Oslo Rådhus, the City Hall, is the dark red brick building with two towers that dominates the waterfront at Pipervika. It was designed by architects Arnstein Arneberg and Magnus Poulsson, who won the design competition back in 1918. Construction began in 1931, but the Second World War interrupted the work, and the building was not completed and inaugurated until 15 May 1950. In 2005, it was voted Oslo's "Structure of the Century".
The two towers are slightly different in height: one is 66 metres, the other 63. The functionalist style with its stark, undecorated brick exterior was controversial when it was built, and many Norwegians found it ugly. But the real spectacle is inside. The main hall, the Rådhushallen, is enormous, and its walls are covered with massive murals by some of Norway's most prominent artists. Henrik Sørensen's murals depict Norwegian history, harvests and civic life. Alf Rolfsen's series reflects the German occupation and resistance during the war. In one of the frescoes, the pillars of Norwegian identity are represented: fishing, forestry and industry, flanked by the explorer Fridtjof Nansen and the playwright Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, both Nobel laureates themselves.
Every year on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony takes place in this very hall. The laureate receives the medal and diploma and delivers a lecture in front of an audience that includes the Norwegian royal family. It is one of the most watched ceremonies in the world, and the reason many visitors recognise the hall from television even if they have never been to Oslo.
The City Hall is open to the public and free to enter. It is well worth stepping inside just to see the murals, even if you only have a few minutes.
The two towers are slightly different in height: one is 66 metres, the other 63. The functionalist style with its stark, undecorated brick exterior was controversial when it was built, and many Norwegians found it ugly. But the real spectacle is inside. The main hall, the Rådhushallen, is enormous, and its walls are covered with massive murals by some of Norway's most prominent artists. Henrik Sørensen's murals depict Norwegian history, harvests and civic life. Alf Rolfsen's series reflects the German occupation and resistance during the war. In one of the frescoes, the pillars of Norwegian identity are represented: fishing, forestry and industry, flanked by the explorer Fridtjof Nansen and the playwright Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, both Nobel laureates themselves.
Every year on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony takes place in this very hall. The laureate receives the medal and diploma and delivers a lecture in front of an audience that includes the Norwegian royal family. It is one of the most watched ceremonies in the world, and the reason many visitors recognise the hall from television even if they have never been to Oslo.
The City Hall is open to the public and free to enter. It is well worth stepping inside just to see the murals, even if you only have a few minutes.