Slottsplassen, Square in Oslo, Norway

Slottsplassen is a large open square in Oslo, Norway, set directly in front of the Royal Palace and shaped by a neoclassical layout with rows of windows and white columns. The stone surface slopes softly upward toward the palace, while the bronze rider on his horse stands between the columns and visitors cross the wide paving alone or in pairs.

The ground was prepared as part of the palace project in the 1820s, though the palace itself was not finished until 1849. In 1875, the bronze horseman of Karl Johan was placed at the center, and the whole area later received a more stable gravel surface in 2013.

From late May to mid-July, the guard parade starts at Akershus Fortress and moves up the main street with a military band before the changing ceremony on the square. During this time, musicians and mounted police cross the open ground, and many onlookers gather near the center to follow the rhythm of the drill.

The square is fully open to pedestrians, with smooth paths that make moving around easier for wheelchairs and strollers. You can reach it by walking up from the start of Karl Johans gate, and the open space allows you to choose any point along the front for viewing the palace and the statue.

An inscription on the statue reads “Folkets kjærlighed min belönning”, meaning “The people’s love is my reward”. On the other side, a second line says that the Norwegian people raised this memorial, a detail that is easy to miss while looking up at the rider.