Vigilandpark or as Norwagians call it Vigelandsparken is a must-see in Oslo. It is one of Norway’s and of Oslo’s most important tourist spots. I was never aware of existence of such a park where one man single handedly modeled all the statues standing in that park. His name is Gustav Vigeland. The park is named after the sculptor. He started the work in the year 1924 and continued till his death. The construction of the park lasted for a number of years. There are 212 sculptures depicting humanity in all forms and are positioned along the main path which goes right through the centre of the park. All his sculptures are in full size and are naked and he made them out of clay without any assistance of pupils or other artists. However the sculptures before being put out on display in the park were caste in bronze but this work was not done by Vigeland, but by other number of talented craftsmen. Those who visit the park may see the original full-size plaster casts of the sculptures in bronze and granite in the nearby museum which is situated to the south of the park.
The main sight in the park is the Monolith which is located on a stepped plinth surrounded by groups of figures which were just amazing. The Monolith is 17m high and has 121 human figures surrounding it. On the plinth at the base, there are 36 groups of granite figures showing cycles of life and relationships.
After one sees the park he cannot but agree with what the sculptor said : “I was a sculptor before I was born. There was no other path, and no matter how hard I might have tried to find one, I would have been forced back. Gustav Vigeland