Tjuvtitten, Observation tower in Oslo, Norway
Tjuvtitten is a glass and metal lookout tower on Albert Nordengens plass in the Tjuvholmen district of Oslo. A glass elevator rides inside a white structural framework, reaching a viewing point high above the surrounding brick and glass buildings.
The tower opened in 2012, built as part of the redevelopment of Tjuvholmen alongside the new Astrup Fearnley Museum. It was designed by the firms Narud Stokke Wiig and K. Ramstad, not by Renzo Piano, even though Piano's original drawings for the museum area included a tower.
The name Tjuvtitten came from a naming competition won by five pupils at Rosenholm school. That everyday origin fits the casual way people pause here on their way between the Astrup Fearnley Museum and the waterfront, using the tower as a visual marker rather than a destination in itself.
Visitors ride a glass elevator up and down without stepping out at the top, so the whole trip is quick and enclosed. It works best in clear weather, when the harbor, fortress, and surrounding hills are easy to pick out.
The working title for the project was Icon Tower, but it became Tjuvtitten after the school competition. Oslo's mayor joked that he was offended nobody had proposed Fabians stang, a local nickname with a very different feel.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
