There’s so much to love about Oslo. Norway’s capital centre is blessed with a picture-postcard location, stunning design and some of Europe’s top art and history museums. Often overlooked in favour of uber chic Copenhagen or trendy Stockholm, Oslo deserves a place on any city bucket list. Here’s just a few of the reasons why you really need to visit Oslo.
See real Viking stuff
You’re in Scandinavia. You have to see Viking stuff. Olso has some true Viking treasures. The Viking Ship Museum houses three Viking ships that were excavated around Oslo in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They were buried as graves filled with the possessions of Viking nobles. The ships are quite small and it’s hard to imagine how they carried any equipment or how Vikings slept in them. The Viking ships are beautiful and the museum setting is simple and elegant – an excellent example of Scandinavian design. A massive collection of Viking artefacts and coins can be found at the University of Oslo Museum of Cultural History.
Experience cool art
Oslo is the home town of Edvard Munch, creator of The Scream. If it hasn’t been pinched, you can see The Scream, and his many other works, at either the National Gallery or the Munch Museum. If you visit both the National Gallery and Museum and think you’re seeing double, or even triple, you are. Munch created multiple versions of many of his paintings. There are, for example, four known versions of The Scream.
If you ask one of the friendly staff at the National Gallery, they may be willing to tell you the story about how The Scream was stolen in 1994. When I asked I was told it ‘was quite embarrassing for us.’ A thief put a ladder against the museum wall, opened the window, took Norway’s most famous painting off the wall, where it had been hanging by the window, climbed back down the ladder and was off with it. Yes, I would call that embarrassing for museum security. Fortunately it was recovered.
A more dramatic robbery took place at the Munch Museum in 2004 when armed gunmen stormed into the museum and snatched another version of The Scream and another well-known Munch masterpiece Madonna. They were also recovered. This article in Smithsonian mag tells the stories of the thefts.
A contemporary, and rival, of Edvard Munch, Gustav Vigelund created around 200 sculptures for Vigelund Park. It is the world’s largest sculpture park featuring work by a single artist. One of Oslo’s most popular outdoor spaces. Sculpture depict humans in various states of emotion including a famous angry baby. Legend has it that Edvard Munch, not a fan of Mr Vigelund and annoyed at the apparent favour shown to him by the city’s authorities, demanded none of his taxes should be used to fund Vigelund Park.
Meet famous Norwegian explorers
Roald Amundsen is one of the great heroes of Norway. Amundsen led the Norwegian expedition that was first to reach the South Pole, winning a race against the doomed British expedition of Robert Scott. Amundsen’s ship Fram is on display at the Fram Museum, a short ferry ride across the harbor from downtown Oslo. The museum is packed with a huge range of objects that tell the story of Norwegians’ exploration including some of Amundsen’s own possessions. A self-guided tour of the ship allows you to see up close what life on board from would have been like. It was no luxury ocean liner.
Right next door to the Fram museum, the Kon-Tiki Museum houses the famous balsa wood raft that Thor Heyerdahl, one of Norway’s most famous explorers, crossed the Pacific Ocean on in 1947.
Drop in to visit the King
The thing I love most about the Royal Palace in Oslo, home to King Harald V, is that anyone can go in. The even better part about that is you gain entry to the palace by purchasing a ticket at 7Eleven. How good is that? Once you’ve got your ticket you can queue for a guided tour. You’ll need to wear little paper slippers over your shoes so as not to spoil the royal floor with your common shoes and promise not to touch anything or sit on the chairs. The tour is a fascinating insight into the history of the Norwegian royal family, including the exile of the King, the current King’s grandfather, during Nazi occupation of World War II, and his triumphant return. And what would you think current Crown Prince Haakon would serve at his lavish wedding? Hot dogs. After the tour, don’t miss the changing of the guard performed by the Royal Guard. The soldiers’ black-on-black outfits are topped by particularly ridiculous hats.
