Om bydelene / About the boroughs of Oslo

Today I was talking to someone I am close to. She has lived in Oslo for 59 years. (It will be exactly 59 years next month when (let’s call her H) H has her birthday.) I mentioned that some people I had talked to about the #hverbydelharethjerte project were having trouble differentiating between the neighbourhoods vs the bydeler of Oslo. For example, Grünerløkka is a bydel but it is also an area in Grünerløkka. The same is true of Bjerke, Frogner, Sagene, St. Hanshaugen, Stovner, and Ullern. Together we went through the bydeler we could remember from memory and got most of them correctly. I have a few maps and an Excel spreadsheet that I refer to often. It seems that spending so much time looking at them has almost solidified them in my memory. This conversation made me think that I should share these resources that I have as a part of this blog.

Resources:
List from Wikipedia
Find your bydel: Oslo Kommune’s Bydelsvelger
Map from Oslo Kommune’s website

The conversation continued and I found myself curious about the thoughts of someone who has lived in Oslo for her whole life. What is the heart of the city for her? We talked about her favourite places in Oslo. Which bydel she likes the most and what is the “heart” of the bydel? This project is from my perspective as an immigrant, but I would love to know what other residents think, both long-time residents and other expats.

So dear readers, send me a message. Tell me what you think answering the following questions. You can contact me via email (leeanne.stoddart[at]hotmail.com), Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

  1. How long have you lived in Oslo?
  2. Which is your favourite bydel? (Check the link to Oslo Kommune’s maps or the Wikipedia list if you need to.)
  3. What is the “heart” of your favourite bydel?
  4. What are your top three favourite places in Oslo?
  5. What is the “heart” of Oslo for you? (Is it the same as number one on your favourite places list?)

– Leeanne

Throughout 2017 & 2018 poet and blogger Leeanne Stoddart will travel around Oslo searching for the heart of each borough. She will write blogs, take photos, and write poetry from each place she visits. You can trace the journey here, and follow @hverbydelharethjerte on Instagram. The blog posts will be in English, whilst the poetry is in Norwegian.