One of Oslo's best-kept secrets is found in the vast open-air sculpture park at Frogner, showcasing the life work of Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland (1869–1943), who also designed the Nobel Prize medals still used today. Vigeland himself was responsible for the design of the park, a project that was some 20 years in the making. It was completed in 1949 and is packed with more than 200 of his wrestling, fighting, hugging, full-size human figures tumbling across 32 hectares (80 acres).

Central to the sculpture display is a vast, carved monolith from which the other works span out across the elaborate park. The elegant landscaped formal gardens show off the bronze and granite sculptures to stunning effect; visit after a snowfall or when the sun is going down to appreciate the sculptures twisting and turning in all manners of emotion, from grief-stricken to pugilistic to loving.


Close by lies a more conventional museum largely dedicated to Vigeland's work, but this park wins hands down for location and spectacle.