Vigeland Park
Vigelandsanlegget
The lifelong masterpiece of Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland. More than 200 groups of human figures in Frogner Park, from infants to the elderly, show the full range of human life. Free to visit.
Vigeland Sculpture Park is located inside Frogner Park. It is the largest sculpture park in the world created by a single artist. Gustav Vigeland (1869–1943) made an agreement with the City of Oslo: the city provided him with a studio and a home, and he donated all of his works to the city. He completed the project in the 1920s–1940s. The park is laid out along a central axis about 850 meters long, and its features are, in order: the main gate; a bridge lined with 58 bronze statues, the most famous of which is The Angry Boy, who stamps his feet and cries; a fountain, where six giants hold up a water basin, symbolizing the burdens of life; the Monolith, a column about 14 meters high on the raised platform along the axis, carved from a single block of granite into 121 human figures climbing over and intertwining with one another, surrounded by 36 granite groups that depict the cycle of human life from birth to death; and finally the Wheel of Life. All the sculptures are nude human figures portraying themes such as family, love and old age. The park is free and open all day. On the south side is the Vigeland Museum, his former studio, which charges admission and is closed on Mondays. Getting there: take tram 12 or bus 20 to the Vigelandsparken stop.
Opening hours
Open all day; Vigeland Museum closed Mondays
Nearby sights
- Emanuel Vigeland Museum
- Bygdøy Museums
- Fram Museum
- Ibsen Museum
- Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art
- Aker Brygge
- National Museum of Norway
- Nobel Peace Center