Bogstad Manor in Oslo, Norway

April 21, 2008
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My regular readers know I still have some adventures to share from The Norwegian Computer Society’s (NCS) Annual Meeting last weekend. We wanted to give the gathered 80 representatives something historical and cultural to remember, and of course I gladly take you with us to Bogstad Gård (Manor), just 20 minutes outside of Oslo city. Let me start with a long distance view of this majestic farm (click all pics to enlarge!):

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The main building (in the centre of the picture) is built between 1760 and 1790 and is an example of the classicists style. There is a lovely park, and a nice forest area right around the corner from the main building, and a bathing area just 80 meters away. I took this picture from the other side of Bogstad Lake.

The history of the estate dates back to 1649 and remained in the family till it was presented as a gift to Bogstad Foundation in 1955. This manor house is in nearly the same condition as when it was built at the end of the 18th century. It was very influenced by French Royal architecture from The Baroque style, so even if it is a wooden building, the finish on the outside is made of concrete and painted in the right colours for the period:
Bogstad Manor Front #1

I took hundreds of pics, so let me give you an idea in this movee:


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PhotobucketWe are talking about the house of a wealthy merchant and industrialist Peder Anker, and the count and countess Wedel Jarlsberg. That’s why Bogstad Gård plays a central role in Norwegian history, both as the manor it is and as part of the country’s political history. Mr. Anker, landowner and proprietor, was Norway’ first Prime Minister in Stockholm following the dissolution in 1814 of the Danish-Norwegian union.

The owners were through generations’ part of the political life in Norway, and their beautiful homes are almost intact since the time of 1780. Mr. Anker and his descendants, the Wedel Jarlsberg family, have handed down to prosperity a beautiful home, with its original furniture, silverware, paintings and glassware, a home almost unchanged and today open for public.

Above you see a picture from the Ball Room. The paintings on the wall are imported from France and Italy and carefully arranged on the wall in groups. I take it you agree that pictures say a lot more again, so here you go with a movee of pics from this beautiful house:


We had a very nice, informative and educational guide. One anecdote I especially remember from her guided tour was how they got their education at that time: The travelled for 5 to 7 years with an older relative to important countries and towns like London, Paris and Rome to learn History, Art, Culture and Architecture. That’s what I call Networking! Think of all the important business contacts they made. If you wanted to make business and had a letter signed by Mr. Anker as a recommendation with you while travelling around in the world: All doors would be opened!

Bogstad Gård is more than just a museum; See the animals: Sheep, horses, cows, pigs, rabbits and hens. It also has a nice café serving typical Bogstad-rolls. They have several rooms well suited for meetings and conferences, as well as different kinds of parties. In my last post (scroll down), you can see what a wonderful dinner we had in the loft.

Stay tuned: The next post will be from The Ski Museum and then I can prove the saying: Norwegians are born with skis on their feet!

Culture, History, Travel Norway
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