Oslo City Hall, the administrative heart of Norway's capital, is a red brick giant that took 19 years to build. Construction began in 1931 and was interrupted by the Second World War, opening finally in 1950. Its two towers dominate the harbour skyline, and the right tower holds 49 bells that chime every hour, playing whatever song happens to be popular in Norway at the time.

The hall is also where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded each December. Designed by Magnus Poulsson and Arnstein Arneberg, it stands as a symbol of civic pride for a nation that only elected its own king in 1905.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours of Oslo use City Hall as the starting point for tracing the city's transformation from a Danish-ruled capital called Christiania into the outward-looking city it is today, connecting the building's wartime delays to Norway's occupation and its postwar Nobel role.