Oslo City Hall

Oslo City Hall was designed in the 1910s, begun in 1931 and finished in 1950 after the war interrupted it, and its two square brick towers have divided opinion in the city ever since. Inside, the scale is the surprise: the main hall is a single space of around fifteen hundred square metres, its walls covered with murals by Norway's leading twentieth-century artists including Henrik Sorensen and Alf Rolfsen, treating labour, occupation, resistance and national life. The Munch Room holds his Life. On 10 December each year the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded here, the only Nobel presented outside Stockholm. Entry is free and self-guided, with an astronomical clock and carved wooden friezes from Norse mythology outside.

History

The building was designed by the architects Arnstein Arneberg and Magnus Poulsson and built between 1931 and 1950. Its two towers rise 63 and 66 metres, it is built of large bricks of about 27.5 by 13 by 8.5 centimetres from Hovin Teglverk in Oslo, close to the size of medieval bricks, and the eastern tower holds a carillon of 49 bells (Wikipedia, Oslo City Hall).

Highlights

• The main hall - a vast space covered in twentieth-century murals.
• The Munch Room - a chamber holding his painting Life.
• The Nobel setting - where the Peace Prize is awarded each December.
• The exterior friezes - carved wooden scenes from Norse mythology.

When to go

Year-round; entry is free and the building is open daily with occasional closures for events. Early December brings Nobel preparations and closures, and the Christmas market fills the square outside.

What to expect

The brick exterior is widely considered ugly and the building looks heavy from outside. Parts close without notice for civic functions. There is no charge and no queue, but also no guided narrative unless you join a scheduled tour.

Nearby

Aker Brygge and the harbour promenade are alongside; the National Museum and Akershus fortress are minutes away.

Key facts