If you find yourself walking around in the inner city of Oslo, you’ll suddenly stumble upon a little square. This square is called Bankplassen, translating to The Bank Square.
The square got its name from the bank Norges Bank, which used to be located at 3 Bankplassen (where you’ll now find the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design). Besides the museum, you will find the famous Engebret Café on this square. In 2007, it celebrated its 150th anniversary. Once upon a time, both Edvard Munch and Henrik Ibsen had regular tables here. One of the reasons Bankplassen was such a famous square can be explained by the theatre that used to be located here in the 1800s – Christiania Theatre. It was mainly because of the theatre that the café opened once; the theatre community that bloomed here demanded a café for the actors to hang out.
Today Bankplassen is a reasonably calm square, but it’s still worth a visit not only for the history that lies on the cobblestones here but for the beautiful houses that originate from the past. Here is a map of the The Bank Square (Bankplassen) in Oslo.
