- Bjørvika means originally “City bay” and the area has always played a vital part in the development of Oslo since its foundation under the Ekeberg hillside some 1000 years ago.
- King Christian IV decided to move the city to the other side of the bay after the big city fire in the year 1624. However the small port continued to be an important feature in the city due to trade of fish and timber.
- The opening of the railroad to Eidsvoll in 1854 created the first man-made barrier between the city and the seaside. In the year 1860, Nylands Mechanical Workshop and Factory was established at the estuary of the Aker River. The factory was only shut down in 1971.
- With the ongoing development of Bjørvika, the area will again become an epicentre of Oslo.
