*Balls and Boobs Alert* Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo

Balls, boobs, dicks and fannies – I’ve never seen so many in one park, or ever, and in so many graphic positions as well. Our fellow visitors to Vigeland were somewhere on the spectrum of thrusting their crotches against the granite bums with their friend snapping away on the camera, to walking around with a stern face – far too mature to laugh at some dangling balls or grannies getting jiggy with each other.

We were somewhere in between, although a little closer to thrusting rather than maturity. As you can see from this delightful picture – notice how I’m taking pictures of beautiful scenery, not bumholes like someone.

We spent about three hours checking out the Vigeland Sculpture Park talent, all 212 naked let-it-all-out sculptures carved from bronze, granite and wrought iron of it.

Way back in 1939 Mr Gustav Vigeland carefully modelled every single life-size statue himself before a team of carvers and casters stepped in to finish off his visions. I decided that although we obviously never met, this one with crazy hair is based on me.

It took good old Gustav 10 years to craft and place the sculptures along the main gate, the fountain, the monolith plateau and the wheel of life – not sure how he managed to stay out of the war effort, but after 40 years of hard graft he created a lovely park, so let’s not worry about the details.

Now the Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo is the largest sculpture park in the world.

The Fountain

The fountain shows the circle of life, from cradle to grave and to cradle again. See the clusters of trees? Each one represents a different stage of life.  After the group with skeletons there’s a tree full of children and you go back around again.

The Bridge

The bridge leading into it 100m long and 15m wide with 58 sculptures flanking it.

As you get on the bridge you’ll also see the four tall granite columns with humans fighting lizards on top. They’re a real contrast to the carefree naked fun of the rest of the park. The demons are overpowering the humans.

The famous Sinnataggen is here. Better known in English as ‘the little Angry Boy’ the left hand is gold polished from people rubbing it for luck as they go by. In 1992 the Sinnataggen went missing – sliced clean from his marker. At that time no one used to visit the park, but of course, everyone was outraged that someone would take what belonged to the city.

It was returned, but the coverage reminded Oslo that the park was there and that they should make the most of it.

The Monolith took three stone carvers 14 years to finish. There are 121 figures on it, all entangled in each other.  You can see the detail in the first picture above – just behind the ‘Naughty Grannies’ as I like to call them.

Just beyond the Monolith you’ll see the amazing Wheel of Life, firmly cementing Gustav’s concept behind the Vigeland Sculpture Park of the circle of life.

Vigeland Sculpture Park in the huge Frogner Park, Oslo, is free to enter and open year round – arr yes.

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