Oslo’s Stone Age Secret: The Ekeberg Rock Carvings Hiding in Plain Sight
Oslo is famous for art. Visitors come to see Edvard Munch’s The Scream, the sculptures of Gustav Vigeland, the enormous National Museum, and the striking contemporary architecture along the waterfront.
But some of the most remarkable art in Oslo was created thousands of years before any of them.
On the hillside at Ekeberg, just outside central Oslo, a small group of Stone Age rock carvings survives in the open air. Known as the Ekeberg Rock Carvings, these prehistoric images are easy to overlook, yet they provide an extraordinary connection to people who lived around the Oslofjord thousands of years ago.
If you are searching for unusual things to do in Oslo, the Ekeberg Rock Carvings belong on the list.
What Are the Ekeberg Rock Carvings?
The Ekeberg Rock Carvings are a collection of 13 prehistoric figures carved into exposed rock near what is now Kongshavn upper secondary school. Ten of the figures depict animals. There is also a human-like figure, a bird-like figure, and another shape that may represent some type of animal trap.
They were created during the Stone Age by people who survived by hunting, fishing, and gathering. Archaeologists have also found traces of settlements, tools, flint fragments, and other evidence of early human activity in the Ekeberg area.
What the carvings actually meant is less certain.
Were they simply representations of animals important to the hunters who lived here? Did they tell stories? Were they connected with hunting rituals or beliefs? Archaeologists cannot say with certainty, and Ekebergparken itself cautions against assuming that we know exactly why they were created.
That mystery makes them even more interesting.
Thousands of Years Before The Scream
There is a wonderful irony to finding prehistoric art at Ekeberg.
Today, Oslo is one of Europe’s great destinations for art lovers. The Munch Museum and National Museum attract visitors from around the world, while the famous Vigeland Sculpture Park contains more than 200 sculptures.
Yet long before Oslo existed as a city, someone stood on the Ekeberg hillside and carved pictures into rock.
Think about that for a moment.
The person who created these images could not have imagined Oslo’s Opera House, trams, cruise ships, skyscrapers, museums, or restaurants. The landscape itself looked different. As the glaciers from the last Ice Age disappeared, the land around Oslo gradually rose, and areas that are well above the water today were once much closer to the shoreline.
The carvings are therefore more than ancient pictures. They are evidence of a completely different Oslo.
That is one reason we believe travelers should occasionally venture beyond the standard checklist of the best things to do in Oslo.
Some of the city’s best stories are not found inside its biggest museums.
Why Are There Rock Carvings at Ekeberg?
Location probably mattered.
Stone Age communities in this part of Norway depended heavily upon fishing, hunting, gathering, and access to water. Ekeberg would have provided resources, shelter, and views over an environment that was very different from the modern city below.
Archaeologists have found evidence of several Stone Age settlements and camps in the area. They have also found later burial mounds, cup marks carved into stone, and evidence of agriculture, making Ekeberg one of the most historically layered areas of Oslo.
The prehistoric carvings are therefore not an isolated curiosity.
They are part of a landscape that people have been using for thousands of years.
The Ekeberg Rock Carvings Were Almost Hiding in Plain Sight
Another part of the story that makes the Ekeberg Rock Carvings in Oslo so appealing is that they are not some recently constructed tourist attraction.
The carvings were rediscovered in 1915 in an area known as Familiedalen, near the building that today houses Kongshavn upper secondary school. Later archaeological work revealed that Ekeberg contained even more evidence of prehistoric and ancient activity than previously realized.
Today they remain a remarkably understated attraction.
There are no enormous entrance gates. There is no massive tour-bus parking lot. And you certainly will not encounter the kind of crowds found at Oslo’s major museums.
You have to know they are there.
And that is precisely what makes them fun to find.
Combine the Rock Carvings with Ekebergparken
Don't make the trip to Ekeberg solely to look at the carvings and immediately return downtown.
The surrounding Ekebergparken Sculpture Park is an attraction in its own right. The hillside combines contemporary sculpture, woodland trails, cultural history, and sweeping views toward central Oslo and the Oslofjord. The park includes works by internationally known artists and is free to visit.
The juxtaposition is remarkable.
At Ekeberg you can encounter prehistoric rock art and contemporary art during the same walk.
One artist has even made that connection deliberately. American artist Jenny Holzer created Cliff Sappho by carving text from the ancient Greek poet Sappho into rocks at Ekeberg. Ekebergparken says Holzer was inspired in part by the Stone Age carvings and the cultural history of the site.
So Ekeberg is not simply a place with an old rock carving.
It is a landscape where people have continued leaving artistic marks on stone across thousands of years.
How to Visit Ekeberg from Central Oslo
One of the things we like most about Oslo is how easy it is to explore without a car or tour bus.
Ekebergparken recommends public transportation, with tram lines 13 and 19 serving the Ekebergparken stop. From there, the park museum is only a short walk away. Visitors can also walk up from Gamlebyen, although the hillside routes are considerably steeper.
The sculpture park itself is open year-round and has no admission charge.
For the rock carvings specifically, look for the prehistoric site near Kongshavn upper secondary school in the Familiedalen area. Because this is an archaeological site rather than a conventional staffed attraction, checking the current Ekebergparken map before setting out is worthwhile.
This is exactly the sort of Oslo experience we enjoy: take public transportation, get out and walk, and discover something most visitors never realize is there.
Is Ekeberg Worth Visiting?
Yes, but with one qualification.
Do not go expecting something comparable in scale to the spectacular prehistoric rock-art sites at Alta in northern Norway.
The Ekeberg Rock Carvings are relatively small.
Their appeal comes from their age, their setting, and the realization that you are looking at images created by people who occupied this landscape thousands of years ago.
Give yourself time to explore the rest of Ekeberg as well. Walk through the sculpture park. Enjoy the views over Oslo. Look for the archaeological markers throughout the landscape.
This is not an attraction to rush through.
It is a place that rewards curiosity.
One of Oslo’s Most Unusual Things to See
We have written before about whether Oslo might be one of the best cities in Europe. Part of Oslo’s appeal is that it constantly surprises travelers.
There are the obvious attractions—the Munch Museum, National Museum, Opera House, Nobel Peace Center, Vigeland Park, and the museums around the Oslofjord.
But then there are places like Ekeberg.
A few minutes from the center of a modern European capital, you can stand beside rock art created in the Stone Age.
No huge admission fee.
No massive crowds.
No long bus excursion.
Just take the tram and go find it.
And sometimes those are the travel experiences we remember best.
Visit Oslo and Norway with The Traveling Professor
Oslo is the starting point for our Norway and the Fjords by Scenic Rail small group tour, where we explore Norway very differently from the traditional big-bus itinerary. From Oslo, the journey continues by scenic rail toward Flåm and Bergen, combining cities, mountains, waterfalls, fjords, ferries, and opportunities to experience Norway at a more relaxed pace.
Because seeing Norway should involve more than simply looking through a bus window.