Two Oslo Attractions

Oslo, Norway’s attractive capital, has many attractions and two outdoor venues are high on the list of things to do. Oslo’s most visited museum attraction is an outdoor sculpture park. The Vigeland Sculpture Park (Tel: 2349 3700; Email: postmottak.vigeland@vigeland.museum.no) covers an area of 80 acres. The 212 remarkable sculptures were all designed by Gustav Vigeland. He also designed the architectural setting and the layout of the grounds. The sculptures are placed on an 850-meter long axis divided into 5 main sections. There is also a Vigeland Museum but this is much less known.

The park has sculptures in bronze and granite and several wrought iron gates. Vigeland modelled all his sculptures in full size and the result is stunning. The carving in stone and the casting in bronze were left to a number of talented craftsmen who worked with him.

The construction of the park took quite a few years. The area east of the two Frogner ponds was opened to the public in the 1890s. The area west of the ponds was in 1924 given to Vigeland for the construction of the Fountain, the Monolith and the many granite groups at the Monolith plateau. Around 1930 the sculpture park was enlarged eastwards, to include a new bridge decorated with sculptures and a unique main entrance in granite and wrought iron.

Unfortunately, Vigeland did not live to see the completed park. The majority of the sculptures and the architectural elements were not installed until about 1950. The municipality of Oslo was the main contributor to the realization of the Vigeland Park. However, a number of private persons and companies gave generous financial support. The result is a park unique in the world.

The park is about three kilometers to the northwest of the main center of the city. It is walkable on a nice day but you can also reach here by tram from the central city. You enter through the Main Gate made of wrought iron and granite. Constructed in 1926, it is an impressive feature. This main gate comprises two common gates and five major gates. There are two gatehouses with roofs made of copper.

Between the Main Gate and the Fountain, you will find the famous bronze statue of the ‘little angry boy’. This is one of the most popular sculptures in the park and you need to line up to photograph it at busy times.

Just after crossing the bridge, you see the Children’s Playground. There are eight statues made of bronze showing children at play. Right in the middle of the playground is a granite structure on top of which is the sculpture of a fetus. The area also has a pond where you will probably see some geese and ducks swimming.

The Fountain formed out of bronze features 60 separate figurines. The concept of death giving way to a new life is depicted by the several sculptures of skeletons and children in the arms of huge trees. Around the Fountain is a mosaic pattern in white and black granite.

At the Monolith Plateau you will see 36 statues portraying the concept of “circle of life”. There are eight wrought iron gates giving access to the plateau. The Monolith is the highest spot in the park. This towering structure is quite astounding and consists of 121 statues of human beings protruding upwards. I could have spent an hour here just admiring the sculptures and watching the visitors.

The Vigeland Museum is a ten-minute walk away. This is the studio of the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland. In the tower is an urn containing Vigeland’s ashes. There are nine rooms on the ground floor showing a wide selection of sculptures and certain drawings. Two rooms on the next floor show plastic sketches, drawings and woodcuts. Gustav Vigeland’s flat with two sitting rooms, library and bedroom is on the top floor.

 

One of Norway’s most visited tourist attractions, the Holmenkollen Ski Jump (Tel: 2292 3200; Email: kultur@skiforeningen.no) is only a few kilometers north of the central city. This comprises the Ski Jump Tower with its spectacular views, the world’s oldest ski museum and a ski simulator where you can feel for yourself what it´s like to jump at Holmenkollen or race across county with some of the world’s fastest skiers.

There are also gift and souvenir shops, the Hoppcafè with its special Kollen-cake and a pleasant public area with outdoor service. The information in the Ski Museum is in Norwegian and English. The Holmenkollen ski jump, is host to the world’s second oldest ski jumping competition still in existence (the oldest being hosted by a small, local club named Medicinernes Ski Club in nearby Seterkollen).

The first competition in Holmenkollen proper was in 1892. Watched by a crowd of 10,000, the length achieved by the winner, Svein Sollid from Telemak, was 21.5metres. The capacity of the stands has today been increased to over 50,000 people and the jump has been extended 18 times since it was first built. This has allowed longer and longer jump records. Today’s tower extends 60 meters above ground.

During its time as a ski arena, it has served as host to nine different Nordic skiing and biathlon world championships, including the 1952 Winter Olympics. In 1923, the Holmenkollen Ski Museum, located at the base of the tower, opened. It is the oldest ski museum in the world.

Midway down the ski jump, and on the main entrance from the parking area, there is a simulator which allows you to see and feel what the ski jumpers experience. My wife tried this and said it was a great thrill.

