DISCOVERING NORWAY'S IDENTITY

 Although the proposal for this magnificent City Hall (aka The Red House) was made in 1915, it wasn't until after WW2 that it was realised.  By then Norway had struggled under Nazi occupation & they wanted to reinforce their identity together.  This place of administration & reception is beautiful because the City respected the value of it's artists.  All types of artisans were employed to produce decorative works that illustrated the new hope of being a peaceful & united Norway.

 

 

 Water features & bronze sculptures decorate the exterior, but in the covered passage of the steps leading to the entrance, are carved wooden panels depicting events from Norse Mythology.  Odin & his family are regularly featured, but this one is of three deer feeding on the world tree (Yggdrasil) & their names mean; peace, caution & timidity. We appreciated plaques in English describing what each panel depicted.

 

 

 The main entrance hall was completely covered in mural art!  Even the non figurative areas were painted with pattern.  The murals told Norway's history, with especial focus on Oslo.  It was quite something to be standing in this grand room & slowly making our way around to try & interpret the images.

The biggest shock was going up the marble staircase & discovering that the main hall was not the only room to be decorated... they all were!

 There was painted decoration on the ceilings.

Wonderful features on the doors.

 The upholstery was woven with images from Norse mythology & symbolism.

 There were different unique light treatments in each room.

Even in the marble tiles, decorative features appeared when least expected.

 In the current meeting room where city council now sits, a large tapestry hangs on the wall illustrating the story of the Patron Saint of Oslo, Saint Halvard.  Once upon a time, Halvard noticed that a young pregnant woman was being attacked by robbers, so he went to her rescue.  The robbers weren't too happy about this, so using three arrows they killed him & tossed his body in Oslo fjord. BUT... his body wouldn't sink & they were worried they'd be found out & condemned, so they threw a heavy weight on his body.  Again the body rose & they were  terrified.  This story spread & Halvard became a Saint!

 It had been a surprising & interesting visit to the Radhuset, but we were very glad to get out into the fresh air again.
This time our feet took us climbing up & along the fortified walls of the Akerhus Festning, where we soon discovered that it gave a magnificent view out over the fjord & city.  It was very pleasant sitting there under the trees & we were reluctant to leave, but another museum awaited.

 This time it was  the Resistance Museum. Norway was occupied by the Nazis in WW2 & not all of them were happy about it!
The first thing we encountered as we started the trail through exhibits showcasing the development of the Resistance Movement here, was a sculpture made out of German guns.  As we entered the space they were all pointed at us & it was NOT a good feeling!  Poignant, but unpleasant!

 There was a lot of information & plenty to look at.  The things that particularly amused me were the ingenious ways that individuals found to defy orders.
For example, households were told to hand in their radios.  One family managed to drill a cavity into their sofa leg, which became a radio hide hole!!

 Several resistance news papers were started & again, clever ways were thought up to hide them in transit from one person to another.  In this case a hollow was made in an innocent looking log of wood, where the paper was then hidden away.  When camera film started to record what the Nazis were up to, rolls of film were hidden in loaves of bread & cans of fish!!!

It was a thorough museum, with lots to feel disturbed by, but with an overwhelming respect for perseverance & a willingness to not give in to oppressors.

We definitely needed a treat after reading about the numbers who were killed & tortured during this period.  It was very sobering.
Under the canopy of large trees, with Edith Pilaf singing away in the background, we sat outside a charming café & indulged in the refreshing tanginess of raspberry sorbet.  It was very relaxing and the perfect way to end the day.