Even at the turn of the tenth century a settlement was beginning to prosper at the end of the Oslo fjord and according to the Norse chronicler, Snorre Sturlason the capital itself was founded around 1048. This makes it the oldest of the Scandinavian capitals and the only one with an urban settlement which dates back as far as the Age of the Vikings. With a population of around half a million, it is also one of the smallest capital cities on the continent but with an area of over one hundred and seventy five square miles it is one of the ten largest world capitals in area.
During the eleventh century the settlement grew into the medieval city of Oslo and became an important royal stronghold as well as an ecclesiastical and commercial centre. The location of the city today is not actually the original site. Six hundred years after its foundation, it was moved and its name was also changed to Christiania after the Danish king Christian IV who was responsible for the move. Despite the upheaval, it continued to prosper and achieved independence from Denmark in 1905. The name, however, remained unchanged until a further twenty years later.
Understandably, the original settlement has changed considerably over the centuries as a result of fire, restoration and vast changes in architectural styles but there are many areas of the past which are still visible. A visit to Akershus castle is like stepping back in time where much of the old building is perfectly preserved. In the area around the castle you will also see the city’s best-preserved institutional buildings, many of which are hundreds of years old. As well as these, Oslo is home to no less than fifty museums which portray the city’s history as well as containing thousands of works by Norway’s most famous artists and sculptors.