Hans Linstow

Hans Ditlev Franciscus (Frants) von Linstow (1787-1851) was a Norwegian, Danish-born architect, who is by many considered the first Norwegian architect. He is well-known to have designed the Royal Palace in Oslo and much of the surrounding park and the street "Karl Johans gate".

He first studied painting and drawings at the "Art Academy" in Copenhagen, Denmark, while he at the same time studied law. After finalizing these studies in 1812, he went to Kongsberg, Norway (which then was a part of Denmark) and studied in the years 1812-1814 at the socalled "Bergakademiet", which educated military engineers. He did, however, not complete this military education, but studied architecture at the same time. He worked at the Danish Royal Court in 1814, but at the split between Denmark and Norway the same year, he went to Norway and worked in the years 1815-1820 as a military lawyer at the cavalry.

He taught, first plaster, and later building construction at "The Royal Drawing School" in Christiania.

In 1823, he was commissioned to design the new Royal Palace in Christiania and create the surrounding park, where he also drew the guards' house. He also helped his friend, the writer Henrik Wergeland in constructing his new house "Grotten" in the outskirts of the park. Both these buildings are examples of his early use of the socalled "Swiss style" in his drawings.

Since the Royal Palace was erected outside the main city area, Linstow proposed a plan in 1838 to connect the palace to the city. The main parts of this plan were realised in what is now the main boulevard and tourist area, the "Karl Johans gate".

In the years 1828-1835, Linstow worked on a set of standard drawings for Norwegian churches, and about 80 different churches were erected all over Norway based on these drawings.

In 1885, a street "Linstows gate" in Christiania was named for him.

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