Capital and industrial port (textiles,
engineering, timber) of Norway; population
(1988) 454,000. The first recorded settlement
was made in the 11th century by Harald III,
but after a fire 1624, it was entirely
replanned by Christian IV and renamed
Christiania 1624-1924. The port is built at
the head of Oslo fjord, which is kept open in
winter by icebreakers. There is a Viking
museum, the 13th-century Akershus Castle, a
17th-century cathedral, and the National
Gallery, which includes many paintings by
Munch.