Etterstad is a neighborhood 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...

, located between the river Alna and Strømsveien, north of Vålerenga

Vålerenga

Vålerenga is a neighbourhood in the city of Oslo, Norway, belonging to the borough of Gamle Oslo. Vålerenga is located between the neighbourhoods of Gamlebyen, Jordal, Ensjø, Etterstad and Lodalen. Vålerenga is in particular known for its traditional, small wooden houses, and for its football and...

. It was incorporated into Oslo in 1946, two years before the merger of Oslo and Aker

Aker, Norway

Aker is a former municipality in Akershus, which lends its name to a municipality and a county in Norway. The name originally belonged to a farm which was located near the current Old Aker Church...

. The area is mainly residential.

History

The area takes its name from Etterstad Farm, that was located close to the present Helsfyr area, about where the current Helsfyr T-bane station

Helsfyr (station)

Helsfyr is a subway station on the east side of the Oslo Metro system located in the borough of Gamle Oslo. The station is shared by the Furuset Line , the Østensjø Line and the Lambertseter Line . In addition, Line 1, which runs on Holmenkollen Line in the west, terminates at Helsfyr...

 is located. The farm name is Old Norse and is a contraction of Eitill (a person's name) and stad (meaning "place"). Records of the farm are recorded back to 1396 as an estate of the bishop.

It remained church property until 1795 when it was taken over by the city and made a military training field, in exchange for a rent paid by the city to the bishop. At the time the city was obliged to provide ground for the military. The military gave the area the name Etterstadsletta, and was in use as a training field until 1881. In 1821, King Charles XIV John

Charles XIV John of Sweden

Charles XIV & III John, also Carl John, Swedish and Norwegian: Karl Johan was King of Sweden and King of Norway from 1818 until his death...

 ordered an exercise with 6,000 soldiers as a political power demonstration aimed at the newly formed parliament. The field was also the site of executions, the last performed on 19 April 1864 on the Prussian Friedrich Wilhelm Priess and the Dane Knud Fredrik Christian Simonsen by Samson Isberg

Samson Isberg

Samson Isberg was a Norwegian executioner, born in Kinsarvik. He served as Norway's official executioner from 1849 to 1868. Among his jobs was the beheading of Aslak Hætta and Mons Somby in 1854, and the last public execution in Christiania, at Etterstad in 1864. Isberg's axe is exhibited at the...

 with an audience of 5,000 people. The field was also used for Harness racing

Harness racing

Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...

 until 1928.

The first demonstration of aviation in the country was performed by the Swedish aristocrat Carl Cederström

Carl Cederström

Friherre Carl Gustav Alexander Cederström was a pioneering Swedish aviator, often nicknamed "the flying Baron".-Biography:...

 from 14 to 23 October 1910. After many successful demonstrations, on the final day Cederström lost control of the aircraft at take-off; two people were hurt and the plane had to be sent to France for repairs.

The government took over the cost of the military in 1840, but city pressed to be allowed to build housing in the area. This was permitted in 1922, and Oslo Bolig- og Sparelag started construction in the 1930s in a large reconstruction of all property down to the railway station. The plans were abandoned due to World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, and changed afterwards. In 1967 the Oslo T-bane

Oslo T-bane

The Oslo Metro is the rapid transit system of Oslo, Norway, operated by Oslo T-banedrift on contract from the transit authority Ruter. The network consists of six lines that all run through the city centre, with a total length of . It has a daily ridership of 268,000 with 105 stations of which 16...

 replaced the Oslo Tramway.