Oslo’s lively waterfront area
Aker Brygge is Oslo’s bustling waterfront area. By day, the lively shops and cafes attract locals and tourists alike and by night, the many bars and nightclubs provide plenty of amusement for party-goers. This is also a popular starting point for ferry rides to the small islands and communities within Oslofjord, including the Bygdøy peninsula, where you can find many of Oslo’s most popular museums.
Near Aker Brygge is City Hall (Rådhuset). Completed in 1950, the interior of this seemingly plain building is lined with beautiful murals by Norwegian artists. Also in this neighbourhood is the Nobel Peace Centre, which showcases the works of Alfred Nobel and former Nobel Peace Prize laureates along with exhibitions focused on peace and conflict.
Also nearby is the Akershus Fortress (Akershus Festning), built around the year 1299 to protect the city from intruders. During WWII, this protective symbol took a ghastly turn as the site where several Norwegian resistance fighters — and later the traitorous Norwegian chancellor — were executed. The Norwegian Resistance Museum (Norges Hjem-metfrontmuseum) and the Armed Forces Museum (For-svarsmuseum), both located on the fortress grounds, offer more details about this dark period as well as defence history dating back to the Viking era.
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