St. Hanshaugen Park
St. Hanshaugen Park is a large public park located just north of the city center of Oslo, Norway. [1][2]
Background
St. Hanshaugen Park is a classic urban park located within the borough of St. Hanshaugen, which was named for the park which lies within its center. The park location was originally a bare rock hill. In the 1840s, inhabitants of Oslo began to use the park as site for their Midsummer Eve bonfire. St. Hans is the Norwegian term for Midsummer Eve while haugen (from Old Norse haugr) refers to a hill. [3]
Fritz Heinrich Frølich (1807-1877), a successful banker and industrialist, initiated development of the park around 1850. During the middle of the 1860s, over one thousand trees were planted creating the first major park outside the city center. Starting in 1867 the city took responsibility for the park and the last major works were carried out in the years 1876–1890. The park also got a groundskeeper's house, an artificial creek and a pavilion on Festplassen square. Through the years, a number of statues were also placed in the park. The final part of the park was added with purchases of land in 1909.[4][5]
The mixture of intimate and romantic areas in the south together with fabulous views and entertainment in the northern part make the park quite popular. St. Hanshaugen Park has a stage used for outdoor concerts, with rolling hills which provide scenic views to downtown Oslo. St. Hanshaugen Park is also the site of Kongene på Haugen, an annual local music festival.[6]
Notable Statues
- Peter Chr. Asbjørnsen by Brynjulf Bergslien (1885)
- Kvinne by Ørnulf Bast (1947)
- Musikanter by Arne Vinje Gunnerud (1970)
- Svane by Arne Durban (1981)
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See also
- St. Hanshaugen borough of the city of Oslo, Norway
- Parks and open spaces in Oslo
References
External links
- Wikimapia – St. Hanshaugen
- Map of St. Hanshaugen Park from 1887
- Kongene på Haugen festivalen Norwegian
- Nature Guide to St.Hanshaugen Park Norwegian
Coordinates: 59°55′36.28″N 10°44′27.38″E / 59.9267444°N 10.7409389°E