Oslo Royal Castle
The neo-classical royal palace in Oslo is state-owned and made available to the King of Norway . It is at the end of Karl Johans gate and is surrounded by a 22 hectare park. The lock has several functions. It serves as the residence of the king, as a place of state representation, the administration of the monarchy and also as the most elegant guest house in the country. The building is a three-wing complex that was built from brick and is plastered. The three-storey main wing is by three risalits loosened, whereby only the central projection which stands out for the columns front. This wing is 100.80 meters long and 24.10 meters wide. The two two-storey side wings are 40.70 meters long and 14.30 meters wide. The palace has 173 rooms and is one of the smaller residences in Europe.
Construction phase under Charles III. Johann
In 1814 Norway entered into a union with Sweden under a common king. Christiania, today's Oslo, became the capital. The country's monarch lived mainly in Stockholm, but should also be able to use a permanent residence in the Norwegian capital. The new constitution obliged the head of state to spend a certain amount of time there each year. The Paléet was available for this. However, this largest private home in the city was unsuitable as a royal residence.
In 1818, Karl XIV. Johann (1763–1844) from the House of Bernadotte became King of Sweden and thus also King of Norway as Karl III. Johann. In October 1822, the Storting approved 150,000 Daler to rebuild the castle without a plan or building site having existed. The king decided on the Bellevue heights west of the city center. The hilly terrain required extensive leveling work. In 1823 Hans Ditlev Franciscus von Linstow (1787-1851) was chosen as the architect . He made four suggestions. The king decided on a two-story building on an H-shaped floor plan. The government waived a cost estimate and agreed to start construction in 1824.
The foundation stone was laid on October 1, 1825. This marked the beginning of the largest construction project since the Nidaros Cathedral was built in Trondheim . Since Norway had only a few suitable craftsmen, Linstow was dependent on specialists from Sweden and Denmark. As early as 1827, 120,000 Dalers had been used, and a further 272,000 Dalers would have been needed to complete it. A committee of the Storting spoke out against the approval of further funds until the next regular meeting in 1830. The king found this decision an affront and he lost interest in the project. Linstow was forced to lay off his workforce. When no funds were approved at the Storting's meeting either, Linstow saw the only solution in radical cost savings and simplified his plans. Two wings and the column front were painted, but the main building was raised by one floor. This reduced the costs by 100,000 Dalers. In 1833 parliament approved 30,000 daler annually for a period of three years.
After an interruption of six years, construction work resumed in 1834. In the summer of 1836 the building was wrapped up. The topping-out ceremony was celebrated on October 1, 1836.
Interior
At that time it was still customary to create separate suites for the royal couple . The queen's apartment was on the ground floor and the king's apartment directly above on the main floor. As usual, the state rooms can also be found on the main floor. This building shell now had to be equipped.
The architect was released and went on a 15-month trip to Copenhagen, Hamburg, Munich and Dresden. The main purpose of the trip was to get ideas for the interior of the castle, but he also learned about new materials and styles. The result was a series of 66 drawings with suggestions for the design of the main rooms, including a description and cost estimates. This work is known as "The Great Composition". The decoration of the ballroom is influenced by Karl Friedrich Schinkel's concert hall in the Schauspielhaus in Berlin and the White Salon has the first neo-rococo furnishings in Norway. The decorative painter Peder Wergmann made a significant contribution to the furnishings. Work began in 1839 and ended in 1848.
Expansion measures
In 1844 Oscar I (1799-1859) succeeded his father on the throne. The new royal couple had five children and so the castle was too small. Since the modest exterior also sparked public protests, parliament approved a further 108,000 Daler to upgrade the architecture. The monumental column front has now been built and the space problems have been resolved by extending the side wings.
The residence was furnished between 1846 and 1848. 53,000 Daler were made available for this. The magnificent gilded furniture for the state rooms was made in Stockholm and Berlin, while the simpler furniture was produced domestically.
The building was opened on July 26, 1849 with a large ball for 1200 guests.
