Europe

[Visited: April 2002]

Perhaps one of the cultural highlights of Oslo and Norway as a whole, Vigeland park is unique in several respects. It contains almost 200 sculptures of Vigeland, Norway's best known sculptor, and the layout of the park itself was designed by Vigeland. He worked on the park more than two decades until his death in 1943.
Walking into the park on an early April morning, I immediately noticed the peace it radiated, and its closeness to nature. The sculptures all feature naked humans, humans in their most typical poses. Humans caring for children, humans being young and playful, humans as a couple, as friends, humans getting older, and humans and death.
After seeing the Family, the Wheel of Life and the sundial, I sat down a the Monolith, which contains several sculptures depicting the lifecycle of man. The monolith itself is an obelisk, full of human figures, made from one massive block of stone. Enjoying the April sun here, with birds singing in the background, was a truly peaceful experience. When silence was broken by a group of children who started to play with the statues, I realized just how universal the value of the statues is.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Vigeland Park (Norway). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Vigeland Park.
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