money (85 NOK student, 95 NOK adults). Finished in 1849, it has been home to the king of Norway-Sweden and to the current Norwegian line. The first kings of Norway began their rule in the 9th century. While there were a few periods of time when this independent nation was in a union with Denmark, the official union began in 1387 as Denmark-Norway-Sweden. From 1524 to 1814, Norway was part of Denmark. Finally, in 1814, Norway gained its freedom from Denmark and created its own Constitution, only to be taken by Sweden in a brief war. At long last, in 1905, Norway and Sweden reached negotiations for Norway’s independence, the first time in many, many centuries. Norway chose, by a populous vote, to remain a monarchy, albeit a constitutional monarchy. After asking Sweden for a king, which the Swedish king refused, the Danish king granted his grandson to the Norwegians. King Haakon VII came to Norway in 1905, giving Norwegians ties to both Denmark and England. There is a whole lot more to this story, including information on the Occupation of Norway by Germans in World War II, but you can read up about that on Wikipedia or something, as this post is already far too long.
I still have more museums I want to visit while I’m in Oslo, but I’m glad I knocked out so many, and I know where I might want to go again.
Norway Adventure 2014 