The Supreme Court Building

In 1895, the Storting granted funds for the erection of a Justice Building in Kristiania (now Oslo). The building was to house all three court instances: the District Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. An architectural competition was announced, and in March 23 entries had been received. Awards were granted for the three best entries. 

After the deadline had expired, a late entry arrived by ship from Bergen. The competition had also caught the interest of the young architect Hans Jakob Sparre. His entry was so well received that the three other winning entries were set aside.

Italian Neo-Renaissance

The building is a monumental Italian Neo-Renaissance structure. Architect Sparre's idea was a horizontal functional division corresponding to the three court levels. The courtrooms were built on separate floors and designed with both dignity and grandeur.  

The lot was long and narrow. This presented some architectural challenges to which Mr. Sparre found elegant solutions. 

The Supreme Court only since 1996

In 1996, the Supreme Court took over the entire building. The building, which took the name of the Supree Court Building, holds a high architectural quality through an through, all the way down to specially designed furniture and lamps. In connection with the takeover, extensive reburshing work was carried out during the period 1994-1995. 

In 2014, the Supreme Court Building was litsed as a cultural monument. The listing includes the interior and parts of its exterior, as well as furniture and fixtures designed to fit the building.