The Parliament building (Stortingsbygningen)

In 1856, it was decided by 59 votes to 47 that the parliament building should be erected according to the drawings of the Swedish architect Emil Victor Langlet. The new parliament building was opened in the spring of 1866 and was to be a symbol of independence and freedom. In Norway's art history from 1981, we can read among other things that: "Langlet merged a multitude of different elements into an untraditional, new piece of architecture, where functional considerations played a decisive role... The Lombardic-Romanesque style that Langlet used was new and revolutionary. This was also because the building as a whole had no known model. The Parliament was to be the central building of the new Norwegian state, and be a symbol of independence and freedom from the past and traditions." If you would like to feel close to the power, there is usually a free summer tour of the parliament building, from mid-June to the end of August. If you are a little more than averagely interested, you might want to visit the parliament's own website www.stortinget.no. Photo: Digitalt Museum and Bernth-Erik Øien Fossli