H. P. Lovecraft alludes to the fact in his story The Call of Cthulhu: One autumn day I landed at the trim wharves in the shadow of the Egeberg.

Johansen's address, I discovered, lay in the Old Town of King Harald Hardrada, which kept alive the name of Oslo during all the centuries that the greater city masqueraded as "Christiana".Neighborhoods of Oslo belonging to this borough are: The borough also includes islands and islets in the Oslofjord: Kavringen, Nakholmen, Lindøya, Hovedøya, Bleikøya, Gressholmen, Rambergøya, Langøyene and Heggholmen.

In the Oslo borough reform in 2004, the borough Helsfyr-Sinsen was removed, and the neighborhoods Ensjø, Etterstad Valle-Hovin and Helsfyr were included in Gamle Oslo.

The council leader is Emil Snorre Alnæs from the Green Party and the deputy leader is Agnes Viljugrein, of the Labour Party.

The 15 seats are distributed among the following political parties for the 2019–2023 term:[2] Places formerly known for squatting, includes Brakkebygrenda (a.k.a.