The reddish-brown—brick building and its two towers seemed rather unremarkable to me—an offputting, brooding, hulkish edifice. But, oh, how first impressions can sometimes be very wrong, and the closer I got to it, the more interesting and captivating City Hall became. Sculptural groups enhance a sometimes stark exterior.
Already aesthetically outdated by the time it was finished although popular in , brick had fallen out of fashion by , the blocky building today still holds a commanding position across the wide street fronting the myriad types of boats harbored in Oslofjord. I approached it from the harbor-facing rear side, not too impressed by the functionalist style. Hallvard, who was killed while attempting to save a woman from robbers and thrown into the fjord with a millstone around his neck—when he floated to the surface, he was hailed a martyr.
The Main Hall is a dazzling display of color. I strolled into the courtyard fronting the main entrance and looked up at the two towers, one about feet tall, the other about 10 feet taller. From the ground, I could spy some of the 49 bells in the east tower. At the bottom of each, an arcade houses 16 decorative, colorfully painted pine-deck timber reliefs depicting scenes from Norse mythology, including superstars Odin and Tor, that completely won me over.
Between the two towers, a lower central part of City Hall features an astrological clock on the right side and a bronze relief depicting Norwegians engaged in ordinary activities like fishing, farming, and dancing above the main doors , separated by a trumeau that bears three panels of wood sculpture, including a Viking slaying a particularly fearsome serpent. Medallions on the columns on either side of the entrance feature such objects as a Viking ship and a bird in flight.
The Feast Gallery boasts a remarkable ceiling. The semi-circular oak-clad City Council Room features a tapestry of St. It was also a reminder that books should not be judged by their cover, otherwise I would have very possibly passed by this exceptional attraction.
