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Oslo is located at the head of the Oslofjord. The fjord lies to the south; in the other directions Oslo is surrounded by green hills and mountains. There are 40 islands within the city limits,the largest being Malmøya (0.56 km²). Oslo has 343 lakes, the largest being Maridalsvannet (3.91 km²). This is also a main source of drinking water. The highest point is Kirkeberget, at 629 m.

According to the Norse sagas, Oslo was founded around 1048 by king Harald Hardråde. Recent archaeological research has uncovered Christian burials from before 1000, evidence of a preceding urban settlement. This called for the celebration of Oslo's millennium in 2000. The origin of the name is still somewhat unclear. It has been regarded as the capital city since the reign of Håkon V (1299-1319), who was the first king to reside permanently in the city and also started the construction of the Akershus castle. A century later Norway was the weaker part in a in personal union with Denmark, and Oslo's role was reduced to that of administrative centre of the Danish power. The fact that the University of Oslo was founded as late as 1811 had an adverse effect on the development of the nation.

When I was young, the capital of Norway was not called Oslo. It was called Christiania. But somewhere along the line, the Norwegians decided to do away with that pretty name and call it Oslo instead. -- Roald Dahl, Boy.

Oslo was destroyed by fire in 1624, and was rebuilt at a new site across the bay, near Akershus castle, by king Christian IV of Norway and given the name Christiania (later Kristiania). The original name of Oslo was restored in 1924. But long before this, Christiania had started to regain its stature as a centre of commerce and culture in Norway. In 1814 Christiania once more became a real capital when the union with Denmark was dissolved. Many landmarks were built in the 19th century, including the Royal Palace (1825-1848), the Parliament (1861-1866), the University, The National Theatre and the Stock Exchange. Among the world-famous artists who lived here during this period were Henrik Ibsen, Edvard Munch, Knut Hamsun and Sigrid Undset (the latter two won the Nobel Prize for literature).

Oslo's prominence in the political, cultural and economical life of Norway has been and still is a source of considerable controversy and friction. This has not changed during the last century, despite numerous attempts at decentralizing power by giving incentives to investors in other regions and moving government institutions outside the Oslo area.

The city was once referred to as Tigerstaden (City of Tigers) by the author Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson around 1870. This name has over the years achieved an almost official status, to the extent the 1000 year jubilee was celebrated by a row of tiger sculptures around the City Hall. A harsh picture of the city was drawn by Knut Hamsun in his novel Sult (Hunger) from 1890 (cinematized in 1966).

The newspapers Aftenposten, Verdens Gang, Dagbladet, and Dagsavisen are published in Oslo.

Table of contents

1 Some points of interest 2 Colleges 3 Communications 3.1 Air 3.2 Sea 3.3 Train 3.4 Local public transport 4 Administration 5 Sports 6 Historical population 7 See also 8 External links

Some points of interest

• Akershus Castle and Fortress
• Norsk Folkemuseum, the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History at Bygdøy, with a large open air museum
• The Armed Forces Museum
• The City Hall, where the annual Nobel Peace Prize ceremony is held
• The Holmenkollen ski jump, arena of the 1952 Winter Olympic Games, Holmenkollen
• The Holmenkollen Ski Museum, Holmenkollen
• The Kon-Tiki Museum, Bygdøy
• The Munch Museum, Tøyen
• The National Gallery
• The Norwegian Maritime Museum, including ships Fram and Gjøa, Bygdøy
• The Oslo City Museum, at Frogner Manor in the Vigeland Park
• The Royal Palace
• The Henie-Onstad Art Centre, Høvikodden in Bærum
• The Storting, parliament building
• The Vigeland Park (Frognerparken), Frogner
• The Viking Ship Museum, displaying the Oseberg and Gokstad ships, Bygdøy

• University of Oslo (Universitetet i Oslo)
• Oslo University College (Høgskolen i Oslo)
• Norwegian School of Management (Handelshøyskolen BI)

Air

• Oslo Airport served by high speed train (Flytoget)
• Sandefjord Airport

• Kiel, Germany
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Frederikshavn, Denmark

• Trondheim
• Bergen
• Stavanger
• Stockholm
• Gothenburg and Copenhagen
• Vestfold
• Skien
• Gjøvik

All public transport within Oslo operate on a common ticket system, allowing free transfers within a period of one hour. Oslo has the following public transportation systems: Bus, Tram, Metro (T-bane), Ferries to Oslo islands and Train.

Administration

The city of Oslo constitutes a county of Norway. It is governed by a city government (Byråd) based on the principle of Parliamentarism. The government consists of 6 government members called commissioners (byråder, sing. byråd), and is appointed by the city council, which is the supreme authority of the city. The council consists of 59 popularly elected representatives.

Following the latest reform of January 1, 2004, the city is divided into 15 boroughs (bydel) that are to some extent self governed:

• Alna
• Bjerke
• Frogner
• Gamle Oslo
• Grorud
• Grünerløkka
• Nordstrand
• Nordre Aker
• Sagene
• St. Hanshaugen
• Stovner
• Søndre Nordstrand
• Ullern
• Vestre Aker
• Østensjø

• The main city centre, with 1,331 inhabitants as of January 1, 2004, covering an area of 1.8 km².
• The rural/recreational areas (Marka), having 1,636 inhabitants as of January 1, 2004, and covering an area of 301.1 km².

Oslo was host city for the 1952 Winter Olympic Games. Except for the downhill skiing at Norefjell, all events took place within the city limits.

The Bislett Stadion was used for speed skating events at the Olympics, but in recent years it has been better known for its annual Bislett Games track and field event.

Two football teams from Oslo, Vålerenga I.F. Fotball and Lyn Fotball, play in the Norwegian premier league (2004).

Historical population

1801: 9,500 inhabitants
1825: 15,400
1855: 31,700
1875: 76,900
1900: 227,700
1925: 255,700
2003: 517.401

See also

• Oslo Accords

• Oslo - Official site
• The Open Guide to Oslo is a project to document all of Oslo in a wiki.
• Oslo, fact and figures
• District map
• City of Oslo official website
• Trafikanten Local transport information
• Tram and Metro network
• Statistical information
• OpenGuides wiki about Oslo
• The new districts as of 2004
• Oslo City Museum

Home   Alphabetical Listing   Quote This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.