This is Vigeland, the surprising park with human statues in Oslo

One of the places that has impressed me the most in the trips to oslo is undoubtedly the Vigeland park.

Although I knew that in the Norwegian capital there was a place where some peculiar sculptures with human figures very realistic, I didn't know that it was actually a large outdoor park.

Specifically, surely the most important park in the Norwegian capital, and its great fame comes precisely from the more than 200 sculptures that are scattered throughout the different corners of it.

El Vigeland park is one of essential visits in Oslo, and is considered as the most famous in Norway.

In fact, it is the largest sculpture park in the world made by a single artist.

And this is one of the first curiosities, that the 230 sculptures that make up the complete collection were modeled at life size by the man himself. Gustav Vigeland.

Curiosities from the history of Vigeland Park in Oslo

The park is the result of a peculiar agreement at the beginning of the 20th century between the Norwegian artist and the Oslo City Hall.

Vigeland By then he was already a famous sculptor, and among his works the restoration of the Nidaros Cathedral en Trondheim.

In 1921, upon demolishing the building where the sculptor's studio was located in Oslo, he reached an agreement with the city council of the capital for the construction of a new studio that would serve as a home, and that after his death would be a museum.

In return, Vigeland He committed to donating all of his work, and that was when he began to sculpt the sculptures that were distributed in different places near his studio.

In fact, the park as such was not approved by the city council until 1931, although the most famous sculpture group, the Monolith, in 1924 it had already begun to rise.

For its part, the great gate of the park dates back to 1927, and the bridge where the bronze sculptures follow one another was approved in 1931.

What to see when visiting Vigeland Park in Oslo

El Vigeland park, as you can now visit it, occupies 32 hectares, and was not completed until 1949, years after the artist's death.

If to get to know it much better you prefer to be accompanied by a guide in spanish, you can sign up for this Vigeland park tour which lasts an hour and a half.

Vigeland Park Monolith

Without a doubt, the aforementioned Monolith It is the main sculpture group of the Vigeland park.

It is a carved column from a single 14 meter high stone, in which they crowd 121 human figures.

Based on the model made by Vigeland, it took three stone sculptors 14 years to finish the work from the large block that had been installed in 1928.

The Vigeland Park Bridge

The other most notable corner of the park is the bridge.

With more than one hundred meters long and fifteen meters wide, on this bridge there are 58 bronze sculptures which were modeled between 1923 and 1933.

Men, women and children appear, either alone or in groups, and the main theme is the relationship between men and women, and adults and children.

Here you can see one of the iconic figures of the park, the Angry child, a small sculpture of a child crying out loud.

Wheel of Life in Vigeland Park

Finally, the fountain y the wheel of life They are the two other sculptural groups that stand out within the great artistic work that is Vigeland Park.

Near the park is the building of the Vigeland Museum, which was opened as such in 1947.

It houses 1.600 sculptures and a huge collection of drawings, photos, books and objects that belonged to Vigeland.

If you visit it you will be able to see the life-size originals of the plaster molds made by the artist.

Visiting times for Vigeland Park in Oslo

La Entry to Vigeland Park is free and is open every day of the year and 24 hours a day.

Map: how to get to Vigeland Park in Oslo

For get to Vigeland park, from the city center you have to take bus 20 or tram 19.

Photos of Oslo's Vigeland Park

Here you have more photos of the collection of sculptures of human figures in Oslo's Vigeland Park.