Norges Geografiske Oppmåling

Norges Geografiske Oppmåling stands at St. Olavs gate 32 in Oslo, within a historic district near the Royal Palace and Palace Park. Wilhelm von Hanno designed the complex, built between 1877 and 1880. The late neoclassical main building presents a symmetrical façade towards Nordraaks plass, with round corner towers and wings along two streets.

The institution began mapping Norway in 1773 for military purposes, then added maritime surveys in 1785. Those activities eventually led to a separate nautical charting organisation in 1932. The main building includes three garden wings, while a lower wing once housed a printing house. A detached annex served as a photographic studio, with a partly glazed roof providing the necessary light.

Akademihagen preserves gravel paths, lawns, flowerbeds, trees, and shrubs within a formal landscape shaped by the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Two granite columns remain as former measurement points, giving the garden a precise link to surveying. Parts of the property, including exteriors, interiors, and outdoor features, carry cultural heritage protection. Photographs from 1923 show the garden’s neo-baroque layout, which may date back to 1905.