Oslo history

Oslo. Great Nordic Heritage

According to Norse legends, Oslo was established by King Harald Hardråde around 1049. In fact archeological findings pointed out that people have settled here from about year 1000. The first settlers, according to archeologists, built wooden houses with turf roofs and tendered livestock like goat, sheep, and cows. Oslo’s place in history started during the time of King Håkon  V wherein he built Akershus Fortress to become his permanent residence.

In 1349 the Black Death arrived in Oslo which depleted its populace. After the Black Death, Norway became a province of Denmark. Its ruler took residence in Copenhagen and Stockholm through the 1400-1500. In 1624, fires had reduced the city to ashes. This is when King Christian IV of Denmark (and Norway) rebuilt the city from the ground up. He ordered it to be done near the bay, he later on renamed it Christiana (after his namesake).

 During the 18th century, trade was thriving well in Christiana. Her trade partners were the mighty British Empire and Holland.  They came in with enlightening ideas as well as loads of coffee, tea, tobacco, and spices. Christiana’s rise to prominence happened in1814.

It was during the 19th century wherein historical structures were made. Examples of these prominent landmarks were the Royal Palace, Stortinget, the Bank of Norway, and Norway’s first university. Christiana continued to prosper due to increased trade and rapid industrialization. A lot of people trooped to the capital city with the hope of a bright future ahead of them. But they were greeted with deplorable working status and grueling hours. In the period between 1850 to 1900 the population grew from 40,000 to 200,000. This created severe housing problems to its inhabitants.

In 1924 it was renamed again as Oslo after Norway gained independence from her bonding with Sweden. In 1948 Oslo was united with its neighbor Aker thus expanding the city. It was a great boost to its citizen’s optimism especially after the turbulent years of World War II and the Nazi occupation from 1940-1945. The population growth began to taper down during the 60’s as Oslo became more of a capital city rather than an industrialized one. It became Norway’s political and business center as organizations and business entities flocked this city. Today parts of Oslo are a bit crowded but the locals make it a point that development is in check to preserve the natural beauty of the countryside.