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{{short description|Fashionable residential areas in Norway}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
[[File:Bygdøy Oslo.jpg|thumb|400px|Bygdøy]]
'''Bygdøy''' or '''Bygdø''' is a [[peninsula]] situated on the western side of [[Oslo]], Norway. Administratively, Bygdøy is part of the borough of [[Frogner]]. It historically was part of Aker Municipality and became part of Oslo in 1948.

Bygdøy is a popular recreation area and is among the most fashionable residential areas in Norway, where the most expensive properties in the entire country are found.<ref>[https://www.aftenposten.no/osloby/i/nwkJ/her-er-oslos-dyreste-gater Her er Oslos dyreste gater], ''[[Aftenposten]]'', 14 October 2015</ref> Bygdøy is also the home of five national museums as well as a royal estate. Wealthy families of [[Oslo|Christiania]] acquired country houses in Bygdøy during the 18th and 19th centuries; by the 19th century Bygdøy had become a favourite of the wealthy in the capital region and was exclusively settled by the wealthy and their servants.

== Tourism ==
[[File:En av Oscarshall bygningene den 1. august 2014..JPG|thumb|250 px|Oscarshall]]
Bygdøy has parks and forests, and beaches including the [[Huk, Norway|Huk]] ordinary and [[nudist]] beaches. In 1885 there were only 111 houses at Bygdøy; today most of the huge gardens are split into smaller patches of land, making Bygdøy largely a residential zone but retaining a profile of upscale demographics. [[Bygdøy Royal Estate]] (''Bygdøy kongsgård''), the official summer residence of the [[King of Norway]], and [[Oscarshall]], site of the [[The Queen Joséphine Gallery|Queen Joséphine Gallery]], are also located here. Large parts of the area such as the Bygdøy Royal Estate are protected from development.<ref>{{cite web
|url= https://snl.no/Oscarshall |title=  Oscarshall|publisher = Store norske leksikon|author= Jon Gunnar Arntzen|accessdate= 1 December 2016}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web|url= https://snl.no/Bygd%C3%B8y_kongsg%C3%A5rd |title = Bygdøy kongsgård|publisher = Store norske leksikon|author= Jon Gunnar Arntzen
|accessdate= 1 December 2016}}</ref>

In the aftermath of the [[2004 Indian Ocean tsunami]], a memorial for the victims of the catastrophe was initiated by the Norwegian government. The memorial is located on the western shore of Bygdøy and was officially unveiled by [[King Harald V of Norway|HM King Harald V]] on 19 October 2007.<ref>''Memorial'' (Laila Haugan, editor. Public Art Norway: 2008)</ref>

==Museums==
[[File:Vikingskipmuseet oslo.jpg|thumb|250 px|Viking Ship Museum]]
Bygdøy is the site of five [[museum]]s: 
*[[Kon-Tiki Museum]] (''Kon-Tiki Museet'') – houses exhibits from the expeditions of [[Thor Heyerdahl]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://snl.no/Kon-Tiki_Museet
|title= Kon-Tiki Museet|publisher = Store norske leksikon|author= Anne-Sofie Hjemdahl|accessdate= 1 December 2016}}</ref>
*[[Norsk Folkemuseum|Norwegian Museum of Cultural History]] (''Norsk Folkemuseum'')  – an open-air museum with buildings, relocated from towns and rural districts<ref>{{cite web|url= https://snl.no/Norsk_Folkemuseum|title= Norsk Folkemuseum|publisher = Store norske leksikon|author= Anne-Sofie Hjemdahl
|accessdate= 1 December 2016}}</ref>
*[[Viking Ship Museum (Oslo)|Viking Ship Museum]] (''Vikingskipshuset'') – houses the [[Oseberg ship]], [[Gokstad ship]] and [[Tune ship]]<ref>{{cite web
|url= https://snl.no/Vikingskipshuset_p%C3%A5_Bygd%C3%B8y|title= Vikingskipshuset på Bygdøy|publisher = Store norske leksikon|author= Anne-Sofie Hjemdahl
|accessdate= 1 December 2016}}</ref>
*[[Norsk Sjøfartsmuseum|Norwegian Maritime Museum]] (''Norsk Maritimt Museum'') – exhibits on coast culture and maritime history<ref>{{cite web
|url= https://snl.no/Norsk_maritimt_museum |title=  Norsk maritimt museum|publisher = Store norske leksikon|author= Audun Grimstad
|accessdate= 1 December 2016}}</ref>
*[[Fram Museum]] (''Frammuseet'') – site of the ship ''[[Fram (ship)|Fram]]''  used by [[Roald Amundsen]]<ref>{{cite web|url=   https://nbl.snl.no/Roald_Amundsen
|title=  Roald Amundsen|publisher =  Norsk biografisk leksikon|author= Susan Barr|accessdate= 1 December 2016}}</ref>

==Etymology==
[[File:Bygdøy.jpg|thumb|250px|Aerial view of the eastern part Bygdøy]]
The name is from [[Norsemen|Norse]] times (''Bygðey''). The first element is ''bygð'' 'built district' (area with houses and population) – in Norse times this was the only inhabited island in the inner part of Oslofjord. The last element is ''ey'' 'island'. (Bygdøy was originally an island, but it became a peninsula because of [[post-glacial rebound]].)

The island belonged to the [[Cistercian]] monastery at [[Hovedøya]], but it was confiscated by the Crown in 1532. The name was then changed to "Ladegaardsøen". The first element in this new name was "''ladegård''" meaning "farm to give a manor (here [[Akershus fortress]]) income". The last element "''-øen''" is the Danish finite form of "''ø''" or "island". The old name was revived in 1877. It was first spelled "Bygdø", but from 1918 officially spelled "Bygdøy". However, the name Bygdø is preferred by many of its inhabitants and other West End inhabitants.

==Transportation==
Bygdøy is accessible by bus, as the [[Oslo Public Transport Administration]]'s bus line n.30 runs every 10 minutes from [[Nydalen]] via [[Sentrum]] and [[Nationaltheatret]]. Between April and October, the neighborhood can also be reached by the local public ferry departing from [[Aker Brygge]] every 30 minutes. Cars are allowed and there is a modest parking lot in front of the [[Kon-Tiki Museum]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140401124437/http://www.kon-tiki.no/e_aapning.php Kon-Tiki Museum - Thor Heyerdahl's Research Foundation]
*[http://www.explorenorth.com/library/weekly/aa122200a.htm Bygdøy, Oslo's Museum Centre]

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[[Category:Bygdøy| ]]
[[Category:Neighbourhoods of Oslo]]