Opera house, Performing arts theater, Tourist attraction
Oslo Opera House
Snøhetta designed this home of the Norwegian Opera & Ballet so that anyone can walk up its sloping white Carrara marble roof, which rises from Oslo Fjord to views over the harbour and city.
The story
Inside, a light foyer meets a large, undulating oak wall that hides three performance halls. The Main Stage, lined with dark golden woodwork shaped by acoustic needs, works almost like an outsized wooden instrument, alongside the smaller Second Stage and the Studio. Through big glass windows, passers-by can watch the scene painting room, sewing room and hat and mask section at work. Art is built into the fabric of the house: Pae White's stage curtain Metafoil, Olafur Eliasson's lit installations The Other Wall in the foyer wardrobe area, and Monica Bonvicini's sculpture She Lies, anchored in the harbour outside. The seafood restaurant Havsmak and Brasserie Opera serve lunch and dinner, with outdoor seating looking over the fjord in summer.
Good to know
TAGGG AI- ✦Walking up the roof and exploring the foyer are free, and the climb is especially rewarding at sunset over the fjord.
- ✦On Sundays a bachata and salsa group dances on the roof, and anyone can join in for free.
- ✦It is an easy walk from Oslo Central Station and Karl Johans gate, right next to the Munch Museum.