Regjeringskvartalet Nygaardsvolds plass Oslo 18jun2005

Regjeringskvartalet (the Government Quarter) is a collection of buildings located in the centre of Norway's capital city

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 ...

, housing several offices for the

Norwegian Government The politics of Norway take place in the framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic constitutional monarchy. Executive power is exercised by the Council of State, the cabinet, led by the prime minister of Norway. Legislative power is ...

. The complex is situated approximately 300m northeast of the Parliament Building, and consists of nine buildings with about 1,960,000 sq f (182,000 m²) of office space for approximately 4,430 people.''Five suggestions for a new government complex'', page 21. Renewal-, administration- and church-department, 27 June 2013
(visited 27 June 2013)

History

The current site was originally occupied by a district, named Empirekvartalet for its numerous neoclassical buildings, constructed in

Empire style The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 durin ...

. As early as 1885, plans existed for constructing a governmental district in central Oslo. After numerous attempts were made to finalise plans, the Empirekvartalet was finally razed in the early 1950s. The destruction of the district was widely opposed by many members of the citizenry and conservator authorities. Select wooden buildings were deconstructed and placed in storage and were later re-assembled at other sites in the city. The new Regjeringskvartalet was subsequently established and constructed in a contemporary

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

style. On 22 July 2011, Regjeringskvartalet was the site of a car bombing in connection with the

2011 Norway attacks The 2011 Norway attacks, referred to in Norway as 22 July ( no, 22. juli) or as 22/7, were two domestic terrorist attacks by neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik against the government, the civilian population, and a Workers' Youth League (AUF) ...

. Eight people were killed and over 200 others injured, and several buildings were heavily damaged. Following the damage, the decision was taken by the government to demolish and reconstruct the Regjeringskvartalet to meet updated standards for security, working space and environmental regulations.

Overview

Regjeringskvartalet consists of the following buildings: Regjeringskvartalet, map 18jun2005

Akersgata Akersgata (1-73E, 2-74) is a street in Oslo, Norway. It contains a number of important buildings such as the Parliament of Norway Building, several government buildings in the Regjeringskvartalet, the Trefoldighetskirken (Trinity Church), and the ...

40 (''G-blokken'' - "The G-Building") from 1905, the first phase of development from the original plan; now the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and Ec ...

. *Akersgata 42 (''Regjeringsbygget'' - "The Cabinet Building" a.k.a. ''høyblokken'' - "the highrise") from 1958, designed by

Erling Viksjø Erling Viksjø (4 July 1910 – 2 December 1971) was a Norwegian architect. Viksjø was an early exponent of architectural modernism. He was also noted for his use of textured concrete as a building material in a number of his designs. ...

in the modernist style; until 22 July 2011 the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Justice and the Police. *Akersgata 44 (''Y-blokken'' - "The

Y-Block The Y-Block was a building in Oslo, Norway, extant from 1970 to 2020. The building, designed in a Brutalist style by Erling Viksjø, was part of the (Government Quarter) in the centre of the city. It featured two murals by Pablo Picasso. It w ...

"), from 1969, another

building by Erling Viksjø; until 22 July 2011 the Ministry of Education and Research. *Akersgata 59 (R5)—''departementsgården'' from 1996 designed by Torstein Ramberg; houses the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) *Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

, the

Ministry of Agriculture and Food An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

, the

Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs (FAD) ( no, Fornyings-, administrasjons- og kirkedepartementet) was a Norwegian ministry. It was established as the Ministry of Government Administration and Ref ...

, the

Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development ( no, Kommunal- og regionaldepartementet) is a Norwegian ministry established in 1948. It is responsible for the housing and building, regional and rural policy, municipal an ...

, and the

Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion The Royal Ministry of Children and FamiliesEinar Gerhardsens plass 1 (R4); housed the

Ministry of Petroleum and Energy The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy ( no, Olje- og energidepartementet) is a Norwegian ministry responsible for energy, including petroleum and natural gas production in the North Sea. It is led by Minister of Petroleum and Energy ...

and the

Ministry of Trade and Industry A Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry or variations is a ministry that is concerned with a nation's trade, industry and commerce. Notable examples are: List *Algeria: Ministry of Industry and ...

. *Einar Gerhardsens plass 3 and

Møllergata 19 Møllergata 19 is an address in Oslo, Norway where the city's main police station and jail was located. The address gained notoriety during the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, when the Nazi security police kept its headquarters here. This is ...

(S-block); housed the

Ministry of Health and Care Services The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services (''Helse- og omsorgsdepartementet'') is a Norwegian government ministry in charge of health policy, public health, health care services, and health legislation in Norway. It is led by the Mini ...

and the

Ministry of Labour The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...

. *The

Government Administration Services Norwegian Government Security and Service Organisation (G.S.S.O) ( no, Departementenes servicesenter) is a Government agency responsible for a number of operative administration services for the Ministries of Norway. With about 750 employees, it ...

, centred in Møllergata 19, provides administrative services to other Government departments. Statsbygg manages the buildings on behalf of the Norwegian state, and is responsible for running and maintaining Regjeringskvartalet. *At Teatergata 9, a new building, R6, was completed in 2012. The 16 story building houses the Ministry of Health and Care Services and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food."Veidekke bygger nytt regjeringsbygg"
Stein Jarle Olsen, ''Teknisk Ukeblad'', 20 May 2009

Art

Between the late 1950s and the early 1970s, artist

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

made sketches for his first five monumental concrete murals to be executed on the buildings’ interiors and exteriors. The largest, ''The Fisherman'' (1970) is still in ''

'' (as of the 4th quarter of 2020); it is standing in a temporary

edifice A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and funct ...

, and some of the mural's surface can be seen thru the edifice's windows; the mural was removed from the façade of Y-block, in July 2020. Norwegian artists Inger Sitter, Kai Fjell and

Carl Nesjar Carl Nesjar (né Carlsen; 6 July 1920 – 23 May 2015) was a Norwegian painter, sculptor and graphic artist. He is best known for his collaborations with Pablo Picasso; serving for nearly twenty years as Picasso's chosen fabricator — the artis ...

, among others, also made works for the buildings. When the government considered whether to demolish the buildings after the 2011 attacks, the

Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage The Directorate for Cultural Heritage ( no, Riksantikvaren or ''Direktoratet for kulturminneforvaltning'') is a government agency responsible for the management of cultural heritage in Norway. Subordinate to the Norwegian Ministry of the Environm ...

expressed its fears that Picasso’s murals for two of them might be destroyed in the process.Clemens Bomsdorf (January 14, 2013)
Picasso murals under threat
''

The Art Newspaper ''The Art Newspaper'' is a monthly print publication, with daily updates online, founded in 1990 and based in London and New York City. It covers news of the visual arts as they are affected by international politics and economics, developments ...

''. File:Møllergata 19 Oslo 18jun2005.jpg, Møllergata 19, a part of the S-block File:Oslo view of city after July 2011 bombing.jpg, Regjeringskvartalet after the 22 July 2011 bombing

References

External links

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Oslo 2011 Norway attacks Office buildings in Norway