Karl Johans gate is the main street of Oslo, running from the central train station up to the Royal Palace. It is named after King Karl Johan, the former French marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte who became king of Sweden and Norway. The street as it exists today is actually a combination of several older streets that were joined together in the mid-nineteenth century. The eastern section near the station was part of Christian IV's original city grid from the 1620s. The wider western section was built in the 1840s as a grand avenue connecting the newly erected Royal Palace with the rest of the city. When the Stortinget, the Norwegian parliament building, was completed in 1866 at the junction of these two sections, the entire length was unified under one name.
For over a century, trams ran the length of the street. The first tram line was laid in 1875, and for generations the rattle of the trikk was part of the Karl Johan experience. In the 1970s, the eastern section from Egertorget to Jernbanetorget was converted into a pedestrian street, but the tram kept running through it, making Oslo the proud owner of possibly the world's only pedestrian street with tram tracks. The last tram rolled through Karl Johans gate on 25 March 1983, ending 107 years of tram service. Thousands of people lined the street to say goodbye.
Walking the street from east to west, you pass Oslo Cathedral, the Stortinget, Eidsvolls plass, the Grand Hotel where the Nobel Peace Prize winner waves to the crowd from the balcony, the University of Oslo's original buildings, and the Nationaltheatret before reaching the palace at the top. There are shops along the entire length, though locals do not consider it a particularly good shopping street; for better shopping, try Bogstadveien or the independent shops of Grünerløkka.
The large concrete planters lining parts of the street are not decorative. They are anti-terror barriers installed after the 22 July 2011 attacks, designed to prevent vehicles from driving into pedestrian areas near the parliament. Before Christmas, Eidsvolls plass hosts a Christmas market with a Ferris wheel, and the fountain in the centre is converted into a small ice skating rink that stays open through the winter. In odd-numbered years during August, when there are elections, the political parties set up booths along the street, and it is not unusual to find government ministers standing there chatting with passers-by.
For over a century, trams ran the length of the street. The first tram line was laid in 1875, and for generations the rattle of the trikk was part of the Karl Johan experience. In the 1970s, the eastern section from Egertorget to Jernbanetorget was converted into a pedestrian street, but the tram kept running through it, making Oslo the proud owner of possibly the world's only pedestrian street with tram tracks. The last tram rolled through Karl Johans gate on 25 March 1983, ending 107 years of tram service. Thousands of people lined the street to say goodbye.
Walking the street from east to west, you pass Oslo Cathedral, the Stortinget, Eidsvolls plass, the Grand Hotel where the Nobel Peace Prize winner waves to the crowd from the balcony, the University of Oslo's original buildings, and the Nationaltheatret before reaching the palace at the top. There are shops along the entire length, though locals do not consider it a particularly good shopping street; for better shopping, try Bogstadveien or the independent shops of Grünerløkka.
The large concrete planters lining parts of the street are not decorative. They are anti-terror barriers installed after the 22 July 2011 attacks, designed to prevent vehicles from driving into pedestrian areas near the parliament. Before Christmas, Eidsvolls plass hosts a Christmas market with a Ferris wheel, and the fountain in the centre is converted into a small ice skating rink that stays open through the winter. In odd-numbered years during August, when there are elections, the political parties set up booths along the street, and it is not unusual to find government ministers standing there chatting with passers-by.