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Photo: Øyvind Holmstad, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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.
The Storting is the unicameral legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional representation in nineteen multi-seat constituencies. A member of the Storting is known in Norwegian as a stortingsrepresentant.
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Spikersuppa
the park in the heart of Oslo, between the parliament and the National Theatre. Fountains in the summer, an ice rink in the winter, outdoor seating and a variety of statues of famous Norwegians including Henrik Ibsen, Ludvig Holberg and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson.
Main stage
This is Norway's most visited theater institution with four theater stages, with different locations in the city. The main stage is the largest. The standard language is Norwegian Bokmål. Rarely performances in English.
Nationaltheatret
One of Norway's main theaters for performance of dramatic arts. The building is monumental and there are statues of several well-known Norwegian playwriters by the main entrance.
Rådhuset
A monumental functionalist building in red brick. Opinions are divided if this is a pretty building, but it is certainly imposing. The austere facade has a surprising number of fine details. Open to the public, with a spectacular main hall featuring huge murals with typical Nordic social democratic themes. Other rooms are also decorated with a variety of art. There are also some displays of historical artefacts in the side rooms upstairs. This is where the Nobel Peace Prize is presented every year. Although there is no public lift, disadvantaged visitors only have to ask and they can use the staff lift. On one of the towers, there is a glockenspiel playing melodies at every hour, the huge instrument is about 20,000 kg and stands 66 m above ground. The building was opened in 1950 after 32 years of planning and construction.
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.
The original campus and buildings of the university, completed around 1850. The buildings houses only the Faculty of Law; the rest of the university is situated at Blindern. There are occasional concerts in the magnificent Universitetets Aula, housing 11 of Edvard Munch's pictures covering more than 200 m² of wall. The room is only occasionally open to public, but is one of the most magnificent rooms in all of Norway. Along with a number of other key buildings around Karl Johan, these old university buildings were erected in what was then the young capital of Norway. These downtown buildings are surrounded by a pleasant park - the University garden. The Faculty of Law also used to serve as the venue for the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize from 1947 to 1989.