Oslo, the city that celebrated its millennium in the year 2000, is the capital of Norway. It is the third largest Scandinavian city and also the largest city in Norway. Its One thousand years of existence has made Oslo find a place in the Norse Sagas, and the city has also faced devastation a number of time. One of the most expensive cities in the world, this city is the political, cultural and economic center of Norway.
Oslo is a natural choice for hikers and ski-lovers, as the city is surrounded by wilderness, and it takes just a ride on the suburban train line to step down and start hiking or skiing. Summers in Oslo are mild and warm, while winters are cold, chilly and wet. Snowfalls can be experienced during the winter months of October to May.
Apart from the natural bounty, there are a number of interesting architecture strewn around the city. In this article, we discuss some of the places worth visit in Oslo.
The Akerhus Fortress or castle was built to protect the city of Oslo. It was built around 1290s. The fortress is a military area, but open to the public until 9 pm. The fortress also houses the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum and the Norwegian Resistance Museum.
The City Hall is the place where each year the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony is held. Sports lovers should not miss the Holmenkollen, the ski jump. You can get a great view of the city, climbing atop the ski jump. It also has the oldest ski museum in the world.
As like any other major city, Oslo too boasts of a number of excellent museums. The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History has a photographic archive and a large open air museum. 155 different buildings have been relocated from different districts of Norway and maintained in the open air museum.
There are some other very interesting museums in the city. The Viking Ship Museum has preserved 1100 year old viking ships and other artifacts, as well as a viking burial chamber. The Kon-tiki museums has artifacts from the Easter islands as well as the balsa raft Kon-tiki. In the Fram museum, you can see the vessel Fram, the world’s first ice breaker, and a history of the polar explorations. The other museums are the Tram Museum, the Holocaust Center, and the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology.
There are also a number of parks in the city, including a Botanical Garden. The Frogner Park is decorated with a number of sculptures by the famous sculptor Gustav Vigeland.
The easiest way to move around the museums and parks is to collect an Oslo Pass from any one of the tourist offices, valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours. These passes will allow you free entry in almost all the museums, as well as allow you to avail transportation.
If you are a lover of the old world charm, visit some of Oslo’s wooden housing areas like Kampen. These areas have been preserved as they were in the early days, and are very special for the city of Oslo, as well as its inhabitants and tourists.
Related Directory Categories:
