Last week we talked about the eastern half of Oslo’s harbour and today it’s the western half’s turn. Whereas the eastern half of the harbour is dominated by the Opera House and (since last year) the Munch Museum, there’s nothing in the western half (called Pipervika) that’s as eye-catching as either of those buildings. But there’s still a lot to see.
Pipervika is where many of the local boats depart and arrive. This is the place where we took the ferry to visit the islands in the Oslofjord. There’s also a ferry to the major museums in Oslo, and we often see party boats docked here. (The really big cruise ships dock elsewhere.)
On one side of the harbour, rising up with massive stone walls, is Akershus Fortress, a medieval castle begun at the end of the 13th century and finished in the 14th. Somewhat later, in the early 17th century, King Christian IV had it converted into a castle and royal residence. We had a great time walking around the interior. A number of the older buildings are still standing and accessible. And, of course, there were cannons. Naturally, there is a restaurant, with great views overlooking the harbour. There are also a couple of museums, including the Defense Museums (which we skipped) and the Resistance Museum, documenting Norway’s freedom fighters under Nazi occupation (which we loved!).
On the other side of the harbour are the National Museum and the Nobel Peace Center. The latter has displays on all the Nobel Peace Prize winners through the years. We have always associated the Nobel prizes with Sweden. But it turns out that although all the other Nobel prizes are indeed awarded in Sweden, the Peace Prize, in accordance with Alfred Nobel’s will, is awarded by a committee of five chosen by the Norwegian parliament.
Enveloping the Nobel Peace Center in a V-shape is the National Museum, Oslo’s newest museum (it opened less than two months ago). It’s huge, and deserves its own post. From the National Museum you can look down a long pier lined with restaurants, which are perfect for sitting out for people-watching or just looking at the water. The restaurants are a mixture of native places and invasive species (Starbucks, TGI Friday’s), and are full from lunchtime on. In addition, just at the water’s edge, there are food trucks, offering everything from ice cream to ethnic food. We spend a surprising amount of time eating here. Or perhaps this is not so surprising.
The pier extends about a quarter-mile from the National Museum, and as you walk along you see not only restaurants but some high-end shops and many newly-built apartments. At the very end is another museum, the Astrup Fearnley museum, which houses contemporary art. It’s a sleek construction, designed by Renzo Piano, who did the Pompidou Center in Paris and the Whitney Museum in New York. Built at the water’s edge, it consists of two separate buildings connected by a bridge.
To our surprise, just beyond the museum there were quite a number of people swimming off a small make-shift beach. We got the sense that water is to the Norwegians what a plot of land is to the British. Give someone from England a plot of ground no matter how small and they’ll make it into a lovely garden. Give a Norwegian any sized body of water and they’ll be swimming in it before you know it!
This is our first trip to Oslo, of course, but we’re really impressed by the beauty of the harbour, and even more so that these places are used by locals as well as tourists. And Oslo is not done with its facelift: many of the further-west museums are closed for renovation. We’re keen to return to see them as well!
