Hamar

Recently, I took a great trip to Hamar, 120 kilometers north of Oslo, to visit the Hedmarksmuseet and Domkirkeodden - the Hedmark museum and Hamar cathedral ruins. I have been dreaming of visiting the Hedmark museum for a long time. The medieval museum, renovated and added to by the fabulous Norwegian architect Sverre Fehn, is by far one of the most beautiful works of architecture I have ever visited. Fehn contrasted the existing stone structures of the medieval ruins in a beautiful mix of concrete, wood and glass. Also, nearby is a large glass and steel structure by architect Kjell Lund to house the ruins of Hamar's medieval cathedral. There is so much to see on this site and within the museum I was a bit overwhelmed- I will add more later, but wanted to share some photos up of the trip.

Domkirkeodden

Before leaving Hamar, we stopped at the Town Hall, designed by Oslo firm Snøhetta. At 8500m2 the Town Hall houses the council chambers, administrative functions, a public vestibule, cafe and small health center. The building is arranged diagonally across the square city block, creating public plazas open to the street. The building seems to be trying to combine too many forms and lacks any cohesive strategy. However, the triangular piece on the north (below), a new interpretation on the bell tower, is quite beautiful. The tower is clad in metal that resonates and projects the bell across the area.

(Image from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hamar_city_hall_S.jpg)

On the walk to the Hedmark Museum we follow the coast of the beautiful lake Mjøsa.