Norwegians put up monuments everywhere, there are many of them in Oslo, and it is good when there is a sensible reason for erecting a monument. The fountain with a giant glove in the old quarter of Oslo is precisely one of those landmarks whose appearance has its own interesting story.
According to legend, King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway, after yet another fire that burned Oslo to the ground in 1624, threw down his glove and ordered a new city to be built on that spot, located closer to the Akershus fortress that had survived the fire, which was promptly carried out.
The city was named Christiania (or Kristiania), in honor of you-know-who. Having learned from their mistakes, the architects built entirely stone buildings, since after regular fires everyone was tired of rebuilding wooden houses from the ashes. The streets turned out straight, intersecting at right angles, which is why the oldest quarter of Oslo, where Christiania was located, is now called the “square” one – Kvadraturen.
The Glove monument was installed in Kristiania-torv square in 1997 – it is the work of local artist and sculptor Wenche Gulbransen. The fountain with the Glove is very popular with tourists and often makes lists of the world's most unusual monuments.
