If you are looking for a detailed overview of Oslo’s city history, I would recommend reading my separate article (click here). But, in the context of Gamle Oslo, here is a short overview.

Basically, Gamle Oslo is the place where the first settlement of Oslo was. According to the Icelandic Sagas, Oslo was founded by King Harald Hardråde around the year 1050 because of the good supplies and close proximity to the big rival, Denmark. However, the settlement has been excavated and remains back to the 9th century have been found. Oslo was likely an urban centre by the end of the Viking Age.

Oslo was an important port and marketplace. It was also the centre of power and religion for Eastern Norway and stood as a base for a number of Norwegian Kings. Because of this, King Håkon V moved the capital from Bergen to Oslo in 1314, building Akershus Fortress and initiating a number of important construction projects in Oslo town centre, such as the stone cathedrals (they were previously wooden), the new royal court, and the bishop’s residence. Dominican and Franciscan monasteries were constructed in the town.

Oslo’s decline began around the time of the Black Death and subsequent Kalmar Union. By the time of the Reformation, the city was in disrepair. The Reformation also broke the independence of the Norwegian Church and its position as a factor of economic power, and it strengthened Denmark’s control over Norway. Some buildings in Oslo remained important, such as Akershus Fortress, but the town was less so.

The end of Oslo’s old town was in 1624, when a large fire swept through the town. It was common for medieval towns to have fire; after all, they were dense wooden settlements and people depended on fire for cooking, heating and lighting. It is believed that Oslo had 18 city fires between 1080 and 1567, and the city was rebuilt just as many times on the same site, where the cellars and foundations remained in tact. The fire of 1624 destroyed most of the residential buildings. The contents of the Hallvard Cathedral were destroyed, though the stone walls remained. Oslo Hospital. Oslo’s Bishop’s Residence and the Oslo Cathedral School all survived the fire.

The Danish King Christian IV decided that rather than rebuilding the city, it should be moved west closer to Akershus Fortress. Residents were given plots of land for free and the new buildings were to be constructed of stone (they ended up being constructed in wood, leading to more fires). The new city was to be called Christiania, after the King. I have a self-guided walk for Christian IV’s Oslo, which you can read by clicking here.

What happened to the old town? Not much. Parts of it were converted to agricultural land for farmers, while others sat in ruins for over one hundred years. The interest in the old town only came in the late 19th/early 20th centuries, when the first excavations were carried out. 

Today much of the area has been heritage-protected and converted into park area, while some of the ruins remain under the modern roads and apartments. There is work now on restoring and preserving more of the ruins, but it’s still an ongoing conversation in Oslo.