Kristiania

Kristiania, also spelled Kristiania in Norwegian and historically Christiania in Danish-Norwegian usage, is the name that was used for the city now known as Oslo, the capital of Norway, from the 17th century until 1925. The city was founded in 1624 by King Christian IV after a devastating fire, and rebuilt at the Akershus fortress area; he renamed it Christiania in honor of himself. The Norwegian spelling Kristiania developed later.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Kristiania grew as Norway's administrative and cultural center; in 1814 it became the capital during Norway's constitutional period and the subsequent union with Sweden, remaining the capital after independence in 1905. In 1925, the city municipality adopted the name Oslo as its official designation, restoring a historic Norwegian name for the capital; Kristiania/Christiania as a formal city name was gradually replaced in official use, though it survives in historical references and older institutions.

Oslo's name origin: The etymology of Oslo is debated; it is generally traced to Old Norse elements possibly meaning the meadow or clearing of the gods, with various spellings over time (Áslo, Osle, Oslo). The exact meaning remains uncertain.