Kontraskjæret, Oslo, Norway

Standing: Must see · Heritage site
Rank: Rank 57 of 3,842

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

About Kontraskjæret

Kontraskjæret is a park of more than 17 decares (1.7 ha) on the open ground in front of Akershus Fortress in Oslo. Its name is a mistaken Norwegianisation of the French contrescarpe, the outer wall or earth bank on the far side of the ditch around a fortification. The municipality took over the area in 1916 and rented it out for an amusement park, circuses and exhibitions, and in the 1950s and 1960s it was used for bus parking. It became a park in 1970, when the Skansen restaurant that had stood here was demolished.

Checked 2026-11-05 · Source

What's inside

When the park was laid out in the 1970s, the ground was blasted and lowered so that it now slopes gently from the fortress down to the modern street. On the slope towards Rådhusplassen stands a granite statue of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt by Stinius Fredriksen, paid for by a nationwide collection and unveiled by his widow Eleanor Roosevelt on 7 June 1950. The site once held the Skansen restaurant, designed by Lars Backer and completed in 1927, Norway's first functionalist monumental building.

Checked 2026-11-05 · Source

Place details and sources

Type of place: Park OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Heritage designation: cultural heritage preservation in Norway Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Wikipedia article: Kontraskjæret Wikipedia · Checked 2026-09-09