All sorted. Pupils dilate, faces go pale. The wind whistles, the sun does its best – as does the agency team from Safari Adventures, who put the equipment on those brave enough to participate. Two ropes and one expert, who secures the participants from the ground. Four reluctant limbs and one reluctant owner: put the first leg over, then the other one, then it’s time to persuade the hands to let go and trust the ropes, abseiling down bottom first and pushing off. When you abseil from the top of Oslo’s famous Holmenkollen ski jumping hill, it’s a vertical drop of 65 metres. The view of the Oslofjord through the clear air is breathtaking.

The heart races, the blood beats in your ears – and before you know it you’ve landed in the snow. Oslo in the winter is enchanting, the days short, the atmosphere warm and festive. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually here on 10 December. On the evening before the ceremony last year, the Nobel Peace Prize Concert was held outdoors for the first time in front of the town hall, open to all. Previously it has always been a ticket-only affair.

The ceremony in the town hall on Nobel’s birthday in 2018 was very moving. The laureates were Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwege, who have fought extremely courageously for respect and rights for women. The evening torchlight parade for peace drew thousands. They marched to the Grand Hotel, where the laureates appeared before the crowd.

On the day after the ceremony, Oslo’s 31-year-old Vice-Mayor Kamzy Gunaratnam received Visit Oslo’s guests, who wanted to learn about what the Norwegian capital offers for meetings and incentives. The range is as diverse as it is unique, as elegant as it is down-to-earth, and as Norwegian as it is international. That applies in winter as well as summer, as the planners learned during a workshop in the Gammle Museet (“Old Museum”).

Three triangular structures, like outsized tents with corrugated roofs, draw the eye to the Color Line Magic, which is moored on the opposite bank. But the destination isn’t the ferry to Kiel. In brilliant sunshine, the tent-like Fram Museum transports you into the world of the Norwegian polar explorers Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Roald Amundsen. Fram and Gjøja, their proud ships, are fully accessible. Receptions for 150 can be held on deck. Museums on the peninsula of Bygdøy also offer space: the Kon-Tiki Museum, the Museum of Cultural History, the Viking Ship Museum and the Norwegian Maritime Museum.

Those inspired to take to the water by the courage of Norway’s explorers can contact, Norway Yacht Charter, which handles groups of 12 to 500 people all year round. “A great combination of nature, food and wine on traditional wooden schooners,” enthuses the owner, Kristian Qvigstad. In winter he provides blankets and mulled wine (gløg) to counteract the cold fresh air. “Do as the local companies!” he exhorts.

Oslo’s hospitality industry demonstrates great attention to detail and doesn’t shy away from the unusual: in the autumn of 2018, the restaurant Bygdøy Allé 3 opened with a bar and jazz club in the basement, offering 900 sq m of space for 500 guests on three floors. “It’s a bit scary opening such a large venue,” says Kim Søyland, one of the two owners. The renovation project took 17 months. The style is “classic, inspired by cool lobby bars and hotels in New York, Tokyo, London, Barcelona and Paris,” says Søyland.

Chitra House in Fornebu, 15 minutes from the centre of Oslo, offers no less international flair but on a smaller scale. This lovingly restored villa is ideal for closed meetings but also stand-up receptions for 500 guests when the garden (of almost a hectare) is used as well. The view of the Oslofjord is the cherry on a luxurious cake.

Vision has a major role to play in Oslo. One of the most important and sustained current construction projects is Fjord City around the new opera house. The plans take in 10 km of the city’s waterfront. The Bjørvika district will be fundamentally transformed. Dockyards, harbours and motorways are making way for residential and office buildings, parks, art and culture. Construction work has begun on a new public library. The new Edvard Munch museum Lambda will be opening in 2020.

Oslo also has ambitious goals and visions as a designated European Green Capital in 2019. Sustainable development is central to that: carbon emissions are to be reduced by 95 per cent by 2030. There is a big focus on sustainable construction. In an effort to motivate Oslo’s 680,000 people, the city has brought 190 partners on board and is planning over 350 Green Capital events.
A number of venues offer fantastic views, including the Scandic Holmenkollen Park Hotel near the ski jumping hill or the Summit Bar of the Radisson Blue Scandinavia in the centre. The Nobel Peace Prize Forum offers a view of the harbour as well as insights into the courageous efforts of the laureates.

On a side note: for the prize 2019, the young courageous climate activist Greta Thunberg has been nominated.