The People's Park Hovedøya

Now we're passing "Disney Norway." Check out the enormous roller coasters, pools, and water slides. This is, of course, just nonsense, but it could have been a small reality if Oslo's politicians had the money and got their way. In fact, the plans for an amusement park went so far that the Oslo municipality quietly established a boat route here in 1963 to Hovedøya called "Folkeparken Hovedøya" (The People's Park Hovedøya). Not many people noticed, but, of course, a Swede took the bait. After all, public parks or "Folkepark" in Sweden are something else than public parks in Norway. A "Folkepark" in Sweeden is more like an amusement park. The Swede was, of course, "disappointed." There were a few trees, some open paths, but otherwise, the island was closed as before to the Norwegian defense. No carousels, no roller coasters, and no kiosks. He couldn't even get a coffee. Oslo City Council decided in 1954 that Hovedøya should become Oslo's new People's Park, and a bridge should be built from the city center to the island. The costs and consequences for boat traffic eventually became too much, and the project was eventually discontinued, but only after 1963.