The Old Town of Oslo (Norwegian: Gamlebyen, pronounced [ˈɡɑmɽəˌby̌ːn] ) is a neighbourhood in the inner city of Oslo, Norway, belonging to the borough of Gamle Oslo and is the oldest urban area within the current capital. This part of the capital of Norway was simply called Oslo until 1925 while the city as a whole was called Kristiania. Oslo's old town was established with the urban structure around the year 1000 and was the capital of Norway's dominion in 1314. The main Old Town area (i.e. the southern and central parts of Old Town) has several ruins of stone and brick lying above ground, and large amounts of protected culture underground. The core area also has listed 1700s buildings. Towards Ekeberg slope and further up are some 17th and 18th-century wooden houses that are zoned for conservation under the Planning and Building Act, though there exist in the Old Town many four-storey brick houses, built at the end of the 1800s, and some heritage railway buildings from different eras.
>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<
Old Town, Oslo in the context of Medieval Oslo
Medieval Oslo refers to the urban community of Oslo during the Middle Ages and up until the city fire of 1624, when the town burned to the ground and was not rebuilt on its original site. Instead, the city of Christiania was founded nearby. After this, the original name "Oslo" continued to be used for the original, burned-down area, which was largely converted into farmland. In 1925, the municipality of Christiania changed its name to Oslo, meaning that in modern times, "Oslo" refers to a much larger area than the old medieval town.
The ruins of the medieval town, made of stone and brick, are located in the area now called Gamlebyen ("The Old Town"), roughly bordered by the Hovinbekken stream in the north, the original course of the Alna River to the south and east, and the water features associated with the Medieval Park in the west. The Franciscan monastery (partly overbuilt by Gamlebyen Church and Oslo Hospital) just east of the Alna is also considered part of the Medieval Town, despite being located on the "back side" of the river. Akershus Castle and Fortress (begun in 1297) and Hovedøya with its Cistercian monastery also belong to the Medieval Town.
Old Town, Oslo in the context of Gamlebyen Church
Gamlebyen Church is a private church, belonging to Oslo University Hospital and is also called Oslo Hospital's Church, located in the old town of Oslo, Norway. It is leased to the Diocese of Oslo of the Church of Norway and serves as the parish church for the Gamlebyen parish in Oslo. Up to 1925 it had the name Oslo Church, but when the city changed its name from Kristiania to Oslo, the church got the present name. The present church building is listed in 1796 partly on the foundations of the Franciscan monastery church built around 1290. The church is located at the foot of the north-facing slope Ekeberg, across the street from the Gamlebyen Cemetery. The chapel at the cemetery is abandoned as a burial chapel and leased to the Ethiopian community in Oslo. At funerals, the church itself is now used instead.