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Thought to Ponder:

I’m a slow walker, but I never walk back.

Abraham Lincoln

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For more information on Norway see Experience Norway an ebook available at www.amazon.com/kindle then search Len Rutledge.

 

Bygdøy peninsula museums, Oslo overview.

For anyone with even a passing interest in history, Norway offers one of the finest networks of museums anywhere. There are over 800 museums to choose from and Oslo has more than anywhere else. Several are in the downtown area but my favourites are in the suburbs.

For the traveler with limited time, the Bygdøy peninsula, a short ferry or bus trip from downtown Oslo, is a must-visit. Located within a few blocks of each other are five museums offering a widely varied view of Norway’s past, from farming and religion to shipbuilding and exploration.

The Norwegian Folk Museum is home to a wide array of buildings and related artifacts. Guides in folk dress add to the flavour of the complex during the summer months.

The Norwegian Maritime Museum, founded in 1914, which houses a vast collection of ships, boats, and related artifacts and other material. Of particular note is the museum’s boat collection, which ranges from dugout canoes to polar exploration ships and a modern racing sloop.

The Fram Museum preserves the polar exploration ship Fram, which, between 1893 and 1925, sailed further north and further south than any other surface vessel. Fridtjof Nansen designed her specifically for ice-choked waters, and he spent the years 1893–1896 sailing and/or drifting in the Arctic seas. Otto Sverdrup then used her to explore northwestern Greenland from 1898 to 1902. Finally, between 1910 and 1925, Roald Amundsen took her to both the Arctic and Antarctic on four trips.

The Viking Ship Museum houses three ships found in large burial mounds in the Oslo fjord region. The best-preserved Viking ships in existence, each contained a wealth of material, both decorative and utilitarian, dating back 1200 years.

The Kon-Tiki Museum preserves two boats used by Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl. He gained fame for his voyages across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in boats built with prehistoric designs and materials. The boats are the raft Kon-Tiki, with which he proved in 1947 that the first Polynesians could have come from South America rather than Southeast Asia as had always been accepted, and the papyrus Ra II which he sailed from Morocco to Barbados in 1970.

Don’t rush these museums because there is much to see. Each could take 1.5 hours of your time. The Norwegian Folk museum will take longer than 1.5 hours particularly if you want to see the extensive outdoor area. This is probably the most interesting part of the museum with the stave church one of the highlights.

You can reach the Bygdøy peninsula museums on the No 30 bus from the Central station and the national theatre. In summer, a more picturesque trip is by No 91 ferry from a jetty near the town hall.

If you are visiting the Bygdøy peninsula museums by boat, remember that the ferry always travels in an anti-clockwise direction and there are two stops on the peninsula. You need to visit the Viking ship and Folk museums first (Dronningen dock) and then go on to the others (Bygdoynes dock). You can walk between the museums in about 15 minutes if you don’t want to wait for a ferry at Dronningen.

If you are a museum fan, the Oslo Card is a good deal. This gives you free access to 33 museums, free public transport, free parking in municipal car parks and some other benefits. You can get a pass for 24 hours, 48 hours or 72 hours. The cost per adult pass is 270, 395 and 495 Kroner respectively and 120, 145 and 190 for seniors and children.

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Thought to Ponder.

Don’t be afraid to ask dumb questions. They’re more easily handled than dumb mistakes.

William Wister Haines.

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For more information on Norway see Experience Norway an ebook available at www.amazon.com/kindle then search Len Rutledge.

New Guide — Experience Norway

Experience Norway is book two in the Experience Guide series.

Experience Travel Guides are unique in that they are designed to be read in the same way as a novel. They are a valuable early-planning resource for those looking to visit a destination, a source of information for those just interested in finding out more about a country and a pleasure for those armchair travellers who just enjoy a good read.

Experience Norway highlights the more rewarding parts of the country so that those looking to visit can quickly and efficiently see if the destination is right for them and plan an itinerary. We locate and detail the best places to see and the top experiences to enjoy, and recommend accommodation options in all areas. All are based on the personal experience of the author.

We capture the personality and the underlying cultural and historical significance of the cities, regions and holiday destinations. Each is put into context by chapters on Norwegian Life and the country’s History.

Norway is one of the most scenically beautiful countries in the world. Few countries offer as many opportunities for great outdoors sightseeing and activities. With fjords, glaciers, mountains, magnificent valleys, museums, the beguiling Northern Lights and fascinating cultural activities, Norway has something for everyone.

To purchase this guide and to see other books from Len Rutledge