The Tiger

You’re now standing in front of Oslo’s Central Station, right in the heart of the capital, facing one of its most photographed landmarks: the famous tiger. This 4.5-meter-long bronze statue was a gift to the city in the year 2000 from a real estate group, in celebration of Oslo’s first millennium. New York has its Wall Street bull, and now, Oslo has its Central Station tiger, along with a brand-new official nickname. But the connection between Oslo and the tiger actually goes back much further. It originates from an 1870 poem by Norwegian author Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, the same man who wrote the country’s national anthem. In the poem, a horse symbolizing the calm of the countryside faces off against a tiger, a fierce and threatening figure of the big city. At the time, the tiger stood for Oslo itself, seen as cold, ruthless, and politically unstable, still under Sweden’s influence. Over time, the nickname lost its negative meaning. Today, the tiger has become a bold and beloved icon, standing proudly in the station square.