Storedal Kultursenter (cultural site)

Storedal Cultural Center is a park and cultural facility located in scenic surroundings in Skjeberg outside of Sarpsborg. The initiator and founder was Erling Stordahl, 1923 – 1994. 

Erling Storedal inherited Storedal farm from his father in 1957. Erling was blind and wanted to do something else than farming. 800 years earlier King Magnus The Blind was born at Storedal. With this in mind, the idea of of making Storedal a park and a cultural center came up. Storedal center is created by artists, scientists and garden architects and is truly a great experience and worth a visit. The sculpture "Ode til lyset" ("Ode to the light") by Arnold Haukeland, music by Arne Nordheim, is 19,5 meters tall and one of the big attraction on the site. An outdoor amfi theatre and a garden with 250 different kind of plants are two other attractions. It is easy to see why the cultural center is located here.

Many archeological findings reveal early settlement here. Nearby there are also prehistoric rock carvings. In the center of the park replicas of rock carvings are seen, the carvings translated into Braille. The site has facilities for meetings and other events for rent all year round, and it is open to the public during summer. Sarpsborg is the municipality with the most registered prehistoric rock carvings in Norway. These carvings are from the Bronze Age (1800 – 500 B.C.). They are to be found, stretching from Onsøy in the north to Gothenburg (Sweden) in the south (roughly 400 kilometres apart). It is uncertain what kind of role these carvings have played. It is possible that they have had some mythological purpose. Another theory is that they could have been made to show a person's rank/position regarding rights or political issues. The motives are mainly ships, human beings and symbols of the sun. 

 

 

The garden of the townhall

The artis says "I saw the potential in the wall along Rådhushagen when I held a workshop with young people at Atlas in the autumn of 2020, so when I was asked to do something with it less than a year later, I was more than happy to say yes!

I really enjoyed working on this project and met lots of lovely people who stopped by for a chat while I was painting.

A big thank-you also goes out to the young people who helped decorate the “ugly” generator box."

Rådhushagen has become a colourful and cozy little spot in Jessheim.

Infomation from Visit Greater Oslo 

NITJA Art Gallery

Nitja Artcenter is an exhibition venue for contemporary art with location in Lillestrøm.

The art center aims to show the latest within installation, video, photography, drawing and painting made by young and upcoming artists.

 The gallery displays a various number of exhibitions over two floors, in addition the art center run its own gallery shop and has a readinglounge. 

Admission for free.

For more info on exhibitions see https://nitja.no/ or find us on Facebook.

Member of Visit Greater Oslo 

Bærums Verk

Handelsstedet Bærums Verk has roughly 50 shops, artisans, workshops, galleries and eateries.

Verksgata, which consists of old houses for labourers from the 18th century, is open seven days a week all year round. Here you can find the artisan workshop of the smith, glass blowers, silversmiths, art galleries, eateries including pizza and pancakes, chocholate shop, delicatessen with local produce and other unique shops. The shopping mall in the old factory hosts a large selection of interior shops and chic clothes for the whole family.

Bærums Verk is a lovely place to visit for a day excursion and shopping. Walk along the river among the sculptures and the wooden houses, enjoy a good meal in one of the restaurants and cafes or visit the artisans in their atelier.

The beautiful sculpture park at Bærums Verk include 28 sculptures made by renowned Norwegian artists – a collection that expands with a new sculpture every year. Open 24/7 to the public. 

Handelsstedet Bærums Verk’s opening hours can be found on Facebook and on www.baerumsverk.no

Bærums Verk is siutuated along the pilgrim path and is a gateway for recreational routes in Bærum.

Easy access to Bærums Verk by direct bus 150 from Oslo city centre, or bus 210 from Sandvika. Public transport schedule: ruter.no

Members of Visit Greater Oslo

Wear Many Hats – Ullensaker Townhall

The artwork "Wear Many Hats" on the roof of Ullensaker Cultural Center was created by TelmoMiel, it is seen from the railway station – so all people arriving with the train see this

 

Visit Greater Oslo 

Historic Jessheim – Blue Plaques

Jessheim Station

Built in 1908. Architect: Henrik Bull. The original station from 1854 burned down in 1904 after a safe explosion. Over the years, the building has housed a post office, apartment, café, shop, and restaurant.

Herredshuset  

Built in 1901. Architect: Holger Sinding-Larsen. The timber was donated by local farmers. Renovated in 1924. Served as the town hall until 1967. It has also functioned as a community hall, school, cinema, and bank. Restored in 2003 by the Friends of Herredshuset.

Lønnebo

Also known as "The Doctor’s House." Built in 1922–23. The storehouse and horse stable date from 1909. Purchased by Doctor Rød in 1935, who ran his medical practice here. The author Anne-Cath. Vestly lived in the house during part of her childhood.

Villa Sole

Built in 1912 for tanner Finn Ruud. Designed by his brother, architect Kristian Biong, in the national romantic style. The owner was awarded Ullensaker Municipality's Cultural Heritage Award in 2011 for excellent preservation.

You can read more on the municipality’s website and find a map of the route there.

Information from Visit Greater Oslo

Art tour of Fornebu

Discover the world-class art – make the trip to Fornebu.

