Step out the back of Oslo Central Station and you enter a completely different city. Grønland is Oslo's most multicultural neighbourhood, with over 60% of residents having immigrant backgrounds. The streets are lined with halal butchers, Middle Eastern bakeries, South Asian grocery stores, and Vietnamese restaurants, all within a five-minute walk of the city centre.
The area grew up as a working-class neighbourhood on the main access road into historic Christiania. In the 19th century it became an industrial zone of factories and warehouses. When immigration to Norway increased in the 1960s and 70s, Grønland became the first stop for newcomers, and it has kept that character ever since. The Central Jam-e-Mosque on Åkebergveien, established in the 1990s, is the second largest mosque in Norway with room for over 700 people.
The neighbourhood has been gradually gentrifying, with trendy coffee shops and vintage stores moving in alongside the kebab shops, but it still feels worlds apart from the polished waterfront developments a few blocks away. The old Grønland police station at Grønlandsleiret 44 serves as Oslo's main police headquarters, a practical reminder that this has always been a neighbourhood where the city keeps a close eye on things. For visitors, it is one of the best areas in Oslo for cheap, authentic food from dozens of different cuisines.
The area grew up as a working-class neighbourhood on the main access road into historic Christiania. In the 19th century it became an industrial zone of factories and warehouses. When immigration to Norway increased in the 1960s and 70s, Grønland became the first stop for newcomers, and it has kept that character ever since. The Central Jam-e-Mosque on Åkebergveien, established in the 1990s, is the second largest mosque in Norway with room for over 700 people.
The neighbourhood has been gradually gentrifying, with trendy coffee shops and vintage stores moving in alongside the kebab shops, but it still feels worlds apart from the polished waterfront developments a few blocks away. The old Grønland police station at Grønlandsleiret 44 serves as Oslo's main police headquarters, a practical reminder that this has always been a neighbourhood where the city keeps a close eye on things. For visitors, it is one of the best areas in Oslo for cheap, authentic food from dozens of different cuisines.
