Morten Wedén bought an 1890’s flat located directly across the classic city park of St. Hanshaugen in Central Norway. As a person known for artistry, Morten furnished the apartment with special vintage decorations and necessary amenities. It is designed to accommodate tourists or vacationers in Norway. Approx. 180 sq. meters with 2 bathrooms, 2 big rooms and 1 small room (Bed linens and towels are provided). It has a large dining room, lounge and a grand fireplace. The entire place is adorned with antique decorations like piano, paintings and sculptures. Fully equipped with the essential amenities such as Central heating, fireplace. WiFi/Internet and cable television. The kitchen is readily available along with the modern utensils therein, plus free tea and coffee. Enjoy you morning coffee in the small garden or in the large balcony facing the lovely park of St. Hanshaugen. Strategically located in the heart of Oslo city where you can have everything nearby and without having to drive or ride a bus. It is near the Royal Palace, the fjords, hospital, cafés, some nice shops and the museums. A great place to stay for small groups or families.

1. Charming, large 1890s
Apartment in Central Oslo,
Norway
Charming, large 1890s
Apartment in Central Oslo,
Norway

2. «The Dream Area of Oslo’s Real Estate Agents». The Norwegian daily
«Aftenposten» splashed the district (house in background of photo) across
its front page: «Among Oslo’s most prestigious neighbourhoods», it stated.
The area is called St.Hanshaugen and it has a rare combination of rural,
quiet surroundings, good views from high grounds and 15-20 minutes walk
to Oslo’s city centre, a bit like Regent’s Park in London. There are frequent
bus service. Supermarkets, wine store and delicatessen near by.
The apartment is not the typical impersonal rental flat. It is filled with many
objects of art, antiques and rarities. The building itself is from 1897 and
consists of 7 flats, all of them occupied by their owners. The rental apart-
ment is on a high ground floor. It has windows on three sides, facing east,
west and north. Entrance is from the east (below).The west side has one
bedroom, the dining room, sitting room and veranda facing the magnificent
park across the quiet street; St.Hanshaugen is central Oslo’s highest point.
The entrance from the staircase (left, previous page) leads into the hallway
(right, this page) with direct access to the sitting room, dining room and
scullery. You will find a small bathroom (above) with toilet and shower on
the right hand side of the hall and a wardrobe on the same side (right).

3. In the winter you can usually go
cross country skiing in the park
right outside the house. It might get
extremely cold, but you will be snug
and warm with double glazing, cen-
tral heating and a roaring wood
burning fireplace inside.
You may view the most spectacular sun-
sets in the winter as early as 4 P.M....
...or a sunrise as early as 3 A.M. in
the summer. Sunset is about 10.30
P.M. at this time of year.
Previous page:
Front facade of the house.
Rental apartment is on the ground
floor, left, with access to the veran-
da from the sitting room.

4. Sitting room has TV, DVD, Stereo and CDs. A compre-
hensive library of fine books, mainly in English.
Veranda is reached through this room, and from
here you have a fine view across to the park.

5. The old Egyptians worshiped the
sun, and their symbol, in the shape
of an «ISIS» is sculpted in bronze
and adorns the fireplace.
It shows the sun dial in the middle,
protected by two rattlesnakes, while
the wings of a vulture seems to
keep it suspended in air, near the
light and the warmth.
The Norwegians worship their
woodburning fireplaces, and there-
fore the ISIS has found its natural
place here.
The «Homosaurus» (half man,
half reptile) bronze sculpture guard-
ing the fireplace is made by Ola
Enstad, who also has made the
«Eunuque» on the mantelpiece, and
also the «Hunting Trophies» adjourn-
ing doorway and hallway. Most of
the other sculptures are made by
Tone Thiis Schjetne and Nina Sundby.
Graphic art is by Frans Wiederberg
and Bjørn Ransve, while the water-
colours are by the owner.
The chandellier is early 20th
century, unique in its material; not
brass but bronze.
The two gilded chairs are Louis
16, while the red velvet
chaizelounge and chairs are late
19th century English.
Many of the English books are
from the English Folio Society, while
there are some books in Norwegian
and German, basically history
books.
Carpets are old Persian, both in
the sitting room and the dining
room.
The furniture in the dining room
(below) are late 19th century, prob-
ably of German origin, while the
model boat is 1950s from Madeira.

