Stortorvet is a square in Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

, located west of Oslo Cathedral

Oslo Cathedral

Oslo Cathedral — formerly Our Savior's Church — is the main church for the Oslo bishopric of the Church of Norway, as well as the parish church for downtown Oslo. The present building dates from 1694-1697....

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It was officially inaugurated during the autarchic times, in 1736. A town market was held here until 1889. Marketing still exists, but has largely been moved to Youngstorget

Youngstorget

Youngstorget is a square and marketplace in Oslo, Norway.It is located on the street Torggata, between Storgata and Møllergata. The square was traditionally used as a market place for trade with agricultural produce. It is named for merchant Jørgen Young . It was named Nytorvet in 1852, which was...

. The building that houses the restaurant Stortorvets Gjæstgiveri is a Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site

Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage

The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage is a government agency responsible for the management of cultural heritage in Norway. Subordinate the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment, it manages the Cultural Heritage Act of June 9, 1978....

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The square became an important hub for public transportation with the introduction of the tramway

History of the Oslo Tramway and Metro

The history of the Oslo Tramway and Oslo Metro in Oslo , Norway, starts in 1875, when Kristiania Sporveisselskab opened two horsecar lines through the city centre. In 1894, Kristiania Elektriske Sporvei built the first electric street tramways, which ran west from the city centre. Within six...

. A balloon loop

Balloon loop

A balloon loop or turning loop allows a rail vehicle or train to reverse direction without having to shunt or even stop. Balloon loops can be useful for passenger trains and unit freight trains, such as coal trains....

 for the Ekeberg Line

Ekeberg Line

The Ekeberg Line is a long light rail line of the Oslo Tramway which runs from Gamlebyen to Ljabru in Oslo, Norway. Operated by lines 18 and 19, it serves the area of Nordstarand and the neighborhoods of Ekeberg, Jomfrubråten, Bekkelaget and Ljan. The line is operated by Oslo Sporvognsdrift using...

 was located here until the 1960s. Stortorvet is still served by a station on the Oslo Tramway—Stortorvet

Stortorvet (station)

Stortorvet is a station on the Oslo Tramway in Oslo, Norway. The station is located on the square Stortorvet in the city centre.It is served by the lines 11, 17 and 18. In 2009, it was decided to improve the square, the station and the tram tracks in the street.-References:...

—as well as buses.

The so-called Battle of the Square

Battle of the Square

The Battle of the Square was a skirmish between Norwegian demonstrators and forces of the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway that that took place in Christiania in the evening of 17 May 1829....

took place here in 1829.