TRANSFORMATION & TRADITION
To the south you have the bustling waterfront. The fjord snakes its way to Aker Brygge, Oslo’s modern harbor quarter, for 100 kilometers from the North Sea. In all other directions, Norway’s capital with its 650,000 residents is surrounded by the Marka, a wild, expanse of hills adorned with picturesque lakes, small huts and countless birch and pine trees.
WHERE WORLDS CONNECT
After we went to explore the superblocks of Barcelona in summer, we wanted to head north in wintertime. Quite a few Maloja colleagues have been raving about Oslo for years. About the city’s sporty vibe, the iconic Holmenkollen and the many gravel routes. Yet also about its cultural richness, the coffee scene, its diversity and its progressive mindset. We wanted to trace this spirit and explore the city, which was awarded European Green Capital in 2019 and ranked first in Arcadis’ Sustainable Cities Index in 2022.
Hardly any other city in Europe is currently developing as rapidly as Oslo, always balancing tradition and transformation. It connects city and nature, business and leisure, the old and the new. Strolling along the waterfront (with a warm cinnamon bun in your hand), you will encounter runners and tourists, folks in suits – and people in bathrobes heading to one of the colorful, wooden raft saunas near the famous National Opera.
You can hike up the marble roof of the opera house – it is intended to remind you of climbing a mountain: if Norway’s nature is free to explore, then why not one of the city’s most striking buildings? From up here, you can see how manifold this town is: the time-honored buildings, the small stores, the king’s palace, the skyline with ultra-modern buildings and, in the distance, the undulating hilly landscape that makes Oslo a dream for gravel riders – and to which we were drawn quickly.
Back from the viewpoint, we reflect on why this place struck such a note with us in the evening light at the harbor. It has an exceptional quality of life. It embraces the future. And its people love being active. Running, cycling and in wintertime, of course, cross-country skiing. As soon as the first snow hits the ground, the Osloites get in their XC ski gear, and take the tram to Holmenkollen. But above all, it was probably the easy coexistence of these different trends.