Many millions of NOK have been invested in exquisite outdoors art at Fornebulandet, thanks to architects, builders and the municipality. Norway's old main airport, has become an art destination.

Use the Sunday for an art trip close by. Explore the area as a bicycle safari or on foot and discover selected works of art at Fornebu. The trip is excellent to combine with swimming on the beautiful beaches, a walk in the nature reserve, playing in the playgrounds and school and shopping on Fornebu S or a good meal at the local eateries.

Suggested tour – choose length and time as desired;

The "Imprints" sculpture park by Magne Furuholmen is located outside Aker's new headquarters at Fornebu. The park is the largest collection of sculptural works made by a Norwegian artist since the Vigeland Park and houses 40 large glazed ceramic vases and sculptures. Up close, one can read words and writing blocks that are engraved in the tiles, while at longer distances the expression changes.

Cross the underpass towards the sea by Telenor Arena and walk towards the Telenor building's parking lot. Take a walk across the courtyard. Here is the "Fondation Surgisante" by Buer, 92 striped columns in a grid pattern over the square, but also represents what can not be seen, a continuation of the construction below ground.

The facade on the left shows the so-called "truism", short text-based truths in "Installation for Telenor", which consists of 430 poetic and slogan-like statements. Below the stairs is Franz West's pink sculpture "Drama" a strange shape that has knotted itself.

Continue along the sea towards the Equinor building and you will see Einarsson's sculpture to the right on the grass "Untitled / Big dumb Object" consisting of five billboards standing in a row with prints of various art objects that create curiosity. "Knowing doing the planet" is the big  green bullet with a smaller bullet in the middle made by Eliasson. The inner bullet reflects the environment around it, which constantly reflects changes in the environment.

Well worth a detour to Equinor's entrance under the two protrusions is the photo and video installation "The Shimmering Solution – The Tender Pixel Storm" by Rist. In the 1,200 m2 colorful work, nature, animals and people are constantly intertwined in both abstract and realistic image sequences.

On the short side of the old terminal building towards the roundabout stands "Monkey's Fist (Apeneve)", a 12 meter high monumental bronze knot. It was sailors who developed the rope art to which this gives associations.

In addition, there is a lot of great art indoors in the various office buildings, such as decoration in the restaurants and in the old Terminal building where you can find the beautiful wall decorations in the lobby of Kai Fjell in the current Technopolis building.

In the middle of the roundabout stands "Throw" by Kåre Groven, which shows the outline of a man holding a paper plane. The thrower has become a symbol, giving strong memories from the time Fornebu Airport was here.

There are also many other fine art experiences at Fornebu and Storøya if you want a longer trip, move towards Nansenparken, a varied recreation area for everyone living and visiting Fornebu. A network of walking and cycling paths and trails link the different parts of Fornebulandet together and provide opportunities for different activities. Under the bridges near the floating tower are "sound-art installations".

At Storøya school there are great play areas and here is the sculpture "Solknippe" by T.Nordström & A.Oskarsson which looks like many pencils together.
Start your trip outside Aker's new headquarters vis-a-vis Norwegian's "diamond building". The bus stops right outside and takes only 15 minutes from downtown Oslo.

Have a wonderful day.

Member of Visit Greater Oslo 

Street Art: The craftsman in Gjøvik

Follow urban artist Martin Whatson on his creative tour of the Oslo region
Urban artist Martin Watson creates street art all over the world, but for a period of eight months, he has travelled in his home region and created art works inspired by the stories he found and the people he met there. Taking in the contrasts between local traditions, mighty nature and urban life, he has created seven murals in different places along the way. Together, they make up a playful portrait of the Oslo region.

The craftsman in Gjøvik
In the town of Gjøvik, Martin Whatson pays tribute to the craftsman. Gjøvik was home to the first private glass factory in Norway, and it's only fitting that a three-story-tall glassblower now decorates one of the town's walls. Whatson's glassblower reminds us of the Oslo region’s long-standing traditions of artisan craftsmanship, which are still very much alive.

Martin Whatson's guide to the Oslo region
Explore the different artworks and the places where they were created.
Asker, a child's paradise
Løten, birthplace of Edvard Munch
Vinstra, land of Per Gynt's
Oslo, city of innovation
Fredrikstad, home to a king
Horten, viking village

The big moose from Stor-Elvdal

Storelgen is the world's second largest moose sculpture, 10 metres high and 12 metres long, made by LInda Bakke. It stands at Bjøråa rest area in Stor-Elvdal municipality, midway between Oslo and Trondheim along national road 3. Stor-Elvdal was donated to the municipality by Sparebanken Hedmark's art fund in 2015. 

The contrasting silver material strongly distinguishes Storelgen from the environment in which it stands, and the forest by which it stands. This is part of what makes it so unique.

 

 

Henie Onstad Sculpture Park

Among the most famous works are Arnold Haukeland's Solskulptur 1969-1970, Trygve Fredriksen's Filipstadbananen 1952 and several works by Inge Bjørlo, Kai Nilsen and Camilla Løw to name a few. There is great variation in the use of materials and expressions, from classical works to modern installations.

Map of the area and the art can be found at the museum's exit. Free and available 24 hours a day, all year round.

Member of Visit Greater Oslo