History

In the 8th century a settlement was built right at the top of the Oslo Fjord. This little Norwegian village grew rapidly during Viking times: agriculture, trade and shipbuilding were important commercial activities, and Oslo has truly earned its title of "Viking Capital".

Oslo was founded long after the town had been developed by the Vikings. It was not until 1048 that Harald Hardråde (half-brother of St. Olav - Norway's patron saint) discovered that Oslo was a thriving community with a port and agriculture. The founding of the city took place in the turbulent period between the Viking Age and Norway's Catholic Middle Ages. Many remnants and ruins can be found from Ancient Oslo in the Memorial Park. The city has a fascinating, interesting and dramatic history. Oslo's population was substantially reduced during the time of the Black Death in 1348 which claimed over 50% of the inhabitants. This epidemic also had political consequences for Norway, which became reduced to a province of Denmark. During this period Copenhagen was the actual capital of Norway. Oslo was also greatly affected by the Lutheran-Protestant Reformation of 1537, with religious conflicts, political separation from the Catholic Church and the foundation of a Protestant National Church. Many ruins of churches and monasteries (for example Cistersienserklosteret - the Cistercian Abbey - on Hovedøya) bear witness to this process.

Oslo was completely destroyed by fire in 1624, which was purported to have been started deliberately by four witches. The Renaissance King, Christian IV of Denmark and Norway, decided to move Oslo from what we today call the Old Town, and rebuild it under the protective shadow of Akershus Festning (Akershus Fortress). Following intense renewal and advanced town planning in the spirit of the Renaissance, a completely new city was created and named Christiania in 1624. After 1814 Norway was united with Sweden, and Christiania experienced very strong economic and political growth with substantial expansion right up until the dissolution of the union with Sweden and independence in 1905. After the celebration of the 300th anniversary of Christiania in 1924, it was decided that the original name of Oslo was to be re-instated as of 1 January 1925.

Population

Oslo is the capital city of Norway, and has in excess of 480,000 inhabitants. About 20% of the country's population (850,000) live in Greater Oslo.

Commerce and Industry

The working population distributed according to occupation:

Industry16%
Building and construction6%
Transport9%
Trade, services and tourism69%

Geography

Oslo city's reference point is 59deg.55"N 10deg.45"E, as far north as, for example, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, the northerly part of Kamchatka, Anchorage in Alaska and Kap Farvel in Greenland.

Its area covers 454 km2 (175 sq miles), of which 242 km2 (93 sq miles) are forest, 8 km2 (3 sq miles) parkland and recreational areas, 40 islands and 343 inland lakes.

Climate

Even though the city is situated so far north, its climate is temperate in the autumn and warm in spring and summer. There is usually snow 3 to 5 months of the winter, and skiing conditions are good in the hills around Oslo between December and April. From May to July the weather can be quite warm with long periods of sunshine. Drought can also occur from time to time. This is due to Oslo's northerly position, well protected by the mountains from Atlantic rainfall, and favourable help from the Gulf Stream. Statistically speaking, Oslo is Scandinavia's sunniest capital.

Holiday, sport and leisure

Oslo is surrounded by forest and fjord. An important part of the city's political tradition is to preserve the fjord and the area surrounding the city for leisure and outdoor pursuits. Oslomarka is used by thousands of skiers and hikers all the year round thanks to restrictions in the urbanization of the city.

Some of the major sports events in Oslo will be the Grete Waitz Race, the Holmenkollen Relay, Oslo Marathon and the Holmenkollen Ski Festival.

Oslo is a ski-eldorado with over 2,000 km (1250 miles) of prepared ski tracks for cross-country skiing and many ski lifts for alpine skiing. The tracks are also used throughout the rest of the year: Bærumsmarka, Nordmarka and Østmarka are all places where many people meet every weekend.