Bankplassen

This used to be the main office for "Norges Bank" (central bank of Norway), situated at Bankplassen opposite of Engebret Cafe, from yesterday's post.

The building is from 1906 and was the main office until Norges Bank moved into new premises in a larger building nearby in 1986. From 1990 the building has been the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Photo by: Lothiane

Engebret Cafe

This is the oldest restaurant in Oslo (that is still serving). It's from 1857 and used to be the meeting place for actors and actresses from the Christiania Theater back in the old days.

Engebret is situated on "Bankplassen" (the bank square) and is definitely worth a look inside. Unfortunately, the prices are so high that I can't afford to eat there, but I did enjoy something cold to drink.



Photos by: Lothiane

Blindern Studenterhjem

Blindern is an area in Oslo, but also the name of the main campus of the University of Oslo. Near the university is Blindern Studenterhjem, a home for 220 students. The home opened in 1925 and the architect was Nicolai Beer. The beautiful building is listed/protected.

Thank you Doug for letting us use your photo! :)

Oscarshall

Oscarshall is situated at Bygdøy in Oslo. It was built in 1852 for King Oscar I, and then sold to the Norwegian state in 1863. It has been at the disposal for Norwegian kings ever since.

The architectural style is patterned on the English neo-Gothic castle, which was typical in Scandinavia in the mid-19th century. In addition to the main building, the property consists of a park that stretches down to the fjord, where an open pavilion is located.

After being restored in the 1990s, the castle opened to the public as a museum.

Thank you so much, Anne-Sophie for letting us use your photo. Please visit at Ordinary Oslo.

From Karl Johan street

This building on Karl Johan is quite beautiful, I think.


You can do some shopping there and then have a nice meal at Hard Rock Café.

Photo by: Stormel

Ruter lives here

Downtown Oslo. If you are travelling by metro, bus, tram or ferries in Oslo, it's all run by Ruter #.

Photo by: Stormel

November

Photo by: Stormel

Look up

This is a detail from inside the art gallery 'Kunstnernes Hus' which I've showed you earlier. The balcony is just a corridor from one art room to another. The people are looking into a smaller room where a film is being showed. I like how the walls and ceiling are painted. :)

Photo by: Lothiane

Kunstnernes Hus

This building, Kunstnernes hus (The Artists' House), is an art gallery close to the Royal Palace. Every autumn there is an exhibition called The National Annual Autumn Exhibition, or 'Høstutstillingen' as it's called in Norwegian.

Høstutstillingen is a celebration of contemporary art and first started out as a radical protest against "the established bourgeoisie" that dominated the art environment in Oslo in the late 1800's. Since then they have had annual exhibitions, except for the years 1941-1944 due to WWII.

Photo by: Lothiane

Trafikanten

This tower outside the central station is called Trafikanten. At Trafikanten you can get info and timetables for all the buslines, trams, trains, boats and metro in Oslo, and the surrounding areas.

They also have a website.

Photo by: Stormel

The City Hall

Oslo City Hall seen from the seaside. We have shown you this building before and told you a bit of it's history. Tomorrow we'll have a closer look at one of the details on the wall.

Photo by: Mark Wilkinson

Ekebergrestauranten

Ekebergrestauranten (the Ekeberg restaurant) has a fantastic view, as you can see on this link.

The building was set up in the 1920's and is one of Norway's finest examples of classical functionalism. The restaurant has always been a popular place, but unfortunately had to be closed in 1997 due to decay. After extensive restoration, it was re-opened in 2005.

Photo by: Mark Wilkinson

Back garden at Rodeløkka

Yesterday's photo was from Rodeløkka in Oslo. This is a photo of one of the back gardens. A lovely place, hidden for most people.

Photo by: Lothiane

Rodeløkka

This picture is from Langgata ('the long street') in the Rodeløkka area. These wooden houses dates back to 1850-1880. Some of these houses used to be shops, with apartments above them. The shops are turned into apartments now. I've visited one of them, and the back garden is like a little oasis. :-)

The area used to be a typical working class area and early 1900 it was regarded as a slum. For a while it was decided that the whole area would be torn down, but after demonstrations a lot of the houses were kept and renovated. The remaining 137 buildings were declared worthy of preservation in 1988.

The office of the Prime Minister

It doesn't look like much, this building, but this is where the Norwegian Prime Minister and the secretariat have their offices. We call it Regjeringsbygningen.

Photos by: Lothiane

The National Gallery in Oslo

The National Gallery (Nasjonalgalleriet) was built in 1836 and enlarged in 1903–07.

The National Gallery has Norway's largest collection of Norwegian, Nordic and international art from the beginning of the 19th century up until today. The main exhibition displays Norwegian and international paintings and sculptures from the 19th century up until today, including many of Edvard Munch's major works.

Photo by: Mark Wilkinson


This picture is from the other side of the building. You have seen parts of this before.

Photo by: Lothiane

Aker Brygge - detail

A piece of one of the buildings at Aker Brygge.

Photo by: Stormel

Grassy roofs

These are modern houses, but built to look old. Grassy roofs were quite common in the old days, especially in the countryside. This picture was taken near Holmenkollen, an area where people usually are quite wealthy.

Photo by: Mark Wilkinson

Quiet street

Who would have thought that this quiet street is so close to the center of Oslo, but it is. The Church you see at the end of the street is St. Olav's Domkirke, a Catolic church.

Photo by: Mark Wilkinson

Telthusbakken

The name Telthusbakken is from a large canvas house that existed around 1700.

Telthusbakken is a narrow street located in Oslo, close to the center of the city. Almost all buildings along the street are old and traditional wooden houses, many from the period around 1815 when deeds were issued for the properties.

During the 1500s, the street which is now Telthusbakken was part of the main road passing the Old Aker Church, from east to west of Oslo and further across to the west coast. Sitting on top of the Telthusbakken hill, Old Aker Church was built around 1080 and is the oldest building still in use in Oslo.

Photo by: Mark Wilkinson