Up early - our hotel has an awesome breakfast, so we fill up and head out - what to see? Oslo has 35 easy to get to - museums - we have an Oslo pass, but not enough time - so this is what we did. City Hall has a free tour at 10:00 - 1st stop. Next was the Resistance Museum - a great insight into the Norwegian defiance of Hitler’s occupation. Close by is the Akershus Castle - a medieval castle built around 1300AD - 3rd stop. Oslo cathedral is right next to the central train station so we take a peek inside - it’s as we are discovering - very Norwegian. The artwork takes center stage, telling a story in a very unique, meaningful way. Took the tram to the Vigeland museum - 5th stop. Our dogs are barking - we stop for beer and a Norwegian desert in a lovely outdoor cafe in Vigeland Sculpture park. Re-energized, we walk to the main sculpture area - there’s a free outdoor concert - it looks big - we head beyond that and see the sculpture park - jaws drop - no words - how on earth did he do it.
Oslo City Hall opened in 1950. It is decorated with motifs from Norwegian history, culture and working life. This is where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded. The paintings and frescos are monumental, covering nearly every wall. The political and administrative leadership works here, yet it is open to the people of Norway and all visitors - amazing. This building also holds receptions for heads of state and other dignitaries.
This is a small section of a very large fresco on the wall when you come into the main room of the Oslo City Hall. This section represents the three pillars of commerce - fishing (the guy in the boat), manufacturing (the guy with the sledge hammer and the furnace behind him) and the merchant trader (the guy with the beads).
The Vigeland museum was created for the most famous Norwegian sculptor, Gustav Vigeland (1869b-1943d). Norway paid for his studio, housing and promised him his own museum in exchange for the rights to all of his artwork. In the foreground you can see a model of his concept for the Monolith - one of the larger concentrations of sculptures. In the background are the life-sized plaster castings to be used to create the final sculptures.
The unique sculpture park is the life work of the sculptor Gustav Vigeland with more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and cast iron. Vigeland was also responsible for the design and architectural outline of the park - a monumental artistic creation with a human message that is well worth seeing.
The park is open all year at all times and is a popular recreation area.