Kvadraturen (17th Century Oslo)

self-guided walks

Explore Oslo off-the-beaten path and uncover the few remaining buildings from the city in the 17th century using our Kvadraturen self-guided walk.

What you get

Historic overview of Oslo (with photos of what the city used to look like) + historic map of Kvadraturen

Printable map with the route and major landmarks highlighted

Link to a Google Map that can be loaded into your phone for easier navigation

Clear directions with English & Norwegian names of places, addresses, and step-by-step guides

Photos of each point of interest

This guide is 11 pages and comes in a PDF format.

Explore Historic Oslo

Kvadraturen is a special neighbourhood in the southern part of Oslo city centre. This is where the city was relocated to and rebuilt following a devastating fire in 1624 that destroyed the old city centre. The new Oslo (then called Christiania) was built in a distinct grid pattern (‘kvadraturen’) and wooden structures were forbidden. While many of the original buildings are now gone, some 17th century gems remain, making Kvadraturen a beautiful place to walk in Oslo.

Trip Highlights

Distance

1km (0.6 miles)

Activity Level

Level 1 – flat path, no stairs, paved.

Start Location

Christiania Torv

End Location

Customs House

Itinerary

This is a summarised itinerary. More stops are included in the walk.

Christiania Torv

This is the centre of the Old Town of Christiania. When Christiania was completed, the Holy Trinity Church stood on this site. It was the first public building to be completed in town.

Gamle Raadhus

In Christiania, the town hall functioned as both a meeting place for councillors but also a gathering place for the towns bourgeoise. Kristiania was ruled by two mayors and 12 councillors appointed by the sheriff of Akershus Fortress.

Prinsens gate

Prinsens gate is a 600m long street that runs through Kvadraturen. The street is mostly modern office buildings. Most were replaced after a large fire in 1858 destroyed 40 buildings.

Grav Wedels Plass

This is a lovely park that was laid out in 1869. The name comes from Herman Wedel-Jarlsberg (1779-1840), who was the president of the Storting (parliament), an ironworks owner, county governor, and finance minister.

Posthallen

It was built between 1914 and 1924 as Oslo’s main post office. Today the building is used as shops and apartments – the post office moved to a different building in 2004.

Customs House

There have been five customs houses on this site – the first one was built by Gerhard Treschow in the 1680s, but it was replaced by the next customs officer, Frantz Jørgensen.