Hotel Continental, Oslo
Encyclopedia
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...
, that opened in 1900.
The background story of the Continental is like an old fairytale, about a young couple, who through their hard work and entrepreneurship created a monument that will live for many years. It all started in Sweden in 1860, with the birth of Caroline Boman. Her family was poor, and instead of emigrating to America, something that was customary at the time, she crossed the border from Sweden to Christiania, now 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 in 1887, where she got a job as a cook. Four years later, she married Christian Hansen, who was from Oslo and worked as a waiter.
Hotel Continental and Theatercaféen
Theatercaféen
Theatercaféen is part of the Hotel Continental, in Oslo, Norway. The café opened in 1900, and is situated opposite from the National Theatre, that opened the previous year. The restaurant and the hotel was originally owned by Foss Brewery, but Caroline and Christian Boman Hansen took over the...
opened in 1900, right after the opening of the National Theatre. The business was originally owned by Foss Brewery, but was run by different tenants who all had to give up. Caroline and Christian Boman Hansen took over the lease in 1909, and within only three years they were able to purchase the establishment.
In 1932 and 1961 respectively the hotel and restaurant was expanded, and now occupies a whole block centrally located in the center of Oslo. Through four generations the same family has built and developed the hotel and the restaurants into what the establishment is today. Elisabeth C. Brochmann is the current and fourth generation owner. In 1985 she took over the daily operations from her mother Ellen Brochmann.
The Hotel Continental offers 155 individually furnished rooms, many of which are newly renovated. The hotel is a 5 star property of high international standard, and is the only Norwegian member of The Leading Hotels of the World
The Leading Hotels of the World
The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. is a hospitality consortium owned by Hotel Representative, A.G. It represents over 430 hotels and resorts worldwide. Headquartered in New York City, the consortium maintains offices in 24 cities world wide....
.
The renowned restaurant Theatercaféen
Theatercaféen
Theatercaféen is part of the Hotel Continental, in Oslo, Norway. The café opened in 1900, and is situated opposite from the National Theatre, that opened the previous year. The restaurant and the hotel was originally owned by Foss Brewery, but Caroline and Christian Boman Hansen took over the...
is part of the establishment. This newly renovated wiener-café is listed on the New York Times list of the world’s most famous Vienna-styled cafes. Eik Annen Etage is the hotel’s gourmet restaurant. Hotel Continental has an extensive art collection, and in the lobby bar “Dagligstuen” there is a large collection of prints by Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
. In addition, the hotel has conference and banqueting facilities with the capacity of up to 300 guests.