An Afternoon in Vigeland Park
Our last full day in Oslo, we made a mad dash through several amazing museums. My favorite as you may recall was the incredible Viking Ship Museum. After an expensive pizza lunch we headed out for our afternoon adventures: the Munch Museum and Vigeland Park.
My motivation of course for going was to see Munch’s masterpiece The Scream. Unfortunately, after its second theft and subsequent recovery, it is not always on display. The painting was damaged as a consequence of the second theft and is undergoing restoration. In hindsight, I would have instead opted to peruse Oslo’s National Gallery that has The Scream on display (there were 4 copies.)
After our brief visit, we headed to a more kid friendly location. The Vigeland Sculpture Garden, which is on the opposite side of Olso was our next stop. Thanks to the Oslo’s incredible public transportation system it is easy to get anywhere in Oslo. We took the T-bane (Olso’s Subway) to the nearest station and walked down the hill to the park.
Vigeland Sculpture Garden is a must see if you ever travel to Oslo. First of all, it is free. This is great because you’ll spend a lot of money on food in Oslo. For other attractions and free public transportation, your best bet is to buy an Oslo Pass. You can buy an Oslo pass for 24-48-72 hours. It definitely pays to have the Oslo Pass.
Back to the Vigeland Sculpture Garden, which displays the life works of Gustav Vigeland. The city of Oslo gave Vigeland a studio, where his eponymous museum is now located. Vigeland Park is home to Vigeland’s sculptures and incredibly beautiful gardens.
The Monolith was carved out of a single block of granite and is located at the highest part of the park. This is where our Vigeland experience began. The kids were able to run free and explore the sculptures surrounding the monolith. There were plenty of giggles emanating from the kids as all of the sculptures representative of man’s life cycle were nude.
While the kids giggled and climbed on the sculptures exploring the cycle of life, we were happy to photograph them as we took in the beautiful sculptures. As they climbed, we ambled through the various sculptures. Vigeland’s sculptures truly captured all of life’s cycles in beautiful and honest depictions. The monolith is truly an exquisite piece of art.
The kids got thirsty quick since it was a bit hot, by Oslo standards, the day we visited Vigeland. Near the bridge there was a tourist shop that sold water. As the kids caught their breath and rehydrated, we were able to take in the beautiful sculptures on the bridge. The sculptures on the bridge depict the children, men, women and their relationships. The most popular sculpture is the one of the crying boy. My favorite sculpture was the one that depicted a father juggling his children because it reminded me of my Hubby and my boys.
If you find yourself in Oslo, Vigeland Park is an absolute must. It would be the perfect location for a picnic lunch between museums. Lastly, Vigeland is great for families with kids. Parents can enjoy the artistry of Gustave Vigeland while the kids can run freely about the park.