Oslo
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Oslo is the capital city of Norway. It has a population of 533,050 people (July 2005). The conurbation has a total population of 839,423. The urban municipality of Oslo and county is the same thing.
[change] History
The Saga of Norwegian Kings (written by Snorre Sturlason) tells that king Harald III Sigurdsson founded Oslo around 1048. Recent archaeological research has found Christian graves from before 1000. On the basis of these two facts Oslo celebrated its 900 year anniversary in 1950 and its 1000 year anniversary in 2000.
One of the more famous landmarks in Oslo is Akershus Fortress. It was started in around 1290. Oslo was destroyed in fire in 1624, and was rebuilt nearer to Akershus Fortress by the command of King Christian IV of Norway. The king gave the new city the name Christiania, which was later also written as Kristiania. In 1925 the name of the city was changed back to Oslo.
