Norway

Originally built in the 13th-century, this medieval castle and fortress in the Norwegian capital of Oslo was designed to protect the city and provide a royal residence for the family of the King of Norway. The castle tower and part of the cathedral are replicated in Epcot’s Noway Pavilion as the exterior for Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, which also takes its name from the real-life location meaning “the (fortified) house of (the district) Aker”. The buildings and design of these grounds served as part of the inspiration for the design of Arendelle’s Castle in Frozen (2013). You can see the similarities on the brick fortress walls, the sloped roofs, and the round, green towers. Today, this fort is open to the public as a park and contains a series of museums detailing the history of the grounds as well as Noway’s military history. Address: 0150 Oslo, Norway Visitor Information: Akershus Festning

Located on the eastern side of Bergen’s Vågen harbor, Bryggen’s historic district of buildings dating back to the 14th century is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The row of colorful dockside buildings inspired part of the facade to Epcot’s The Fjording, a souvenir shop in the Norway Pavilion. The area is also said to have been the inspiration for the seaside village of Arendelle in the Frozen franchise. This location is mentioned in our blog post: A Perfect Disney Day In Bergen, Norway Address: Bryggen, 5003 Bergen, Norway Visitor Information: Visit Bergen

Named for its location 1,222 meters above sea level, the Finse 1222 is a full service hotel in the remote and tiny village of Finse, Norway. The town, only reachable by train or on foot, is the gateway to the spectacular Hardangerjøkulen glacier, known to locals as Hoth as it was the primary filming location for the 1980 classic, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. In 1979, cast and crew stayed at this hotel while filming scenes on the glacier, in the nearby valley, and in the immediate area on the back side of the hotel when snowfall was too intense to shoot further away. “If you turn the cameras around from that scene, there’s people out on their balcony sipping cocoa watching us” – Mark Hamill The hotel’s lobby has a display of Star Wars related memorabilia including a screen-used Rebel Trooper hat and a copy of The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. A room on the second floor houses a small museum displaying production photos and local news-clippings related to the filming of The Empire Strikes Back in Finse. A full-sized replica Snowtrooper costume is also on display and makes for a great […]

Fløyen or Fløyfjellet is a mountain in the Norwegian city of Bergen, offering great hiking, dining, and other activities. You can reach a viewpoint over 1,000 feet up (320 meters) the mountain by taking a funicular system called Fløibanen or by hiking up the designated path. Just behind the upper Fløibanen station, find a giant troll statue near the playground. This troll is a duplicate of the one found in Epcot’s The Fjording shop. This location is mentioned in our blog post: A Perfect Disney Day In Bergen, Norway Address: Fløyfjellet, 5014 Bergen, Norway Visitor Information: Fløibanen AS

This statue of world-famous champion marathoner Grete Waitz was originally sculpted in 1984 by Norwegian artist Nils Aas. The statue was first installed here, outside of Bislett Stadium, in Waitz’s hometown of Oslo, Norway. Later, a copy of the statue was presented to Walt Disney World to honor Waitz’s lifelong career, where it still stands (err, runs?) today in Epcot’s Norway Pavilion, near the Stave Church Gallery. Address: Corner of Louises gate and Sofies gate, 0168 Oslo, Norway Visitor Information: Located at the northeast entrance to Bislett Stadium (website available only in Norwegian)

Haakon’s Hall (or Håkonshallen in Norwegian) is a building within the Bergenhus Fortress castle complex, one of the oldest and best-preserved fortresses in Norway. This 13th-century medieval stone hall, built during the reign of its namesake, King Håkon Håkonsson, is the design inspiration for the facade entrance to Frozen Ever After, the attraction that replaced Maelstrom in Epcot’s Norway Pavilion. This location is mentioned in our blog post: A Perfect Disney Day In Bergen, Norway Address: Bergenhus 10, 5003 Bergen, Norway Visitor Information: Bergen City Museum

In March 1979, the cast and crew of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) traveled to Finse, Norway to film scenes in and around the Hardangerjøkulen (Hardanger Glacier). These scenes were for the battle on ice planet Hoth, with a majority of the on-the-ground battle footage being filmed on the glacier itself. The cast and crew stayed at the nearby Finse 1222 hotel, which currently has a small museum devoted to the production and hosts an annual fan event. An area near the south edge of Finsevatnet lake was where filming took place for the scene where Luke grapples to an AT-AT in order to drop a thermal detonator inside. A stuntman hung from a helicopter in order to get the footage. Heading further south, near a ridge, is the probot droid landing site and the landscape for a scene where the Imperial AT-AT Walkers first approach the Rebels. Heading a bit more east, is the area where a matte painting of the Rebel’s Echo Base entrance was superimposed on top of footage that was filmed here. Near this area is the location where Han destroys the probot from behind a rock. Although due to erosion, the whereabouts of […]

Norway’s UNESCO world heritage listed Nærøyfjord is among the deepest and longest fjord (an inlet of the sea between high cliffs) in the world. Its vast beauty and seaside villages inspired filmmakers when designing the scenery for the Kingdom of Arendelle, home to Anna, Elsa, Olaf and the rest of the gang from the Frozen film franchise. This location is mentioned in our blog post: A Perfect Disney Day In Bergen, Norway Address: Nærøyfjord, Aurland, Norway Visitor Information: Visit Norway

The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History (Norsk Folkemuseum) is a museum in Oslo, Norway. Among its collection of artifacts is the original Stave Church from Gol, built in the 1200s and relocated here in 1884. If the church may look familiar, it’s because there’s a 4/5th scale replica in Epcot’s Norway Pavilion. Besides the size, the only major difference from the two is the lack of crosses on the outside of Epcot’s version. The museum also houses a number of items related to Norway’s culture that may remind you of Disney. Some examples in the photos below include a traditional bunad (folk costume) similar to the ones worn by cast members in the Epcot’s Norway pavilion, a Sven-like reindeer shown transporting goods, and a building with a grass-covered sod-roof, similar to the one atop Epcot’s Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe. Address: Museumsveien 10, 0287 Oslo, Norway Visitor Information: Norsk Folkemuseum

The lush interior of Oslo’s Scandic Holmenkollen Park Hotel provided Imagineers with the styling for the interior of Epcot’s Meet Anna and Elsa at Royal Sommerhus. You can see the influence, particularly in the intricately carved banisters seen along the queue of the attraction. Address: Kongeveien 26, 0787 Oslo, Norway Visitor Information: Scandic Holmenkollen Park

St. Olaf’s Church is a stave church (similar in design to Epcot’s stave church) in the Norwegian village of Balestrand. The interior of this 1897 Church of England was the inspiration for the design of the chapel in Frozen (2013) where Elsa is crowned Queen of Arendelle. The name Olaf may also have inspired the beloved character’s name, though it is a fairly common Scandanavian name. The church is still in operation but is open to the public for visits. Address: Kong Beles veg 35, 6899 Balestrand, Norway Visitor Information: VisitNorway.com

Sverresborg Trøndelag Folkemuseum is an open-air museum in Trøndelag, Norway showcasing the region’s unique building styles and other artifacts of the area. One of the cabins on display, the Detli House (built in 1817), was the inspiration for the facade of Anna and Elsa’s Royal Sommerhus in Epcot. Address: Sverresborg Alle 13, 7020 Trondheim, Norway Visitor Information: Sverresborg Trøndelag Folkemuseum