Oslo

the capital of Norway and the country’s economic and cultural center. It is situated on the northern coast of Oslofjord, which cuts deeply into the land, in a hilly area with maximum elevations of 300–400 m. The climate is temperate and maritime with mild winters. Temperatures average—5°C in January and 16°C in July, and the annual precipitation is 677 mm.

The city proper covers 453 sq km and has a population of 473,000 (1973). Together with its suburbs and satellite towns, such as Baerum, Asker, and Sandvika, it forms Greater Oslo, which has 700,000 inhabitants, or about 18 percent of the country’s population. Oslo is part of Akershus Fylke (county).

Administration. The city is administered by a municipal council elected by the inhabitants for a four-year term. A governing council, consisting of one-fourth of the representatives to the municipal council, elects from among its members a chairman and vice-chairman for one-year terms. The municipal council appoints municipal employees, manages municipal enterprises, and appoints radmenn (councillors) who are in charge of taxation, finances, communications, and other municipal functions. The central government is represented by a governor appointed by the king.

Historical survey. Founded around the year 1048 by King Harald III Haardraade, Oslo was the residence of Norwegian kings from the late 13th century to 1380. In 1572 it became the center of the Danish government in Norway. After a fire in 1624, it was rebuilt on a new site and named Christiania after the Danish king Christian IV. It retained the name until 1924. Declared the capital of Norway in 1814, Oslo developed rapidly as a center of industry and trade. From Apr. 9, 1940, to May 8, 1945, the city was occupied by fascist German troops and was a focal point of the resistance movement.

Economy. Oslo is Norway’s chief industrial and transportation center. Its port had a freight turnover of about 5 million tons in 1971, including 3.5 million tons of foreign-trade cargo. About 30 percent of the country’s imports and exports pass through the port. The city is also a railroad junction and has an international airport at Fornebu. Greater Oslo produces more than 20 percent of Norway’s industrial output. The industrial enterprises within the city limits employ 17 percent of Norway’s work force (64,000 persons in 1970) and produce 17 percent of the country’s industrial output. Oslo’s machine-building and metalworking industries account for more than 30 percent of Norway’s output of machinery and equipment. The leading industries are the production of machinery for the power and pulp-and-paper industries, shipbuilding and ship repair (the Aker Company), electrical engineering and electronics (the Tanberg Plant, manufacturing tape recorders and radio and television sets), and scrap metallurgy (an electric steel plant at Baerum). There are also clothing, printing, and food industries.

Architecture. Along the eastern shore of Pipervika Bay are the remains of the old city with Akershus Castle, built around 1300 and rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries. North and northwest of the old city lie modern Oslo’s regularly laid out districts. The main thoroughfare, Karl Johans Gate, extends from the railroad station to the classical Royal Palace (1824–48, architect A. D. F. Linstow). Near the palace, on Karl Johans Gate, are the classical buildings of the university (1838–52, architect C. H. Grosh). The university’s auditorium, built in 1910–11 by the architect H. Sinding-Larsen, is decorated with murals by E. Munch. Also along Karl Johans Gate is the Storting (parliament), built in the eclectic style (1866, architect E. V. Langlet). The business section of the city lies between Karl Johans Gate and the port. Industrial enterprises are concentrated in the eastern part of the city, and luxurious residences are found in the western part.

Noteworthy architectural works include the baroque Cathedral (1690’s) and the the eclectic National Theater (1891–99, architect H. Bull). The Town Hall, built between 1933 and 1950 by the architects A. Arneberg and M. Poulsson, reflects the influence of the national romantic style. Its exterior is richly decorated with sculpture and its interior is adorned with murals by P. Krohg, E. Munch, and A. Revold. Also striking is the functionalist Government Building (1958, architect E. Viksj0). In accordance with the Greater Oslo development plan of 1948–50, new suburbs, such as Lambertseter, Tonsenhagen, and B0ler, are being built. Subways, most of them aboveground, connect the center of Oslo with the new residential districts and with the Holmenkollen ski jump. The hilly and wooded Nordmarka district to the north is a popular recreation area. Oslo has many parks, of which the most famous is Frogner Park, containing enormous sculptural groups by G. Vigeland (1900–43) and monuments by Vigeland and S. Sinding.

Educational, scientific, and cultural institutions. The city’s leading educational and learned institutions are the University of Oslo, the Conservatory, the State Academy of Arts, and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. The largest libraries are the university library and the municipal library, and the most important museums are the University Museum of National Antiquities, the Norwegian Folk Museum (founded in 1894), the National Gallery (1837), and Museum of Applied Art (1876), and the Fram and Kon-Tiki museums on the Bygd0y Peninsula. The performing arts are represented by the National Theater (with two stages), the Norwegian Theater, the New Oslo Theater, and the Norwegian Opera.