Architecture of Norway Norway, boasting a palladian layout, a central cupola, and a classical colonnade. Collett designed several other manors and town houses. The same period saw the erection of a large number of splendid neo-classisist houses in and around all towns along the coast, notably in Halden, Oslo, Drammen, Arendal, Bergen and Trondheim, mainly wooden buildings dressed up as stone architecture. By far the largest private house in Norway is the Jarlsberg manor, renovated 1812-1814 by the Danish architect Løser for count Herman Wedel-Jarlsberg. Christiania, promoted to the status of a capital city in 1814, had practically no buildings suitable for the
Western Norway winter, and the rainfall is frequent and heavy. Thanks to the warming Gulf Stream, the Norwegian fjords enjoy a relatively mild climate and remain virtually ice-free even during the winter. During springtime the most amazing colours burst forth to honour the warmth of the rising sun. Orchards of flowering fruit trees along the Hardangerfjord in May are images of paradise. Western Norway is a very rich region. The region generates around 70% of the total Gross National Product of Norway—Europe's richest country. Today is Stavanger the capital of oil in Norway. Before petroleum, fishing and agriculture were the most important