Oslo, Norway — Attractions
Vigeland Park
Vigeland Park is the city's most visited attraction, a vast green area of duck ponds, trees and lawns that is a monument to the celebrated Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, who spent 40 years creating the life-size statues that decorate the walkways and open spaces. There are more than 200 works presenting the human form in a variety of poses and conveying a range of emotions. At the center of the park is the most impressive piece, the Monolith, a gigantic mass of writhing bodies carved from a single column of stone, and believed to be the largest granite sculpture in the world at a height of 46ft (14m). Surrounding the column are groups of human sculptures in various forms of interaction with each other. The most famous and most photographed piece is the Angry Boy, a fat child stamping his foot. There are many more sculptures to be seen in the park and in the nearby Vigeland Museum, featuring a display on the development of the artist's work and his sketches and plaster originals.
- Region/City Name
- Oslo
- Address
- Kirkeveien
- Phone Number
- +47 23 49 37 00
- Website
- www.vigeland.museum.no/en/vigeland-park
- Transport
- Bus 20 or tram 12 to Vigelandsparken; all westbound underground lines to Majorstuen station
- Hours
- The park is always open. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday 12pm to 4pm (September to May), and from Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 5pm (June to August). Closed on Mondays
- Admission
- Free
The Kon-Tiki Museum
Situated on the Bygdøy Peninsula, the Kon-Tiki Museum contains the renowned balsawood raft, the Kon-Tiki, on which Thor Heyerdahl made his famous journey across the Pacific in 1947 to prove the theory that the first Polynesian settlers could have sailed the 4,300 miles (6,923km) between Peru and Polynesia. The museum also contains the original reed raft, Ra II, on which Heyerdahl sailed across the Atlantic in 1970. Besides the rafts there is a huge stuffed whale shark, artifacts from his expeditions and exhibits from his visits to Easter Island, and an intriguing collection of archaeological finds from Easter Island, Galapagos, East Polynesia and Peru.
- Region/City Name
- Oslo
- Address
- Bygdøynesveien 36, Bygdøy Peninsula
- Phone Number
- +47 23 08 67 67
- Email Address
- kon-tiki@online.no
- Website
- www.kon-tiki.no
- Transport
- Bus 30 from the National Theater, or ferry 91 from Pier 3 behind the City Hall to Bygdøy (summer only)
- Hours
- Daily except public holidays 9am to 5.30pm (June to August), 10.30am to 4pm (January to March), 10am to 5pm (April to May and September to October)
- Admission
- 65 kr (adults), 25 kr (children) from January 2011. Other concessions are available
The Viking Ships Museum
Situated on the Bygdøy Peninsula, the Viking Ship Museum houses three 9th-century Viking ships that were excavated from ritual burial mounds in the south of Norway. Their excellent condition is due to the clay in which they were embalmed. Viking ships were used as tombs for royalty who were buried with everything they might need in their life after death. The biggest and best preserved of the ships is the Gokstad, and the finest is the Oseberg, a richly ornamented dragon ship with an intricately carved animal head post, that was the burial chamber of a Viking queen. The elegantly carved sleigh used by the Viking royalty, and a hoard of treasure was found on the buried ship and is displayed at the back of the museum. Raised platforms allow visitors to view the inside of the ship's hulls.
- Region/City Name
- Oslo
- Address
- Huk Aveny 35, Bygdøy Peninsula
- Phone Number
- +47 22 13 52 80
- Email Address
- postmottak@khm.uio.no
- Website
- www.khm.uio.no/vikingskipshuset/index_eng.html
- Transport
- Bus 30 to Bygdøy stops at the National Theater, or ferry 91 from Pier 3 behind the City Hall (summer only)
- Hours
- Daily 9am to 6pm (May to September), 10am to 4pm (October to April). Closed on public holidays
- Admission
- 60 kr (adults), 30 kr (children); other concessions available
