During the recent visit of the Danish royal couple to Norway, they were met with a range of cultural and architectural experiences that highlighted sustainability and community. The visit, which is part of their first official state visit as a royal couple, culminated in a city tour in Oslo’s newly developed district, Bjørvika. King Frederik and Queen Mary, along with Norwegian Queen Sonja and Crown Prince couple Haakon and Mette-Marit, were entertained by a sauna choir dressed in candy-striped swimsuits, a tribute to 1930s fashion, at one of the newer saunas in the area. This was just one of many stops on their tour through Bjørvika, where they also visited the residential project Vannkunsten, designed by the Danish architectural firm Tegnestuen Vandkunsten. The project is an example of modern, sustainable architecture and consists of nine houses with a total of 215 apartments, all oriented around small canals leading out to the harbor.
The transformation of Bjørvika from a bustling container port to a thriving residential area and cultural hub was highlighted as a leading example of sustainable urban development. Previously dominated by a major highway and container traffic, the area is now home to cafes and housing along the waterfront, with the highway being moved underground to create more space for public areas. The visit concluded at the Oslo Opera House, where both the Copenhagen Boys’ Choir and the Opera’s children’s choir were ready to give a joint concert for the royal guests. After the concert, the royal guests returned to the royal yacht “Dannebrog”, where a farewell event was arranged in honor of the Norwegian royal couple.
This state visit marks the beginning of a series of official visits that the royal couple will make in the near future, with planned trips to both the Faroe Islands and Greenland later this month. These visits underscore the royal couple’s commitment to strengthening Nordic relations and promoting sustainable initiatives within the region.