Vigeland Park

View to the statue bridge

Baby waiting for birth

The Angry Boy

Monolith

Vigeland Park is the world’s largest sculpture park made by a single artist, and is one of Norway’s most popular tourist attractions. The park is open to visitors all year round. There is a large parking lot beside the park. Allow at least an hour to enjoy the various elements in the park. We suggest that you first go to the beginning of life circle of eight bronze sculptures down below the bridge – with the little baby waiting to be born in the centre. Then make your way through the park, finally arriving at the amazing monolith.

The unique sculpture park is Gustav Vigeland’s lifework with more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and wrought iron. Vigeland was also in charge of the design and architectural layout of the park. The Vigeland Park was mainly completed between 1939 and 1949.

Most of the sculptures are placed in five units along an 850 meter long axis: The Main gate, the Bridge with the Children’s playground, the Fountain, the Monolith plateau and the Wheel of Life.

Oslo citizens use the park for lots of recreational and sporting activities – skiing, jogging, walking, meeting friends, picnicking on the grass – and it is equally popular at all seasons.

You will enjoy finding your favourite statue – mine is the first on the left below!

From the Monolith, walk to the Circle of Life. After enjoying this, look over at the hills to see the iconic Holmenkollen ski jump.

Do find this first picture on the frieze of the Fountain of Life. Then walk to the left to see the entire circle of life evolve.

There are several cafes in the park. This one is close to the Monolith. They sell small copies of the “Angry Boy” as well as postcards.

Vardåsen – local hill to climb or go slaloming

Vardåsen is our local slalom hill. It’s seen here from the fjord, with Sheeps Inn just above the sailboat masts to the left of the photo. Although this is a fun slope in winter, it is at least as popular during other seasons, as the view of the countryside and Oslo fjord is spectacular once you’ve climbed to the top. There are marked trails. Do remember to bring a picnic and water bottles to refresh you before the descent. You may like to record your climb in the tourist book found at the top most point on the hill.

The picture above shows a group of adults and children walking up the slalom hill on an October evening. Even quite young Norwegian children enjoy this climb and the satisfaction of reaching the top! Our local sports clubs organize races up twice a year which kids down to 5 years old take part in. Once a year in autumn there is a magical torch-light procession to the top – then many hundred people walk up.

If you drive round Heggedalsveien from Heggedal village, especially at weekends or on fine evenings, you will often see rock climbers making their way up the very steep side of Vardåsen hill. If this is your sport, you might like to try yourself?

You see the 5 kilometer walk from Sheeps Inn to the bottom of the Vardåsen hill. There is then a steep climb up to the top of the hill. If you prefer, it is possible to drive past Gulhella and down to the railway station in the valley. You could then leave your car there.

The views to the east of the Oslo fjord are quite magnificent but it is also well worth while to cross the hill to the top of the steep cliffs to the west. These cliffs are popular with rock climbers and on fine evenings it is often possible to watch the climbers from Heggedalsveien road.

During winter, it is possible to enjoy slalom or snowboarding on the Vardåsen ski center. However then you should drive through the town of Asker to the parking lot at the centre.

Museums on the Bygdøy peninsula in Oslo

The Fram Polar ship is in one of Oslo’s most visited museums, located on Bygdøy peninsula right beside the landing stage for ferries from Oslo Harbour. To get there from Vollen, you can take the bus or ferry to Oslo and then change to the Bygdøy ferry boat at Pier 3. This ferry operates between March and October and departure is every 20/30 minutes. It is also possible to take a bus from Oslo centre. Visitors with Oslo pass go free on the ferry and bus.

If you have a car, you drive towards Oslo and take off for Bygdøy. At the height of the tourist season, it can be difficult to find a park.

If you have time and inclination, The Fram museum offers a double ticket which also gives entry to the Norwegian Maritime Museum in the building just opposite. The Kon Tiki museum is also in this area. The Viking Ship Museum and the Norwegian Folk Museum are within 15 minutes walk. When arriving on Bygdøy peninsula by road, you pass the King’s summer residence, Kongsgården.

For information about places to visit on Bygdøy peninsula, visit the web sites:
Fram Museum
Maritime Museum
Kon.Tiki Museum
Folk Museum
Viking Ship Museum
Oscarshall Summer Palace

Oslo fjord boat museum in Vollen (Oslofjordmuseet)

For most Norwegians, boat life means having your own boat – be it a little sailboat for a youngster of 9, an 8 foot rubber dingy with a small outboard, a competition yacht, a day cruiser and many many more. To learn more about these, visit Vollen’s Oslo Fjord Museum. There are special events on Sundays for children depending on the season – most associated with the sea. You will find a brochure about these events in the apartment.

When visiting the museum, children can construct their own wooden boat and try it out for seaworthiness in the special basin. As grandmother, I can enthusiastically recommend this, especially on a rainy afternoon. The children buy a ticket for kr. 40,- and are presented with a hammer. They then go down to the workshop where they can (with a little help for the youngest) study the construction diagram, choose their materials and set to work at the real carpenters’ tables. Once completed, they can check seaworthiness in the big tank and practice loading up the propeller to see how far their boats can travel. Pride in personal achievement is at an absolute premium! And best of all, they take their boats home to bring out to the real sea on a later occasion.

There are also lots of exhibits to look at and various skills to practice – such as trying the rowing simulator or (for strong children and adults) attempting to pull up loads of bricks.

Beside the cafeteria, there is a fascinating museum shop where, apart from gifts and souvenirs,visitors can browse an extensive selection of books on marine subjects.

Visitors to Vollen who are interested in Polar History, will be fascinated to learn that Vollen is preparing for the return of a very famous ship. The Maud Returns Home expedition left Norway in June 2014 with tug and barge to cross to Canada and there bring the Maud up to the surface, load her on the barge and then begin the long, slow voyage back to Vollen where she was build for Roald Amundsen in 1918 after his successful race to the South Pole. The expedition successfully brought Maud to the surface in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada. In 2016/17 she overwintered there before being slowly tugged towards Greenland. In summer 2018, Maud was proudly sailed into Maud Bay outside the museum in Vollen where she was feted and greeted by thousands of people both in accompanying boats and along the shore. At present, in 2019 and 2010, she is being treated and worked on further south on the peninsular in a marina at Tofte. It is planned that a special building will be constructed to house Maud at Vollen in the coming years.

Of course big boats, cruise ships, oil platforms, cargo boats are always interesting – and you’ll find them all in the Maritime Museum in Oslo.