Edvard Munch - Olaf Rye's Square towards South East (1882)

Olaf Ryes plass (lit. "Olaf Rye's Square") is a square and park placed centrally in the Grünerløkka borough of

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It is more or less square in shape.

History

The area belonged to the municipality of

Aker Aker may refer to: Places * Aker, Norway, a geographic area in Oslo and a former municipality in Norway * Vestre Aker, a district of Oslo within former Aker municipality * Nordre Aker, a district of Oslo within former Aker municipality * Aker Br ...

until 1858, when it was incorporated into Christiania (Oslo). It was an open area which was bought by the municipality from

Thorvald Meyer Thorvald Meyer (23 September 1818 – 3 February 1909) was a Norwegian businessman and philanthropist. He was a wholesaler, retailer and shipowner as well as a land owner and developer. Biography Meyer was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norwa ...

in 1863. In 1864 it received its name; the namesake was the military leader

Olaf Rye Olaf Rye (16 November 1791 – 6 July 1849) was a Denmark–Norway, Norwegian-Danish military officer. He died in battle during the First Schleswig War and is considered to have been a Danish war hero. Biography Olaf Rye was born at Bø, Tele ...

. It was made into a park in 1890. The park has a bust monument of Eilert Sundt, raised in 1892, and a fountain was added some years later. Other major parks in the area are

Birkelunden Birkelunden (lit. 'The Birch Grove') is a park placed centrally in the Grünerløkka borough of Oslo, Norway. It is formed as a rectangle, more or less like a city block. History The area belonged to the municipality of Aker until 1858, when it wa ...

, Sofienberg Park, and

Tøyen Park Tøyen Park ( no, Tøyenparken) is a park in Oslo, Norway. It is located to the north-east of the Munch Museum and neighbours the University of Oslo Botanical Gardens. Tøyen Park is an expanse of grass-covered hills, dotted with clusters of l ...

The park is surrounded by four streets as well as housing three and four storeys tall, mostly built in the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s. The three-storey housing was built first. Among the most notable inhabitants of these buildings were the young

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...

from 1882 to 1883. Already in 1875 Johan Cordt Harmens Storjohann took the initiative to raise a

gospel hall Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

adjacent to the park; it was converted to a school in 1880, a church between 1917 and 1938, and later a women's hostel until 1985. The building is called Hauges Minde, named after lay preacher Hans Nielsen Hauge. In 1907 the stage theatre ''Grünerløkkens Folketheater'' was opened in a building adjacent to the park, renamed ''Grünerløkkens Verdenstheater'' five years later. The theatre was reconstructed and expanded in the years 1918–1922; upon the reopening it had its name changed to

Parkteatret Parkteatret is a theater located at Olaf Ryes plass 11, Grünerløkka in Oslo, Norway. It was established in 1907 as a cinema originally by the name "Kristiania Bryggeri Grünerløkkens Kinematograf". Parkteatret is renowned as an urban cultural ...

. In 1932, the building was adorned by the architect

Paul Ansteinsson Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

. From 1926 to 1991 that building also featured a movie theatre.

Transport

The

Olaf Ryes plass tram stop Olaf Ryes plass is a tram stop on the Grünerløkka–Torshov Line of the Oslo Tramway. It is served by lines 11, 12, and 18. The night bus routes (11N and 12N) do not directly serve the station, but instead stop at a station nearby called Sofienb ...

on the

Grünerløkka–Torshov Line The Grünerløkka–Torshov ( no, Grünerløkka–Torshov-linjen) is a tramway line running between Jernbanetorget to Storo in Oslo, Norway. It is served by lines 11, 12 and 18 of the Oslo Tramway. The line serves the city-centre of Oslo, Gru ...

of the

Oslo Tramway The Oslo tram network ( no, Trikken i Oslo, short from ', 'electric') is the tram system in Oslo, Norway. It consists of six lines with 99 stops and has a daily ridership of 132,000. It is operated by , a subsidiary of the municipally-owned who ...

serves the park. It is served by lines 11, 12, and 18. The park is not served directly by bus.

References

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