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		Norway (Norge)
Norway was first unified in 872 by the Viking leader Harald Hårfagre (Fairhair).  King Olaf Haraldsson, who converted the Norwegians to Christianity in the early 11th century, was canonized as the country's patron saint.  In the 14th century, Swedish, then Danish kings acceded to the Norwegian throne.  In 1397, Norway became a Danish province, and began a long period of stagnation.
An ill-fated alliance with Napoleon forced Denmark to cede Norway to Sweden in 1814.  The Norwegians resisted, however, adopting a constitution and declaring their independence.			The revolt was soon suppressed, but Norway retained a great deal of autonomy under the Swedish king.  Norway finally achieved full independence in 1905, selecting a Danish prince to be king.
Despite its neutrality, Norway was dragged into World War II in 1940 by the Nazi invasion.  After the war, Norway became a founding member of NATO, but its voters have twice rejected joining the European Union.  Even so, Norwegians enjoy an extremely high standard of living, attributable mainly to North Sea oil.

	Oslo
Founded by Harald Hardråda in 1048, Oslo is the oldest capital in Scandinavia.			Oslo sits on the Aker River, between the Oslofjord and the Nordmarka forest.

	King Håkon V founded the local fortress in 1299, and made Oslo the capital of the kingdom.

	The Akershus Festning was designed to counter the threat posed by the Swedes to the east.
Oslo was destroyed by fire in 1624, but rebuilt by King Christian IV of Denmark.			He renamed the city after himself, and rebuilt the castle in Renaissance style.

	After celebrating three centuries as "Christiania", the city reverted to its original name in 1925.
The city enjoyed an artistic and economic renaissance under Swedish rule.			The Kongelige Slott (Royal Palace) was completed in 1848.

	A number of other 19th-century edifices lie along Karl Johans gate, Oslo's main street.

	The unusual yellow-brick Storting (parliament) building was completed in the 1860s.
The Nationaltheatret (national theater) dates from the turn of the century.			The university and nearby Nasjonalgalleriet (national gallery) are other attractions.

	Perhaps the most notable example of modern architecture is the red-brick Rådhus (city hall), completed in 1950.
	Each year on December 10th, the Rådhus is the venue for the presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
		American recipients have included Teddy Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Henry Kissinger, Elie Wiesel, and Jimmy Carter.

	Oslo hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1952.
		In 1993, historic peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians took place in Oslo.

	The works of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch are on display at various Oslo museums.

Unfortunately, his most famous work — "The Scream" — was recently stolen from the Nasjonalgalleriet, for the second time in a decade.

Practical Information

Oslo was the base of operations for our three-week vacation in the summer of 2004.  We flew into Norway's capital in late June, on our way to Bergen.  Several days later, we returned from our fjord cruise before flying to Germany.  Finally, our travels led us back here for another night in July before heading home.

• Hotel: The Hotel Opera, a swanky musically-themed establishment next to the train station, was included in our fjord cruise package.  The Anker Hotel, on the other hand, was a little farther away and not nearly as nice.
• Restaurants: The central train station has lots of fast-food restaurants ...
• Transportation: Oslo has an extensive transportation network, but we ended up walking everywhere we went.  An express train links the main airport to the "Oslo S" station, while buses run out to the Torp Airport, served by Ryan Air.

	Bergen
	Nestled among the fjords of Norway's western coast, "Björgvin" was founded by King Olaf III around 1070.

Bergen served as capital of Norway in the 12th-13th century.

Bergen was the largest city in all Scandinavia as late as the 17th century.

	The Hanseatic League, a medieval trading federation, opened an office in Bergen in 1360.  German merchants dominated the city's commercial life until the late 1800s.

The Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene guild hall preserve the medieval atmosphere of the "Bryggen" quarter, now protected as a World Heritage site.

	The Bergenhus fortress guards the entrance to Bergen's Vågen harbor.

In 1261, Håkon Håkonsson built the eponymous Håkonshall to celebrate his son's wedding.

Rosenkrantz Tower was built in the 1560s as the residence of the local governor.

	The nearby 12th-century Mariakirken is the oldest building remaining in the city.

Surrounded by seven mountains, Bergen is the rainiest spot in Norway — precipitation is noted, on average, 275 days per year.
The North Sea oil industry is the lifeblood of the economy in Norway's second-largest city, although tourism and fishing are also profitable.

Practical Information

Bergen was the starting point for our June 2004 fjord cruise.  Unfortunately, our luggage went missing for a couple of days, and it rained almost nonstop!

• Hotel: Hotel Admiral was comfortable enough, but we weren't able to check in early and they temporarily misplaced our fjord cruise itinerary
• Restaurants: We celebrated our 10th anniversary at Pepe's Pizza, one of the only restaurants in town we could afford
• Transportation: Wear comfortable shoes ...

For more from Norway, click here!

This page was first published 22 October 2004, and last updated 14 August 2005.