Oslo, Norway: City Hall

City Hall looks very impressive on 364 days (365 in leap years). It has a twin-tower construction, with some lovely art work at the main entrance. The back side looks out on the waterfront.

The lobby is particularly well done. There are murals in the hall, dedicated to the time between the World Wars and the occupation period during World War II. 

Still, there's one day a year where the place looks especially good. It is on December 10, when the Nobel Peace Prize is handed out. As you'd expect, the place is fixed up quite nicely. After all, the Royal Family and Prime Minister turn out for the occasion. 

You probably haven't heard of many of the recent winners, which includes individuals and organizations. Barack Obama was something of a surprise choice in 2009. Jimmy Carter, Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, Elie Wiesel, Lech Walesa, Mother Teresa, Dr. Martin Luther King, and Albert Schweitzer are among the winners. That's pretty good company.

You can see the lobby during a visit, but the rest of the place was closed to tourists during our visit. It is a working office building, so that makes sense.