Oslo

Oslo has a spectacular setting at the head of a 110km (70mile) long fjord. It is the oldest Scandinavian capital, founded by the 11th century Norwegian king, Harald Hdrda, who established it on the site of an earlier Viking settlement, in or around 1050. Following the building of the imposing castle and fortress of Akershus Slott, by Hkon V Magnusson, in the late 13th century, Oslos importance grew and it developed into a major trading centre, dealing primarily with Germany and Central Europe.