The castle becomes a permanent residence
An important event in the history of Norway was the dissolution of the union with Sweden in 1905. It was decided by referendum to maintain the constitutional monarchy and elected Prince Carl of Denmark (1872–1957) from the house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg as king. He ascended the throne as Håkon VII . His wife Maud of Great Britain and Ireland was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria . From now on the castle was permanently inhabited. In order to adapt it to the new requirements, extensive modernizations were carried out between 1906 and 1907. A shared family apartment was set up on the main floor, as separate apartments were no longer necessary. Central heating and modern sanitary facilities were also installed.
During the Second World War , the Royal Family was in exile and the castle was used as the German headquarters . From April 24, 1940, Josef Terboven (1898–1945) had been Reich Commissioner . He appointed the Norwegian fascist Vidkun Quisling (1887-1945) on February 1, 1942 Prime Minister . Quisling used the royal family's living room as an office.
Due to the neglect of the building during the occupation , renovations were necessary again with the succession of Olav V in 1957. The restorations in the 1960s then took a new approach. So far, rooms have been redesigned in line with contemporary tastes, while attention has now been paid to restoring the historical decoration. The castle has now been considered an important part of the national heritage.
The castle under Harald V.
In 1991 Harald V became King of Norway. But he still lived on Skaugum . The castle now needed a general renovation, as the electrical and sanitary systems were completely out of date. This was carried out in several phases during the 1990s and also included the restoration of historical spaces.
A modern apartment with a winter garden was set up for the royal couple on the 2nd floor of the southern main wing. The move took place in 2001. The remaining part of the floor houses guest suites and rooms with modern bathrooms. The main floor houses the state rooms and to the south of the gallery the study of King Harald V and Queen Sonja . To the north of it are the offices of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit . The former family apartment in the south wing was given up and converted into offices for the court employees. The most important official rooms are the bird room, the mirror salon, the daily dining room, the small ballroom (255 m²), the 10 meter high large ballroom (360 m²) and the large dining room (300 m²). On the ground floor is the State Council Hall, where the Cabinet and the King meet every Friday at 11 a.m. The Haakon VII Suite and the Dronning Maud Suite are available for state guests. These rooms partially include the Queen's former apartment. The palace chapel is located in the north wing directly below the large dining room. Supply rooms, offices, canteen and kitchen are in the basement.
Thus the Royal Palace of Oslo is a good example of a living residential palace used from the basement to the roof. Since 2000, guided tours of the castle have been taking place in the summer months from June to August.
Surroundings
Castle Park
The park surrounding the castle was laid out as an English landscape park with ponds and different vegetation by the castle gardener Martin Mortensen from 1840. Statues in the park were erected for mathematician Niels Henrik Abel in 1908, writer Camilla Collett in 1909 (both by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland ), Queen Maud in 1959, and Crown Princess Märtha in 2007.
Palace Square
The large square in front of the castle was planned as a strict rectangle but was toned down to a horseshoe-shaped complex by the castle gardener Martin Mortensen . When the equestrian statue of Karl Johann was erected in 1875, it was divided into an upper and a lower square by means of a staircase.
To the north of the castle is the Swiss- style wooden guard building. It was built by Linstow in 1845. Between 1845 and 1848 the historic stables were built in the southwest corner of the park. A riding arena and garages were added from 1909 to 1912.
Further residences in Norway
Bygdøy Kongsgård ; Stiftsgården ; Oscarshall ; Skaugum ;
literature
- Geir Thomas Risasen: Slottet , Forlaget Press 2002
- Geir Thomas Risasen: The Royal Palace , Andresen & Butenschon 2005
- Geir Thomas Risasen: Det Kongelige Slott , Andresen & Butenschon 2006
Web links
- Kongehuset, castle history
- Kongehuset, reception rooms
- Kongehuset, castle tour
- Kongehuset, video archive
- National Library, historical photographs of the castle
- Statsbygg, report and pictures of the last renovation
- Statsbygg, floor plan of the main floor
Individual evidence
- ↑ See: Annegreth Dietze-Schirdewahn: The Palace Square in Christiania / Oslo, Norway . In: Die Gartenkunst 22 (2/2010), pp. 159–176.
Coordinates: 59 ° 55 '0.9 " N , 10 ° 43' 39.2" E