Country Images Magazine North Edition May 2017 | Page 10

Oslo Town Hall; an amazing place to visit
the end of the corridor and overlooking the fj ord, is ‘Th e ‘Scream’ artist
Edvard Munch’s room where one of his more attractive paintings and blue
furnishings make it a popular place for weddings. Outside and lining the
formal approach the walls are fi lled with large wooden plaques depicting
stories of Norse mythology. Where else would one fi nd so much art in a city
hall open to all and for free?
Unlike Britain, Norway has been able to invest its income from North Sea
oil and gas in what is described as a National Pension Fund. Th e way some
of the money is invested can be seen in the towering buildings lining the
harbour side on what was once slum property. Across the way the sloping
walls of the National Opera are deliberately designed to encourage walkers.
Another ‘free’ building is Akershus Fortress. It stands on a rocky mound
guarding the old harbour and is the home of Norway’s Resistance Museum
where the story is simply told of the country’s brave stand against Nazi
occupation from 9th April 1940 to 8th May 1945.
Just a short ferry ride almost from the steps of City Hall, crosses the head of
Oslo Fjord. Passing two famous restaurants, the Kongen and Dronningen
which sit opposite each other like two anchored boats, the passenger ferry
reaches Bygdøy Island. Very much the ‘in place to live’ for wealthy locals, it
has fi ve excellent user-friendly museums. First comes the largest, the Norsk
Folkmuseum, a collection of rural craft s and preserved farm buildings
brought together from the surrounding countryside. While we were there
we were fortunate to catch a trio of musicians in traditional costume playing
ancient fi ddles from the mountains and coastal fj ords.
A short walk leads to the Viking Ship Museum where preserved vessels long
buried in funeral piles still show the amazing craft smanship of their creators.
More modern, but equally famous are the Kon-Tiki and Ra Museum with
the raft s made by Th or Heyerdahl proved the theory of trans-Pacifi c and
trans-Atlantic travel in ancient times. Voted Oslo’s best museum, sturdy
10 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk
Gokstad Ship in the Viking Museum, Oslo.
little Fram, the ship used by Nansen in his polar expeditions, sits out its old
age in a specially built home, still conveying the drama of exploring at high
latitudes.
A short tram ride beyond the royal palace dropped us off at Vigeland
Park. One of Norway’s most popular tourist attractions with more than
one million visitors, this unique sculpture park represents the life work of
Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943). More than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite
and forged iron represent the human form from foetus to old age. Vigeland
designed the park, a totally free place to enjoy, along with its rose beds and
water features.
Th ere cannot be many places where a hilltop is served by an underground
railway. From the city centre, the line runs beneath the royal palace before