Oslo City Hall- Oslo Radhaus
The building you cannot but notice on your visit to Oslo is certainly Oslo City Hall, located by the shore. The hall has a unique look- it is built of red bricks, has a flat roof and two towers built in the architectural style of functionalism. The City Hall (Radhaus in Norwegian) opened in 1950, and was built between 1931. and 1950. with interruptions in the construction during World War II. It was designed by the architects Arnstein Arneberg and Magnus Poulsson. The two towers located in the building itself are 63m and 66m high, whereas the eastern tower has a set of 49 bells. The City Council, City Administration and many other municipial organization are located in this hall. Many events and ceremonies are held in the building, including the ceremony of awarding the Nobel Peace Prize held on December 10th each year. There is a square with statues in front of the building- the statues of which some of them represent Norwegian labor force. One of the bigger statues is a family statue of a woman and her children who are holding hands. Located in the center of the fountain in front of the hall, this statue is a work of the artist Emilio Lei. Upon entering the hall, you will notice painted murals across entire walls. These murals represent the life in Norway between World War I and II and Oslo during the times of occupation.
Also, these murals depict the growth of commercial activity in the city, including the growth of the labor movement. Many monarchs are depicted also, as well as the city protector, St. Hallward.
The entrance to the City Hall is free of charge.
Weddings are conducted in the City Hall.
Oslo City Hall was inspired by the City Hall in Stockholm.
The Hall officially opened on May 15th, 1950, when the city celebrated nine hundred years of its existence. Three musical pieces related to the holiday were composed- their authors are Ludvig Irgens-Jensen, Eivind Groven and Karl Andersen.
Six freely placed statues of Per Palle Storm depict the workers who constructed the building.
The main hall of the building was decorated by Henrik Sørensen and Alf Rolfsen.
The hall is 31m wide, 39m long and 21m high. The floor and some parts of the walls are lined with marble.
Working hours of Oslo City Hall
The working hours are from Monday to Thursday and on Sundays from 9am to 4pm, whereas in the period between January 1st and January 7th the Hall is open on Mondays at 6pm, Thursdays at 12pm and on weekends at 1pm.
Author of the text:
Maja Glavaš, Bachelor with Honours in Communicology. Works in Tourism.
Contact: [email protected]; instagram: travel_europe1
Photo credit: Didrick Stenersen/VisitOSLO
