Grønland

Grønland is a neighbourhood in central Oslo, Norway. It is served by several tram and bus lines, as well as the Oslo Metro at the Grønland Station.

The neighbourhood is situated on the east side of Akerselva, five to ten minutes walking distance from Oslo Central Station and downtown Oslo. It stretches from Grünerløkka down to the fjord by Middelalderparken shore area.

History

The area was originally the beach area east of the Aker river discharge, and the name alludes to grassland by the lake (the name Grønland means green land or green fields in Norwegian). The streets Grønland and Grønlandsleiret are where the old shoreline used to be. This is considered the historic northern border of Oslo. They are the old road between the suburb and Oslo (then called Christiania), via Vaterland Bridge (first bridge built 1654). The growth of Bjørvika led to the incorporation of Grønland into Christiania/Oslo in 1859. A church, a school and a fire station were built near the newly erected Botsfengslet in the 1600s.

Grönland Records

Grönland Records is an independent record label originally founded in London, England, which relocated to Berlin, Germany in 2009. "Grönland" (German for Greenland) refers both to the country and the label's founder, Herbert Grönemeyer.

Origin

The label was founded by German actor and singer Herbert Grönemeyer in connection with an eight-CD box set called Pop 2000. The CD box set and its companion TV series were designed to document music culture in Germany over the course of the 20th century and featured artists such as Neu!, Faust, Kraftwerk, The Notwist and Mouse on Mars.

Philosophy

Grönland’s philosophy is that business decisions should be influenced not by marketing strategies, but by the musician and his craft. Without sacrificing attention to the economic aspects of the label’s survival, Grönland, with its small staff and optimal structure, is committed to providing an environment where art and music are free to grow, and to giving full support and attention to its musicians on a level rarely seen in larger record companies. Consequently, Grönland only signs a maximum of six to eight bands and projects per year.

Grønland (station)

Grønland is a rapid transit station on the Oslo Metro in the Common Tunnel serving all six lines. It is located in the business and residential area Grønland, between the stations Jernbanetorget to the west and Tøyen to the east. The station was opened on 22 May 1966 with the opening of the subway, and underwent refurbishments 1988–92. Peer Qvam was the original architect.

In terms of passenger volume, Grønland is one of the smaller stations in the Common Tunnel. Although the area surrounding the station is close to the city centre, it is largely residential. The station has a small shopping centre adjacent to the ticket hall underground, and there is a greater number of shops still on the surface level. There are no direct connections between the subway and other modes of public transportation at Grønland, but the central coach station and a tramway stop are located a few minutes walk from the station.

The subway schedule recommends that passengers use Grønland as a transfer point between different lines because its platforms are less crowded than its neighbouring stations. The platform walls consist of white tiling, making it unequivocally the brightest subway station of the entire subway system, and its lower patronage makes it less crowded than other stations in the Common Tunnel.