Frogner was one of the largest and oldest agricultural properties in the Oslo area. In the Middle Ages, Frogner became ecclesiastical property, mostly owned by the Hovedøya Abbey, but was confiscated by the Crown in 1532, preceding the Reformation. From the mid 17th century to the late 19th century, it was owned by wealthy officials or burghers of Christiania, but it was sold to the municipality of Kristiania in 1896 to make room for urban expansion and a new cemetery (Vestre gravlund). However, significant parts of the estate instead became a public park.