The Arcitects

Balthazar Lange won the architect competition to draw Holmenkollen Sanatorium. The building became one of the main works in the Norwegian dragon style architecture. Together with Holm Munthe (who designed Holmenkollen Tourist Hotel further down the hill) among others, he represented a richly decorated new style of Norwegian architecture, the dragon style. As a young graduate, the architect was engaged in Statsbanenes Anleggskontor, and he was the man behind the railway stations in Trondheim, Larvik and the old railway station of Bergen.

Lange's later buildings includes Uranienborg Church in Christiania, Rosenhoff school and Bjølsen school. In 1898 he became National Architect in Kristiania (which Oslo was called until 1925), and was a prominent figure in the capital's architectural environment. Lange was deputy chairman of the Norwegian Engineering and Architectural Association between 1892-1906 and chairman of the Architectural Society of Kristiania 1908-10.

Munthe was heavily involved in the decoration of both Holmenkollen Tourist Hotel, including the famous Fairy Tale Room, and Holmenkollen Sanatorium. Roofs, walls and interior is marked by carvings that were an important part of Norwegian decor for a period of time. The Oscar Lounge at Restaurant The Five Logdes (De fem Stuer) is the original ceiling decoration by Gerhard Munthe.

The Hegle brothers were the architects responsible for the restoration of the hotel after the 2nd World War. After the occupation by the Germans, and later a temporary home for soldiers returning from England and the U.S., the hotel was worn and battered. The newly renovated hotel was completed in 1948 to great ovations. The Hegle brothers sought to be faithful to Gerhard Munthe's ideas, and the hotel was attempted restored to original condition. Kitchen, dining room, guest rooms and reception had been modernized, and the paint was burned away to reveal the wooden carvings underneath.

The two brothers has restored several buildings in Oslo which were destroyed during the war, including the Ekeberg restaurant in 1945. A fun little digression is that the brothers had the scenography of the major film production "The Fight for the Atom Bomb" ("Kampen om tungtvannet") in 1948.

For the Ski World Cup in 1982, it was necessary for the hotel to expand its capacity. Construction was therefore implemented. Due to the ski and sporting opportunities in the area, the new building was built as a sports hotel. This renovation also included a new reception, a gym with a pool and a new car park.

Architect Stein Aasen was the man behind the new building. The rooms were built relatively small, so that most of them would have a balcony and a view. A new reception area was also built with panoramic windows overlooking Sørkedalen and the Oslo Fjord. A new garden with a patio was also made outside the main entrance of the hotel.

Hans Gabriel Finne had views that did not correspond well with many of his architect fellow men. The reason for this was that he believed that much of the post-war architecture lacked charm, and that modernists will to demolish and build new, bordered to be historyless. Restoration of Palmen (The Palm) in Grand Hotel, the Theater Cafe and Olav V's Hall on Akershus Castle were important and large recovery works. He has also designed many factories, offices and homes, and eventually the interior of passenger ships.

In 1991, the Saga building on the hotel was finished, designed and decorated by Finne. The building includes Saga Hall, a large conference room for more than 500 people, and two auditoriums. The building is surrounded partly by a south-facing balcony towards the Oslo Fjord. The building is adapted to the other buildings, and the transition from the old Dragon building to the more modern conference rooms were done in an elegant and respectful manner. Saga Hall has become a great and wonderful conference hall that fills all the requirements of modern comfort and logistics. The decorative colors and interior are filled with inspiration from Norse times.