Topcamp Ekeberg Oslo’s History
Did you know that Ekeberg is where Oslo’s history begins?
Oslo’s history actually started right here at Ekeberg! Just below Topcamp Ekeberg, traces of the very first settlement in the Oslo area have been found, dating all the way back to around 8,400 BC.
Why did people live so high up on the hillside? Well, they actually didn’t – but during the last Ice Age, massive sheets of ice pushed the land down. When the ice melted, the land gradually rose again, which is why the oldest traces are now found high up in the terrain.
At Ekeberg main farm, remains of 3,000-year-old house foundations have been discovered, and in the Ekeberg slope southeast of the Maritime School, a rock carving site was uncovered in 1915 with Stone Age carvings dating back 5,000–6,000 years – in fact, Oslo’s oldest ancient monument and the only registered hunting carvings in the Oslo region.
Local history says that Ekebergsletta was proposed as a protected green area as early as 1580, so this is truly an area that has always had meaning for the people living in Oslo.
