Ask anyone who’s ever been to Oslo what they thought of the Frogner Park and they’ll probably not understand what you’re talking about – to be honest we didn’t know either before our cruise to Northern Europe. However if you ask them about the park with all the statues in it their reaction will more than likely be “Ah the Vigeland Park.”
The world famous sculpture area in Frogner Park, commonly known as the Vigeland Sculpture Park, features 212 bronze, granite and wrought iron sculptures, all designed by Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943).
Most visitors enter through the main gate and walk along the bridge with the children’s playground to reach the fountain, the monolith plateau and the wheel of life.
The main theme in the park is the timeless “Circle of Life”, this is why all the sculptures – part from the Gustav Vigeland statue – are displayed without clothes.
A second set of wrought iron gates depict human figures and give access to the monolith plateau. The plateau is made of steps with 36 figure groups on them representing the “circle of life”. The monolith itself – carved from one single granite block – is over 14 metres (46ft) high and shows 121 human fugures rising towards the sky.
At the end of the sculpture park there is a sundial and the “Wheel of Life”, a stone sculpture containing four adults, a child and a baby, depicting eternity.
The Vigeland Sculpture Park is an absolute must-see when visiting the Norwegian capital. The park is open year-round and can be easily reached by public transport. The bus and tram (use the “Vigelandsparken” stop) will bring you right in front of the main entrance while the metro (use the “Majorstuen” stop) is only a short 10-minute walk away.