Norway 2024, part 5 (Oslo)
The main reason I thought of coming to the Historical Museum in Oslo, and I even hurried to make sure it wouldn't close, was incorrect information I somehow found on the internet.
Namely, near the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, which I visited the day before, there is another excellent and important museum: the Viking Ship Museum. However, it is currently undergoing renovation (scheduled to reopen in 2027) and I found some information suggesting that many of the exhibits have been temporarily moved to the Historical Museum, so I decided to come here.
As it turned out and as explained by a friendly woman at the ticket desk, the Viking ships have remained at the museum undergoing renovation, but they are protected and preserved there because moving them would be too complicated and risky. Additionally, other exhibits are stored in temporary facilities until the new museum is completed. So, no chance of seeing the exhibits from the Viking Ship Museum, but, as the lady mentioned, the Historical Museum does have some Viking-era exhibits that are not found in the currently closed museum.
She didn’t have to work too hard to "sell" me on the story. As I’ve mentioned, I had already seen some Viking ships when I was in Denmark, so I wasn’t too disappointed (see: (https://www.svudapodji.com/en/denmark-1/). And since I was here, I decided to visit the museum anyway.
In the end, my impression was somewhat mixed. On the one hand, I was glad I came; I saw a few interesting exhibits. On the other hand, I don't think I would have missed anything too significant (to me) if I hadn't visited. However, if I hadn't visited the museum, I wouldn't have known whether it was worth seeing or not.
A significant part of Scandinavia, and thus Norway, was historically inhabited by the Vikings. The term "Vikings" actually refers to Nordic (Scandinavian) warriors and pirates (my first association), and to some extent traders, who were active from the late 8th century to the mid-11th century. At that time, there were few cities in these regions and people mostly lived on farms. Over time, settlements began to form, which involved grouping houses together and establishing workshops and marketplaces for trade. This change in lifestyle was accompanied by a centralisation of political power, leading to the formation of a unified kingdom instead of smaller chiefdoms. This, in turn, led to the minting of coins used throughout the territory. Additionally, in the 11th century, there was a gradual transition from the old Norse pagan religion to Christianity. This also marked a shift from runic writing to the Latin alphabet.
One of the interesting exhibits at the Historical Museum in Oslo is a runestone from the period 1040-1050.
Here I also saw typical Scandinavian oval brooches from the 9th-10th centuries, as well as trefoil brooches mostly from the first half of the 10th century.
But, the Vikings are primarily known as exceptional seafarers and fierce warriors. Accordingly, their swords were a mark of prestige in ancient Nordic society and almost served as "jewellery" for warriors. So much so that they were often destroyed before being placed in the grave alongside their owner. In one section of the museum, one can see swords from the 9th and 10th centuries.
However, one of the exhibits is almost a genuine piece of jewellery, as it is exceptionally beautiful and skilfully made of gold – it's a spur from the 10th century.
In addition to being known as warriors (and raiders), the Vikings were also exceptional seafarers. It is now known that it was indeed the Nordics, or Vikings, not Christopher Columbus, who were the first Europeans to reach North America in the 10th century and they even established some small settlements there at the time. Of course, they needed to be skilled sailors also to efficiently cross the seas to Europe and conduct their raids, but they did not live solely off raiding; they also traded in furs, reindeer antlers, stone and iron. This led not only to the exchange of goods, but also to the establishment of contacts and networks. Thus, the museum also displays a small figure of a knight on horseback, discovered recently, in 2015. It is presumed that the figure either served as a toy or was brought back as a souvenir from Europe.
After visiting the section of the museum dedicated exclusively to Viking-era exhibits, I also went to the part that displays some large items from the same period, as well as artefacts created under the influence of Christianity. For instance, there are two wooden sculptures representing the two most important saints in medieval Norway – St. Olaf and St. Mary.
There is another runestone that is particularly significant. This is the Tune stone from the town of Tune in southern Norway. It is believed that the stone was inscribed and erected around the year 400 CE, but it was discovered in 1627 as part of a wall around the churchyard in Tune. Given the inscription on the stone, it is the earliest document in Norway that records a bequest or inheritance.
The Tune stone has inscriptions on two sides with incomplete text, but experts have managed to interpret it and have determined that the stone records a father leaving his inheritance to his three daughters.
By the way, runes are an ancient Germanic script used in Scandinavia. They varied in the number of symbols/letters used at different times and places, but they are characterised by their "angular" shapes, which made carving them into stone much easier.
However, there were no such issues with carving in wood, as seen in the outstanding portals of ancient wooden churches that have survived. One such example is the portal from a wooden or stave church (stavkirke) in the town of Hjartdal, which was demolished in 1860, but the portal was preserved as a museum piece. The portal is covered with carvings of dragons and plants – the symbols of life, renewal and growth.
Another portal is from the Ål stave church, Hallingdal.
This church was also demolished in 1880. The reason for the demolition of these ancient wooden churches was practical. While they may have been a source of pride for the small communities they served when they were built, times changed along with the number of worshippers, making them literally outdated – too small, too cold, too dark and too old-fashioned.
Fortunately, in addition to the portal, another part of the Ål stave church in Hallingdal was also preserved – its magnificent wooden ceiling, which is about 700 years old, considering that the church was built in the 13th century.
