The Storting building ( no, Stortingsbygningen) is the seat of the

Storting The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years ...

, the parliament of Norway. The building is located at 22 Karl Johans gate in central

Oslo, Norway 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 i ...

. It was taken into use on 5 March 1866 and was designed by the Swedish architect

Emil Victor Langlet Emil Victor Langlet (26 February 1824 – 10 March 1898) was a Swedish architect. He is most commonly associated with his design for the Norwegian Parliament Building in Oslo, Norway. Background Langlet was born in Borås, Sweden. He was educa ...

History

Following the establishment of the Parliament of Norway in 1814, which had happened at a private home belonging to

Carsten Anker Carsten Tank Anker (17 November 1747 – 13 March 1824) was a Norwegian businessman, civil servant, politician and one of the Fathers of the Constitution of Norway. He was the owner of the manor house in Akershus at which the original National As ...

Eidsvoll Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet. General information ...

, the newly established legislature started meeting at Christiania lærde Skole at Tollbodgaten and Dronningsgate. From 1854, the legislature started using the grand hall at the

Royal Frederick University The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

. However, proposals of an own parliament building had arisen. The parliament voted down a government proposal to create such a building in 1833, but in 1836, the work to establish a permanent building started. Twelve lots in central Oslo were combined, located between the

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and

Oslo East Station Oslo Central Station ( no, Oslo sentralstasjon, abbreviated ) is the main railway station in Oslo, and the largest railway station within the entire Norwegian railway system. It connects with Jernbanetorget station. It's the terminus of Dramm ...

. The government decided to build in the

Palace Park Palace Park ( no, Slottsparken) is a public park in the center of Oslo, Norway, surrounding the Royal Palace. It is . History The park was built during the 1840s and was designed by Hans Ditlev Franciscus Linstow, who was the main architect ...

, and this was passed by the parliament. However, instead the government chose to purchase the current lot instead. This was approved by parliament in 1857. The next discussion was related to the architecture. Several proposals were made, and twelve of these have been preserved. A design competition was initiated in 1856, and this was won by the architects

Heinrich Ernst Schirmer Heinrich Ernst Schirmer (27 August 1814 – 6 December 1887) was a German-born architect most noted for his work in Norway. Schirmer worked in Norway from 1838 to 1883 and left his mark on a number of public buildings. He contributed significant ...

and

Wilhelm von Hanno Andreas Friedrich Wilhelm von Hanno (15 December 1826 – 12 December 1882) was a German-born Norwegian architect, sculptor and painter. He was among the leading architects in Norway during the middle of the 1800s. Biography Wilhelm von Hanno ...

. However, the Storting decided to reject the proposal because it looked too much like a church. Instead, a proposal from the Swedish architect

was chosen with 59 against 47 votes on 18 May 1860. Construction started on 3 August 1860, and the cornerstone was laid on 10 October 1861. The building cost (68 061 444 kr in 2019). The parliament moved in on 5 March 1866. Initially, the building was too large for the needs of the legislature, and several other government agencies, including the

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, the National Archival Services, the Mapping and Cadastre Authority and the Director of Canals were also housed there. As the parliament has expanded, these various agencies have moved out. During the

German invasion of Norway German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

on 9 April 1940, the Storting relocated and held two meetings, once in a cinema in

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and once at Elverum Folk High School (''Elverum folkehøgskole''). The remaining meetings during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

were held abroad. During the war, the building was taken over by the German forces, and at first used as barracks. Later,

Reichskommissar (, rendered as "Commissioner of the Empire", "Reich Commissioner" or "Imperial Commissioner"), in German history, was an official gubernatorial title used for various public offices during the period of the German Empire and Nazi Germany. Ger ...

Josef Terboven Josef Terboven (23 May 1898 – 8 May 1945) was a Nazi Party official and politician who was the long-serving '' Gauleiter'' of Gau Essen and the ''Reichskommissar'' for Norway during the German occupation. Early life Terboven was born in E ...

with administration moved into the building. The Lagting Chamber was refurnished, with the ceiling lowered and the interior redecorated with mahogany panels and

funkis In architecture, functionalism is the principle that buildings should be designed based solely on their purpose and function. This principle is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern archite ...

style. From 1951 to 1959, a four-story office building was built at the back of the building. The courtyard was filled in, and the chamber expanded. This work was led by architect

Nils Holter Nils is a Scandinavian given name, a chiefly Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Latvian variant of Niels, cognate to Nicholas. People and animals with the given name * Nils Bergström (born 1985), Swedish ice hockey player *Nils Björk (1898–1989) ...

(1899-1995). In 1872, parliament bought Prinsens gate 26, in 1988 they bought Akersgata 21, in 1993 Nedre Vollgate 20, in 1997 Nedre Vollgate 18 and in 1999 Tollbugaten 31. The parliament also rents offices in Akersgata 18. Location «Max Manus», Stortinget

Architecture

The building is built in yellow brick with details and basement in light gray

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies un ...

. It is a combination of several styles, including inspirations from France and Italy. A characteristic feature of Stortingsbygningen is the way the

plenary chamber A debate chamber is a room for people to discuss and debate. Debate chambers are used in governmental and educational bodies, such as a parliament, congress, city council, or a university, either for formal proceedings or for informal discour ...

is located in the semi-circular section in the front of the building, as opposed to the building's centre. The back side of the building mirrors the facade of the front, with the meeting chamber of the now-abolished Lagting legislative chamber. The interior of the building is also designed by Langlet.

Gallery

File:Wilhelm von Hanno, Stortingsbygning - 2012-03-04 at 13-37-51.jpg, The proposal by

and

that won the 1856 competition, but was finally rejected File:Stortingsbygningen IMG 8857.jpg, Exterior detail File:Spørretimen i Stortinget 22. november 2007.jpg, Interior of the Plenary Chamber

References

External links

Storting official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Parliament Of Norway Building Legislative buildings in Europe Storting Buildings and structures in Oslo Government buildings completed in 1866 1866 establishments in Norway Seats of national legislatures