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Photo: Kjetil Ree, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The place for great concerts, rallies and indoor sports events.
Oslo Spektrum is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in east central Oslo, Norway. It was opened in December 1990 under ownership and operation of Nova Spektrum, formerly Norges Varemesse. It is located in Downtown Oslo, next to the Central Station, long and medium haul bus terminal, Jernbanetorget public transportation hub and the international ferry terminals.
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Basarene (the Bazaar)
The small, old bazaar surrounding the church is now used by artisans and craftsmen, and holds a couple of small cafes and restaurants. This building was constructed around 1850 in neo-romantic style on the site of an older butchers' bazaar.
Domkirke
Oslo's cathedral is none too impressive, but has been refurbished. It was erected in 1697, and expanded in the 19th century using different coloured brick (still visible). After the terrorist attacks on Oslo in July 2011, the square Stortorget, in front of Oslo Cathedral, became the centre for afterthought and compassion. The square was fully covered by roses, greetings and mourning messages for weeks. Affiliated with the Church of Norway, the national Lutheran church.
Regjeringskvartalet
Regjeringskvartalet is a group of buildings housing several of the offices of the executive branch (ministries) as well as the Supreme Court. The area does not display a consistent style but instead reflects 200 years of development. The prime minister's building and the Y-building are functionalist or brutalist architecture. The Y-building has a particular layout and the facade is decorated by Picasso's drawings carved directly into the concrete. Pablo Picasso also decorated the stairwell in the prime minister's building. The Royal Ministry of Finance occupies an imposing art nouveau (jugendstil) building in red granite. The bomb on 22 July 2011 caused considerable damage to several buildings (leaving 2000 offices unusable) and 8 civil servants lost their lives in the explosion. Some buildings have been repaired, others are demolished and some are still in the process of reconstruction. The area is open to pedestrians. A partly shattered newspaper panel with the original pages dated July 22 still stands. The July 22 Centre is the middle of the area.
Norway's first entry into the top league of modern architecture. Awarded the 2008 prize for best cultural building at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona, and the prestigious Mies van der Rohe award for best European contemporary architecture in 2009, its appearance is stunning. Shaped as a glacier or a ship, the amazing building seems to float by the inlet Bjørvika, giving a stunning impression. Climb the building on the marble slopes (summer only) for a unique Oslo view. The main highway, which used to pass just between the Opera and Oslo Central Station, is now moved to a sub-sea tunnel under Bjørvika.
A unique collection of mini bottles. While the bottles are small, the museum exhibits 12,500 of them from a collection of 53,000, over an area of 1,500 m².
Parliament
It has free guided tours in English and Norwegian lasting about 45 minutes, which assemble outside the back door of the Parliament (on Akersgata). There is a limit of 30 people per tour, so be there at least 10 minutes prior to the start of a tour.