Kvadraturen for children - Waisenhuset
Kongensgate 1
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Photo: Tove Solbakken / Byantikvaren
A part of the tour Kvadraturen for children
Waisenhus is an old term for orphanage, and Kongens gate 1 was an orphanage for boys for more than a hundred years.
It was a hard knock life in the 1600s. Many people lacked healthy food and clean water, and died from diseases at a relatively young age. That lead to many orphaned children. Other parents were so poor they couldn’t take care of their kids. Orphanages were much needed and Waisenhuset was established in 1778 with support from King Christian VII. In 1918 the orphanage moved away from Kvadraturen to a different part of town.
Photo: Foto: Ragnvald Væring / Oslo Museum
Waisenhuset was only for boys. Unfortunately we don’t have any photos of them, but this picture shows the boys living in a different orphanage in Oslo around 1910.
Photo: Photo: Ukjent fotograf / Oslo Museum
Children playing at Bankplassen 1907. We don’t know if these kids are connected to Waisenhuset in any way, but Bankplassen was their home environment. Here the boys had a little garden where they grew both fruit and vegetables. Daily life consisted of healthy food – solid bread with butter, and beer. Every morning all year round the boys washed up outside in the courtyard. The dormitory was located in the attic.
Photo: Photo: Anders Beer Wilse / Oslo Museum