Christiania Bank major financial crisis in Norway and by 1991 the bank had used up all capital. To save the bank, the Government of Norway took over the bank and gave it new capital, rescuing it from bankruptcy. In the early years of the 1990s, the bank also bought Sunnmørsbanken and Sørlandsbanken. In 1995, the government reduced its ownership to 51%, listing it on the Oslo Stock Exchange, and in 1999 to 35%. The same year, the Swedish MeritaNordbanken bid for the bank, and in 2000 the government sold its shares and the bank became part of Nordea. Christiania Bank was at
1858 Christiania fire 1858 Christiania fire The 1858 Christiania fire, starting on 14 April 1858, severely destroyed several city blocks near Stortorvet in Christiania, Norway. 41 buildings were destroyed, and about 1,000 people lost their homes. The fire started around at one o'clock in the night, in the home of a carpenter in a wooden building within the city block west of the street "Dronningens gate". The wind was blowing from the north, and within one hour five houses were set on fire. Within three hours buildings east of "Dronningens gate" started burning. This block had many old wooden houses, and the whole