Old Aker Church
The church was built over the former site of the Akerberg mines ("Akersberg gruve"), an ancient silver mine which was in use since the early Viking era. The mines are mentioned in the 1170 "Historia Norvegiae". The existence of these former mines must have been the inspiration for a number of local stories about the church having hidden silver treasures and even dungeons with dragons.
Old Aker Cemetery () is the cemetery of Old Aker Church. Like the church, the cemetery dates back to the Middle Ages. The cemetery is located adjacent to the newer Cemetery of Our Saviour, which was established in 1808. Several notable people are interred in the cemetery.
Bjørvika
In 2008, the Oslo Opera House opened at Bjørvika. Costing and built by Statsbygg, it was designed by Snøhetta. Bjørvika was preferred as a location over Vestbanen. The opera is in size and has a large, slanting roof open to the public. In 2008, the Norwegian Parliament also decided to build the Munch Museum, the Stenersen Museum and the Oslo Public Library at Bjørvika to form a new cultural center.