Destinations Menu
RSS
NORWAY | Oslo, Norway Travel Guide
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
1 Of 5
A Brief History of Oslo
Christiania (Oslo, Norway), in an 1814 painting by Margrethe Kristine Tholstrup
A Brief History of Oslo
Oslo is the oldest of the three Scandinavian capitals. It was officially founded around the year 1050 AD by Harald Hårdråde, but there is evidence of a city existing as far back as the year 1000 AD. It was no coincidence that people first settled on the fertile grounds, where Oslo is now situated, at the end of the Oslofjord. Nor was it an accident that the Vikings developed a village here, which gave them access to the ocean, while they also had control over ships coming into the harbor, all of which had to enter through the bottleneck-shaped fjord. The city thrived commercially during the Viking Age and continued to flourish in the Middle Ages when the kings started taking over and Christianity became the main religion.
Akershus Castle was built around the year 1300 by King Håkon V at a time when Oslo took over as capital of Norway after Bergen. In 1624, King Christian IV changed the name of the city from Oslo to Christiania in honor of himself. Norway had already been under Danish rule for a few centuries and, when the city was completely rebuilt after a disastrous fire, the king decided to start a new era for the city under a new name. In 1925, 20 years after the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway, the city’s name was changed back to Oslo.
Explore the Destination
Amenities and Resources
Overview
Hotels(6)
Restaurants(3)
Attractions(8)
Activities(7)
Map 
Top Picks
Visitor Information
Weather Forecast
- Reported on:
Wed, 11/27/2024 - 20:20
- Reported on:
Trending Themes:
Guides to Popular Ski Resorts
-
Ischgl is a small mountain village turned hip ski resort, with massive appeal among the party-hearty young crowds. It is... Read More
-
Andorra la Vella is its own little world, and not just because it’s a 290-square-mile independent principality (a fifth the... Read More
-
Bariloche (officially San Carlos de Bariloche) is the place to be seen. It is to Argentina what Aspen is to the... Read More
-
Aspen is America's most famous ski resort. And that's an understatement. For, as a ski complex, Aspen is unsurpassed. Its... Read More
-
Zermatt is a small but glamorous mountain resort town, with a population of approximately 5,700. It is one of Switzerland's... Read More
-
St. Moritz is a glitzy, alpine resort town in the celebrated Engadin Valley of Switzerland, with huge notoriety as the... Read More
-
Lake Tahoe is the premier lake resort of America, and the largest alpine lake in all of North America. It is an absolutely... Read More
-
St. Anton, Sankt Anton am Arlberg in German, is Austria's premier ski-bum resort! It's actually a small village cum... Read More
-
Kitzbühel, a small, Tyrolian resort town in the Kitzbüheler Alps, comes with international renown and huge snob appeal, and... Read More