Pipervika is a neighborhood in the borough Sentrum

Sentrum, Oslo

Sentrum meaning city-center is located on the southeast side of the city near the inner Oslofjord.The district is dominated by high rises like Postgirobygget and The Plaza. Oslos Central Station is located on the eastern side of the borough. Sentrum consists of Bjørvika which has a history as...

 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...

, 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...

. It is located between the Oslofjord

Oslofjord

The Oslofjord is a bay in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the Torbjørnskjær and Færder lighthouses and down to Langesund in the south to Oslo in the north....

, Akershus Fortress

Akershus Fortress

Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle that was built to protect Oslo, the capital of Norway. It has also been used as a prison.- Construction :...

 and The City Hall Square

The City Hall Square, Oslo

Rådhusplassen is a square located between Oslo City Hall and the Oslofjord in Vika, Oslo, Norway. Previously used as a road and part of European route E18, it has since 1994 served as a recreational area...

. Today the term Pipervika is primarily used for the bay between the fortress and Aker Brygge

Aker Brygge

Aker Brygge is an area in Oslo, Norway. It is a popular meeting place for shopping, dining, and entertainment. Oslo residents, tourists from all over the world, business people on the move, as well as musicians, artists, actors, A-, B- and C-celebrities find Aker Brygge their favourite place to...

. This was formerly commonly known as Piperviksbukta. It is part of the Fjord City

Fjord City

The Fjord City is a urban renewal project for the waterfront part of the center of Oslo, Norway. The first redevelopment was at Aker Brygge during the 1980s. Bjørvika and Tjuvholmen followed up during the 2000s, while the remaining parts of the Port of Oslo will be developed in the 2010s. The port...

 urban renewal

Urban renewal

Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...

 project.

The name

The first element is assumed to refer to the brigade music's pipers (flutists) who were located in the area, the last element is the finite form of vik f 'bay, inlet'. But the Norse name of the bay was Gyljandi, and this name is derived from the verb gylja 'howl, huut' (probably referring to the windy conditions in the bay). The name Pipervika ('the piping bay') could therefore be some kind of translation from Norse to Danish in the 17th century. (The verb pipe in Scandinavian in often used to describe the sound of strong wind.)