Frogner hovedgård

Frogner hovedgård stands in Oslo as a manor house and former estate within Frogner Park. The estate gave its name to the surrounding Frogner borough. Its buildings date from the eighteenth century and house the Oslo City Museum. An older log house forms the core of the main building. Major Hans Jacob Scheel developed the house around the mid-eighteenth century. He added timber framing, brick, plaster and a central wall dormer to shape its formal appearance. Bernt Anker later extended the building for summer gatherings and a large ballroom. The manor reached its present length through these symmetrical additions. Over time, religious institutions, officials, merchants and wealthy families owned the estate. Oslo acquired the property as the city expanded, preserving the manor and creating a public park. The restored house now presents exhibitions about Oslo’s history and development. Frogner Park also contains the Vigeland sculpture installation at its centre. The park preserves the estate’s landscape while connecting the manor with Oslo’s urban history. Frognerseteren and parts of the Nordmarka forest once belonged to the same estate. Frogner hovedgård therefore records a change from agricultural land to manor, museum and public park.