Discount Hotels Oslo
Historical interest: Oslo
    
Archaeologists found proof that people lived in Oslo permanently from about 1000
AD. The first people of Oslo lived in humble wooden houses with turf roofs, and
sheds for goats, sheep and cows.
During the Middle Ages, Oslo covered an area the size of the Slottsparken (Royal
Palace Garden) with its 3,000 inhabitants. When the bubonic plague arrived in
the city in 1349, half of the inhabitants died. After the plague, Norway became
a province ruled by Denmark, and Copenhagen became the official capital city.
Oslo burned down in three days in 1624. After the menacing fires, King Christian
IV of Denmark-Norway decided to build the town up from scratch, but this time
on the other side of Bjørvika. The people protested, and the king himself
had to come to Norway to force through his will to re-site the city, which he
renamed after himself (Christiania).
During the 18th century, foreign influences shaped the lives of the citizens
of Oslo. Traders often went to Europe, where the Enlightenment thrived. The
city's most important trading partners were the colonial powers Great Britain
and Holland, and traders came home with enlightened ideas as well as tobacco,
coffee, tea and spices.
A new class of government officials, a rising economy and the most rapid growth
of population in Europe gave Christiania a new face by middle of the 19th century.
Increased trade and industrialisation propelled the new capital to expand its
boundaries.
In 1905, Norway was made independent; Christiania became the capital and was
renamed Oslo in 1924. In 1948, Oslo and the neighbouring community of Aker united.
The city continued to prosper despite the destructive years of WWII and the
German occupation. Oslo was dubbed 'the city with the big heart' and it became
the centre of Norway and the door to Europe.
The population growth eased during the late 1960s and Oslo became less industrial,
and more of a capital city. Many organisations and businesses were formed, and
a powerful authority completed the bustling political centre.
Oslo today is made up of fine restaurants and a pulsating nightlife. There
are Italian espresso bars everywhere, Halal meat at Brugata, as well as hamburgers
and spicy kebabs in the taxi queue. The city is continually influenced by new
technologies, urban and international impulses, as well as by its immigrants
and their cultures.
Selection of hotels in this region:
Golden Tulip Rainbow Hotel Stefan | | Tulip Inn Rainbow Hotel Munch | | Hotel Bondeheimen | | Clarion Hotel Royal Christiania | | First Hotel Millennium | | Radisson SAS Scandinavia Hotel Oslo | | Radisson SAS Plaza Hotel Oslo | |
Click below for a
full list of hotels and online booking
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