Oslo Opera House

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The Oslo Opera House is the national opera house of Norway and the home of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet. It stands in the Bjørvika neighborhood of central Oslo, right at the head of the Oslofjord. Its sloping white surfaces are covered with white Carrara marble from Italy and white granite, so the building looks as if it is rising out of the water like an iceberg.

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At a glance

Country: Norway
Location: Oslo, Norway
Built: 2008
Height: 50 m
Type: Theatre

Quick answers

Where is Oslo Opera House?

Oslo Opera House is in Oslo, Norway.

When was Oslo Opera House built?

Oslo Opera House was built in 2008.

How tall is Oslo Opera House?

Oslo Opera House is about 50 m tall.

Norway's national opera house, whose white marble roof slopes down into the Oslo Fjord like an iceberg.

Inside are about 1,100 rooms in a total area of 49,000 square meters. The main hall seats 1,364 people, and two smaller halls seat 200 and 400. It is the largest cultural building built in Norway since Nidaros Cathedral was finished around the year 1300. It opened in 2008 and won the 2009 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture. The globe shows its white sloping shape reaching into the fjord.

A roof you can climb

The angled outer surfaces slope down to the water, and visitors are allowed to walk up them to the top. From there you can look out over the fjord and the city. This makes the building feel like a public square as well as a theater.

The lobby has windows 15 metres tall with very thin frames, so you can see the water. Inside, oak covers many surfaces to bring warmth against the cool white outside.

How it was built

In 1999, after a long debate, the Norwegian parliament decided to build a new opera house. A competition drew 350 entries, and the architects Snøhetta won. Building ran from 2003 to 2007, ahead of schedule and about 300 million kroner under its budget of 4.4 billion.

The gala opening on 12 April 2008 was attended by King Harald. The stage tower is covered in white aluminium in a pattern that recalls old weaving.

Art inside and out

Monica Bonvicini's sculpture She Lies, made of steel and glass panels, floats on the fjord beside the building and moves with tides and wind. A perforated wall by Olafur Eliasson hides roof supports and, lit from behind, looks like melting ice.

Artist Pae White made the main stage curtain by scanning a crumpled piece of foil and having a loom weave it in wool, cotton and polyester. It is 23 metres wide and 11 metres tall. The main stage is 16 metres wide and 40 metres deep, and the horseshoe-shaped hall has a chandelier of 5,800 handmade crystals.

Fun facts

Visitors can walk right up its sloping marble roof.
It is the largest cultural building built in Norway in about 700 years.
The main auditorium has 1,364 seats.
The stage curtain looks like crumpled aluminum foil, but it is woven from wool, cotton and polyester.