Bærum Town Hall (Bærum Rådhus)
Since 1837, Sandvika has been Bærum's political and administrative center and previously the manor house in Løkkåsveien. Architect Magnus Poulsson's vision was that Sandvika would become a "white city". The town hall, Brambanigården, Budstikkagården and Sandvika cinema (today Sandvika theatre) were designed in line with that intention.
The first stage of construction of the town hall was built in 1927 with the east wing and the bell tower, and in the period 1958–62 the wings facing the sea and the Sandvik river were built around the courtyard, which has a municipal council hall, chairman's hall, wedding room and banquet hall. It was a challenge for the architects of the time to create functional symbolic buildings with a modern Norwegian expression, and Poulsson drew inspiration on a trip to northern Italy.
The town hall is built of whitewashed brick with ornaments in finely hewn stone and wrought iron. The ornamentation has its models in medieval Gothic, has bell towers in neo-Gothic style. The carillon in the City Hall was built in 1974 and consists of 25 bells. The theme song is written by the composer Geirr Tveit and is played every hour.
Outside the town hall are the fountain The Elements (1959-64) and the equestrian statue Friheten (1949-53), both by Arnold Haukeland.
Architect Magnus Poulsson (1881-1958)
Magnus Poulsson is considered one of the country's most prominent architects in the first half of the 1900s. Several major assignments such as Oslo City Hall were carried out together with his friend Arnstein Arneberg. His work ranges from simple workers' homes and grand villas to commercial buildings and churches. At Lysaker and Fornebu you will find several of Poulsson's villas as well as Oksenøen Bruk.
Source: Bærum Municipality
Members of Visit Greater Oslo
Source: Visit Greater Oslo
Bærum Town Hall (Bærum Rådhus)