Information AboutOslo |
Oslo is the extends into the surrounding Countys , with a total population of 1,064,688(as of April 1, 2006). The urban Municipality (''bykommune'') of Oslo and county (''fylke'') is the same entity. Of Oslo's total area, 115 km&2 is built-up and 7 km&2 is Agricultural . The open areas within the built-up zone amounts to 22 km&2. According to '' The Economist '', Oslo is As Of 2006 the most Expensive City in the world, succeeding Tokyo. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT Oslo occupies an arc of land at the northern end of the There are 40 islands within the city limits, the largest being Malmøya (0.56 km&2), and scores more around the Oslofjord. Oslo has 343 lakes, the largest being Maridalsvannet (3.91 km&2). This is also a main source of drinking water for large parts of Oslo. The highest point is Kirkeberget, at 629 m. Although the city's population is small compared to most European capitals, it occupies an unusually large land area. Its boundaries encompass many parks and open areas, giving it an airy and often very green appearance. HISTORY According to the Norse sagas, Oslo was founded around 1048 by king Harald Hardråde . Recent archaeological research has uncovered Christian burials from before 1000 , evidence of a preceding urban settlement. This called for the celebration of Oslo's millennium in 2000 . The origin of the name is still somewhat unclear. While "-lo" almost certainly means "lee" or "harbour", "os" may have several connotations, including one of the norse gods, a river mouth or a hillside. It has been regarded as the capital city since the reign of Håkon V ( 1299 - 1319 ), who was the first king to reside permanently in the city. He also started the construction of the Akershus Fortress . A century later Norway was the weaker part in a Personal Union with Denmark , and Oslo's role was reduced to that of provincial administrative centre, with the kings residing in Copenhagen . The fact that the University Of Oslo was founded as late as 1811 had an adverse effect on the development of the nation. When I was young, the capital of Norway was not called Oslo. It was called Christiania. But somewhere along the line, the Norwegians decided to do away with that pretty name and call it Oslo instead. Oslo was destroyed by fire in 1624 , and was rebuilt at a new site across the bay, near Akershus Fortress, by king Christian IV Of Norway and given the name '' Christiania '' (later, 1878-1924, '' Kristiania ''). The original name of Oslo Was Restored in 1925 . But long before this, Christiania had started to regain its stature as a Centre Of Commerce and culture in Norway. In 1814 Christiania once more became a real capital when the union with Denmark was dissolved. Many landmarks were built in the 19th century, including the Royal Palace (1825-1848), Stortinget (the Parliament) (1861-1866), the University , Nationaltheatret and the Stock Exchange . Among the world-famous artists who lived here during this period were Henrik Ibsen , Edvard Munch , Knut Hamsun and Sigrid Undset (the latter two were awarded the Nobel Prize for literature). In 1850 , Oslo also overtook Bergen to became the most populous city in the country. Oslo's centrality in the political, cultural and economical life of Norway continues to be a source of considerable controversy and friction. Numerous attempts at decentralisation has not appreciably changed this during the last century. While continuing to be the main cause of the depopulation of the Norwegian countryside, any form of development is almost always opposed by neighbors, and as a consequence the growth of a modern urban landscape has all but stopped. Specifically, the construction of Highrise s in the city centre have been met with skepticism. It is projected, however, that the city will need some 20,000 additional apartments before 2020, forcing the difficult decision of whether to build tall or the equally unpopular option of sprawling out. A marked reluctance to encourage the growth of the city for fear of causing further depletion of the traditional farming and fishing communities has led to several successive bursts of construction both in infrastructure and building mass, as the authorities kept waiting in vain for the stream of people to diminish. Neoclassical city apartments built in the 1850s to 1900s dotted with remnants of "Christian Quart"'s renaissance grid dominate the architecture around the city centre, except where slums were demolished in the 1960's to construct modernist concrete and glass lowrises, now generally regarded as embarrassing eyesores. Indeed, as the old buildings prove very expensive to maintain properly, the city as a whole is not usually considered beautiful, even by most of its own residents. While most of the forests and lakes surrounding Oslo are in private hands, there is great public support for not developing it. Parts of Oslo suffer from congestion, yet it is the only European capital where people live with the wilderness literally in their back yard, or with access to a suburban train line that allows the city's many hikers to simply step off the train and start walking. The city was once referred to as ''Tigerstaden'' (City of Tiger s) by the author Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson around 1870 . This name has over the years achieved an almost official status, to the extent the 1000 year jubilee was celebrated by a row of tiger sculptures around the City Hall. A harsh picture of the city was drawn by Knut Hamsun in his novel ''Sult'' (Hunger) from 1890 (cinematised in 1966 by Henning Carlsen). 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INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING
COMMUNICATIONS Air
Sea There are daily ferry connections to:
Train , Bergen , Stavanger , Stockholm , Gothenburg and Copenhagen . In 2004 Norwegian trains were Europe's third most punctual national train company. For the 4 first months in 2005 the punctuality was 92.9%. During winter in particular, weather conditions such as snow and blizzards may cause delays and cancellations on the routes crossing the central mountains. Local public transport All public transport within Oslo operate on the , Tram ( Oslotrikken ), Metro (the '' T-bane ''), Ferries to Oslo islands and Train . Oslo has 5 subway lines, connecting the west and east ends of the city. The subway lines have names as numbers, such as Line 1, Line 3 etc. The subway stations in downtown Oslo are located under ground, but the rest of the stations in the suburbs are mostly on ground. The largest station is Majorstua T-banestasjon west in Oslo. The station operates all five lines. The Subway cars are now, in 2006, a bit old fashioned. They often have technical difficulties, and so Oslo Sporveier has decided to change all the cars by the end of 2007. Trafikanten at Jernbanetorget (in front of the Oslo Central Station) is the central hub for ticketing and information about travels with public transport. Oslo's Tram- and Metro system is the largest in Europe compared to the number of inhabitants, and Oslo is the smallest city in the world with a full Metro system. ADMINISTRATION The city of Oslo constitutes a county of Norway . It is governed by a city government (''Byråd'') based on the principle of Parliamentarism . The government consists of 6 government members called commissioners (''byråder'', sing. ''byråd''), and is appointed by the city council, which is the supreme authority of the city. The council consists of 59 popularly elected representatives. Following the latest reform of (''bydel'') that are to a considerable extent self governed. In addition, there is The Main City Centre and The Rural/recreational Areas (''marka''), not having an administration of their own. MEDIA The newspapers '' Aftenposten , Verdens Gang , Dagbladet ,'' '' Dagsavisen ,'' '' Vårt Land , Nationen '' and '' Klassekampen '' are published in Oslo. The main office of the national broadcasting company NRK is also located at Marienlyst in Oslo, near Majorstuen. TVNorge (TVNorway) and TV3 is also located in Oslo. SPORTS Oslo was the host city for the 1952 Winter Olympic Games . Except for the Downhill Ski ing at Norefjell , all events took place within the city limits. The Bislett Stadion was used for Speed Skating events at the Olympics, but in recent years it has been better known for its annual '' Bislett Games '' Track And Field event. The whole Bislett Stadion has been re-built and was formally opened for the Bislett Games on July 29th 2005. Two Football teams from Oslo, Vålerenga I.F. Fotball and F.C. Lyn Oslo , play in the Norwegian Premier League ( 2005 ). HISTORICAL POPULATION See also: Conurbation population
http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/02/01/10/beftett_en/ http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/02/01/10/beftett_en/arkiv/art-2000-12-18-01-en.html Born in Oslo
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