6. There is an old fashioned piano in the dining room, slightly out of tune, but
it gives a wonderful honky tonk sound, as from some western saloon in dis-
tant times. Above the pioano are hanging two oval portraits of King Haakon
VII and Queen Maud from the time around their coronation in 1905.
The dining table seats 8, but can easily be extended to take twice the
number of guests. They will have the view out to the park, where during
summer the sun sets at 10.30 P.M. In the window a scale model in 1:100 of
the German Atlantic steamer «Kronprinzessin Cecilie» from 1906. In 1914
she was steaming mid-Atlantic from New York towards Hamburg when she
recieved the telegram stating that war had broken out between Germany and
Great Britain. With her precious cargo of gold and silver she turned back to
American neutral waters and escaped the British prize-hungry battleships.
The chandelliers in the dining room was probably hanging in a Russian
church before the Soviet Revolution in 1917. But it can also be of Polish ori-
gin. Both coutries has the double headed eagle as their national symbols.
From the peak of the park you can see the whole of Oslo and the fjord.

7. The kitchen is facing east, and from one corner of it you can see the old barn on the farm «Voldeløkken» that is next
door neighbour. Imagine – a farm in the city centre! The kitchen is again traditional, but it has all modern facilities
like dishwasher, fridge, freezer, microoven, electric coocker with oven and a gas coocker. There is a separate room
with washing machine/tumble dryer. The door on the photo to the right leads to the former maid’s room, now a chil-
dren’s room or «office» with internet cable and a writing table in front of the window. It has a «loft» – an elevated
bed and a small wardrobe. Below, this page: Detail from the park outside – two minutes away.
The present day layout plan (show-
ing the bed arrangements) follows
closely the original lay out plan of
the apartment by the architect Chr.
Michaelsen from 1897. He was one
of the leading architects of his day.
The design draws on a number of
styles, new classical and baroque
with a distinct Dutch influence also.
From the outside the building can
appear to be a one-family’s home.
The apartment itself had three for-
mal rooms in the front facing west
(the park), only one bedroom and a
maid’s room. (Appearances meant
everything to the upper middle
classes at the time – and maybe
they still do?). All the rooms where
equipped with coalburning ovens,
central heating was only installed
after the First World War. There was
no veranda on the ground floor
originally, neither was there an
open fireplace. These items where
designed and installed by the pres-
ent owner. Originally the facade
was much more ornately decorated.
Some of it has been restored, how-
ever.

8. There is a second, large bedroom facing west (above, this page). It
has windows facing west and north, a small double bed and a sin-
gle bed. A table and two chairs make this a second sitting room
also, if you want some privacy from the rest of the party.
The master bedroom (below) has a large, lovely Victorian brass
bed from 1865 (matresses are not vintage), a good sized armoire
(wardrobe with Spanish castillo doors), Maroccoan ceiling lamp
and ensuite bathroom with bath tub, washbasin, toilet and bidét.
Although they might look original, the items was installed by the
owner some twenty years ago. The bidét was taken from a stately
country house and has not been repaired since 1917. If still func-
tions perfectly and is a sculpture in its own right.

9. Optional extrasOptional extras
As an extra treat for guests who
want to explore something com-
pletely different during their stay,
special arrangements can be made.
15 minutes drive from the Oslo
apartment – or 30 minutes by boat
– you can experience a romantic
candle-lit evening by the fjord,
enjoying shrimps and white wine,
listening to the sound of the waves
and maybe even have a swim.

10. AIR FRANCE Flight Magazine printed
recently a long article on why it is
worth visiting Oslo. The whole arti-
cle is reproduced here on the
following 14 pages.

17. Also LUFTHANSA’s In Flight
Magazine printed recently an
article on Oslo which is well worth
reading. It is reproduced here on
the following 4 pages.

19. For Holiday Lettings in Oslo please contact
Morten PR Russell Wedén
Tel. +47 22601010
mobile +47 92094083
E-mail:
morten@tvfilm.no