High above the bustling heart of Oslo, atop the hill of Hammersborg, stands a cluster of stark, modernist towers that form one of the city’s most distinctive and debated landmarks. This is Tarnplanen (The Tower Plan), a radical post-war urban development that dared to reimagine the city’s centre and whose legacy continues to shape discussions about architecture, heritage, and urban identity.
What is Tarnplanen?
Tarnplanen is not a single building, but a comprehensive development plan conceived in the 1950s and realised between 1958 and 1980. Located in the eastern part of central Oslo, near the government quarter, its most visible feature is a group of five high-rise office and residential blocks that break dramatically from the city’s traditional low-rise scale.
The project was the brainchild of the Norwegian Ministry of Government Administration and Reform, which sought to centralise government offices and address a severe post-war shortage of modern administrative space. The vision was to create a dedicated, efficient, and symbolic “government city” (regjeringskvartalet) that reflected the optimism and forward-looking spirit of the modern welfare state.
The Architects and the Vision
The master plan was designed by the architectural firm Erling Viksjø, with significant contributions from other prominent Norwegian architects of the era. The design was a bold embrace of modernism, or funksjonalisme (functionalism), which prioritised utility, clean lines, and new materials over historical ornamentation.
The five towers—Høyblokka (The High Block), Y-blokka (The Y-Block), R6, and two others—were arranged to create a striking, sculptural skyline. They were connected by lower-rise buildings and open plazas, aiming to foster a sense of community and accessibility, albeit in a distinctly organised, top-down manner.
A defining artistic feature of Tarnplanen was the integration of art and architecture, a concept known as syntese. Viksjø collaborated with famed Norwegian artist Pablo Picasso and sculptor Carl Nesjar to create sandblasted concrete murals, including the iconic “The Fishermen” (Fiskerne) on Y-blokka. This fusion was intended to democratise art, making it a part of the everyday public environment.
A Controversial Legacy
From its inception, Tarnplanen was polarising.
For its proponents, it was a triumphant symbol of progress. It represented a break from the past and the constraints of tradition, showcasing Norway’s recovery and its embrace of a new, efficient, and egalitarian future. The towers provided much-needed space, and their architectural audacity was seen as a statement of national confidence.
For its critics, the complex was an alien imposition. They argued that the monolithic, brutalist structures were cold, impersonal, and utterly out of scale with the human-centric, neoclassical architecture of the surrounding neighbourhood. The plan was accused of creating windy, barren plazas and disrupting the historic urban fabric of Oslo.
Tragedy and Transformation
The legacy of Tarnplanen was irrevocably altered on July 22, 2011. The terrorist attack that day targeted the government quarter, with a car bomb detonating directly outside Høyblokka and severely damaging Y-blokka. The tragedy forced a profound re-evaluation of the entire area’s purpose, security, and architectural value.
The damaged Y-blokka, with its priceless Picasso murals, became the centre of a heated national debate. After years of discussion weighing preservation against security and redevelopment, the government decided to demolish it—a process completed in 2016. The loss of Y-blokka was a painful moment, severing a tangible link to the original plan and its artistic ambitions.
Tarnplanen Today: A Enduring Symbol
Today, Tarnplanen stands as a complex monument. The remaining towers are protected as cultural heritage sites, recognised for their significance in Norway’s architectural and political history. The ongoing redevelopment of the government quarter seeks to learn from the past, aiming to create a more open, secure, and integrated urban space that respects the legacy of Viksjø’s vision while correcting its perceived flaws.
Tarnplanen is more than just a group of buildings. It is a physical chapter in Oslo’s story—a testament to the ambitious, sometimes ruthless, optimism of the post-war era. It challenges us to consider how we build our collective identity, the value of architectural heritage, and how the dreams of one generation are judged, preserved, or transformed by the next. Love it or loathe it, the silhouette of Tarnplanen remains an essential and unforgettable part of the Oslo skyline.
Anita 
Harry