The parish church was the place where people gathered on Sundays and the priest would read the Bible in the old Norse dialect. However, he would later sing in Latin, which was, of course, completely incomprehensible to the mostly illiterate local population. The core messages conveyed were that this life is hard and short, but that a new life with Christ follows. Therefore, the interior of the church was designed to attract people to this idea, with colourful images in bright hues standing in stark contrast to the smoky log cabins in which people lived.
After visiting the museum, I went for a walk to explore two interesting streets; some say these are the two most beautiful streets in Oslo. Along the way, I also passed by some buildings that aren't as well-known, but are nonetheless quite attractive.
The reason why these two small streets, Damstredet and Telthusbakken, located not far from the centre of Oslo, are considered interesting is that the houses in these streets have largely remained as they were in the past. Due to the concentration of these houses in a small area, they provide a good illustration of how urban Norwegians lived in earlier times.
Oslo is, of course, developing and this often involves demolishing the old to make way for the new. This is happening less and less haphazardly, not only in Oslo, as people have become more aware of the importance and value of old buildings, while efforts are being made to preserve them. However, success in preserving these structures can vary.
In any case, I first took a walk down Damstredet.
Then I climbed a beautiful, but steep path to reach the middle of Telthusbakken.
Along the way, I also noticed a sizable piece of land almost in the centre of Oslo where, I assume, local residents can grow their own vegetables. These are community gardens, established in 1915, making them the oldest community gardens in Oslo. I find this idea really appealing and always wonder if something similar could be set up near the building where I live. However, it seems to me that for various reasons, such a project would not work as well in Belgrade.
As I walked along the path beside the community gardens, I not only noticed that the path leads directly to Telthusbakken, but I also spotted Oslo's oldest building, the medieval Old Aker Church (Gamle Aker kirke). It is believed to have been built in 1080 and it is the only church from the Middle Ages in Oslo that has survived to this day.
As for the Damstredet and Telthusbakken streets, their beauty comes from the wooden houses that are about 200 years old. Thus collectively, both the streets and the houses represent Norwegian cultural heritage, so it is not allowed for the houses to alter their external appearance, including their facades and surroundings. However, it is perfectly acceptable to modernise the interiors of these houses.
Now I decided to head back toward the centre and first walked through a cemetery (Vår Frelsers gravlund). I found it interesting to see that many of the graves are from people born in the mid-19th century, indicating that this is quite an old cemetery. Notably, Henrik Ibsen, the famous Norwegian playwright, and Edvard Munch, the renowned Norwegian painter, were also buried here, but I wasn't particularly in the mood to search for their graves.
And yet, quite by accident, I noticed a gravestone which clearly shows that several people buried there have Serbian names. I wonder what fate brought them here.
At the cemetery, specifically on the trees growing there, I spotted two birds. One was a fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) and the other was a common blackbird (Turdus merula).
By this point, I was quite tired from all the walking I had done that day, but it was still early to return to the room where I was staying. A few hours earlier, I had had a quick lunch, so I decided to go out for a coffee. There were plenty of places where I could sit, but I chose one I had liked the day before, near the Opera in the new district. This meant I had to walk quite a bit out of my way, but in the end, I was satisfied. However, the wind was blowing, making it a bit chilly to sit in the garden, so I didn't stay there for long.
Returning to the apartment was quite straightforward, as I had already become familiar with this part of the city and it was interesting to see some very modern buildings. I assume some are used for commercial purposes, but some also appear to be residential.
Although it was still daylight when I returned to the flat, I was glad to be able to unwind well, as I was leaving Oslo the next day.
I planned the rest of my trip through Norway to be quite relaxed and comfortable. I had decided to rent a car for the next 5 days, as I thought it would be quite challenging to visit the places I was interested in using public transportation. Although renting a car in Norway, like many other things, is not exactly cheap, I believe it would have been more expensive to rely on public transport, plus I’m sure it would have taken me much more time than the 4.5 days I had left during this trip.
To make picking up and returning the car easier, I reserved the car to be picked up and returned at Oslo Airport, where I would also need to go back to before my flight to Belgrade.
Accordingly, the next day I went to the train station relatively early, took the train to the airport and found the car rental company. On the first day, I planned to visit only a couple of places, but they were relatively far apart, plus one of them had specific operating hours, so it was crucial for me to get there while it was open.
I was a bit surprised when they told me they didn’t have cars with manual transmissions, only automatics, even though I had made the reservation a few months earlier. They did offer me a van with a manual transmission, but that really wasn’t suitable for me.
I had driven automatic cars a few times in my life, but there was always someone with me, so I was hesitant. The person at the rental company assured me everything would be fine and took me to the car for a brief tutorial. I didn’t really have a choice. As it turned out, I quickly got used to the new driving system and it didn’t pose any problems for me in the end.
One partial issue was that the GPS system in the car wasn’t very effective, at least not for a foreigner and a tourist. Specifically, it was necessary to enter the exact address in Norwegian for the system to provide accurate directions. Over the next few days, I managed somehow to overcome this challenge, while I also made extensive use of my mobile phone and offline maps that I had downloaded before the trip.
On the bright side, the best aspect of the car was that it was practically brand new – having been driven less than 2000 km. In the following 4.5 days, I ended up driving almost the same distance myself.
Here is the map showing the routes I took: