Parks and open spaces in Oslo
The residential and more affluent western parts of the city (Majorstuen, Frogner) have comparably fewer parks and open spaces.
On the Aker ridge (from Akersneset with the castle along the Akersgata to St. Hanshaugen) is also Kontraskjæret and Egebergløkka used as parks, with views over Pipervika and the eastern part of the inner city.
The work with the river Alna has been concluded with an environment park while Lysakerelva, Frognerelva, Hovinbekken and Ljanselva are still under development.
Among the islands within the city border Hovedøya, Gressholmen and Langøyene are easily accessible by ferries and have extensive parks and beaches.
In the Late Medieval Age, there was a garden north of the Olav's monastery (currently the bishop's residence), where vegetables were grown.
The garden had neatly arranged beds, a pavilion and a fish pond called Munkedammen after the feudal overlord Christen Munk.
North of Stortorget and Grensen several parks were created around 1700, among them James Collet's Grensehaven between Akersgata and Grubbegata, in Renaissance style.
The garden at Oslo Ladegård had hedges, paths in a square system, a long pond, and alleys down to the fjord, in Renaissance style.
Several of the estates around the city had grand linden alleys in the 18th century: Stubljan, Linderud, Søndre Bjølsen (currently Bjølsenparken) and Nordre Skøyen hovedgård.
Peder Anker engaged a gardener from Germany who utilized the slope from the main house down to the Bogstadvannet lake, with curved paths and artificial creeks.
A similar style was applied when John Collett created the park around Ullevål gård, known for its rich variety of sentiments and as a center for the city's social life.
When Benjamin Wegner bought the estate in the early 19th century, a romantic landscape style park was created.
The organisation Selskapet for Christiania Byes Vel concentrated on creation of public parks as one of its main priorities during its first fifty years of existence.
At the bridge Nybrua crossing Akerselva the organisation erected the city's first outdoor monument in 1833, with a surrounding park.
Selskapet for Christiania Byes Vel did also organize planting of trees along various streets, among them Grønlandsleiret, the road from Nybrua to Tøyen, Drammensveien and Rådhusgata.
The Slottsparken, surrounding the Royal Palace, was laid out from 1838 to 1844, in landscape style with large trees, paths, ponds and lawns in the curved terrain.
Owing to fire regulations the building material was brick, and this is largely the area that today is inside Ring 2 (the bypass road 2).
Grev Wedels plass by the quarter called Kvadraturen was laid out as a 14-decare park in 1869, initiated by Christiania Byes Vel.
Bjølsenparken was laid out in 1900 on a part of the garden belonging to Søndre Bjølsen mansion, known for its linden alley along the ridge of the park.
Stensparken was the only major new park on the western part of the city in this period and was constructed on a hill that had been used to dump garbage.
In connection with the Jubilee exhibition in 1914 the street Kirkeveien alongside the Frogner Park was widened and got trees in the centre strip.
Part of the slope on the western side of Ekeberg was bought by the city in 1889 to secure the area for the public and prevent developers from destroying the well known landscape.
The city established a park committee, with the well-known politician Fernanda Nissen from the Norwegian Labour Party as its first leader.
The workers' parties laid pressure on the city so it would support this extra free time with added options for activities.
Until the start of the Second World War a number of initiatives were taken, as part of a coordinated city policy for parks and green spaces.
A total of 33 playgrounds with communal employed guards were systematically expanded until 1940, many of these were partly covered with ice in the winter, for skating while concerts and theater plays in the parks sponsored by the city continued.
The famous Monolith was erected as a single granite block in 1928; three stone cutters worked on the 200-tonne (200-long-ton; 220-short-ton) and 17-metre (56 ft) tall sculpture until 1942 when it finally was unveiled.
Within short time voluntary communal work was organized to cultivate food production in parks, playgrounds and gardens, 35 different areas by the summer of 1940.
At the playground on Sophus Bugges plass there were concrete strongholds until 1953 and between the creek and Madserud allé in Frognerparken there were barracks used by the SS.
Freiaparken is a private, enclosed garden near the chocolate factory, in strictly regular forms, noted for the wealth of its flora and many sculptures.
