Oslo’s main street is called Karl Johans gate. It starts at the Oslo S train station at the eastern end of the city centre, up the hill passing the cathedral and on to the parliament building as a pedestrianised street. From here it sweeps down the hill past the university towards the Royal Palace. It really is the main thoroughfare for the central city.
The street starts off unpromisingly. Outside Oslo S station there are a collection of young and not so young junkies hanging about and the first 100 metres or so of the street contains mainly tacky shops and a few beggars. Things pick up somewhat when you reach the curious two-teired Basarhallene building, once the city’s food market but now a shopping and restaurant centre. Just past this is the cathedral.
From the outside the cathedral looks quite plain. It was built in the late 17th-century but the tower comes from 1850. Once inside it is a different story. The elegantly restored interior is a delightful surprise with maroon and gold paint splashed everywhere. The flashy Baroque pulpit, the royal box and the high altar are all worth seeing. Enjoy the elaborate stained glass windows by Emanuel Vigeland and the brilliant painted ceiling.
From here, it is a brief stroll to the parliament building. From Karl Johans gate it is difficult to know what purpose this building serves but in summer it is periodically open to the public. The yellow-brick building is a solid imposing piece of neo-Romanesque architecture.
The street now opens up with a long slender piazza stretching from here to the National Theatre. There are fountains, statues, gardens and kiosks. I’m told that in winter there are small open-air ice-skating rinks. Along the other side of Karl Johans gate there are shops restaurants, nightspots and the Grand Hotel which was constructed in the 1890s.
Near the National Theatre you pass three of the main buildings of the university. These are grand 19th-century buildings with classical columns and imperial pediments. The middle building is the Aula where the imposing entrance leads to a decorated hall with controversial murals by Edvard Munch. Unfortunately, it only appears to be open during summer.
The National Theatre built in 1899 has only marginal appeal from the outside but the 800-seat hall has been restored to its turn of the century glory. I am not aware of any tours inside the building – you must go to a performance. This was built primarily as an outlet for the works of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen and a statue of him and another of Bjornstjerne Bjornson can be seen outside.