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All Norway Oslo Donald Trump Bench
AO Edited

Donald Trump Bench

This unlikely 1980s relic at a bus station recalls the New York real estate tycoon before his political career.

Oslo, Norway

Added By
Johan SWE
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“WALDORF ASTORIA · DONALD T. · THE VILLAGE”   Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
“WALDORF ASTORIA · DONALD T. · THE VILLAGE”   Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
The bench is located above the bus terminal.   Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
Floor decoration inspired by NYC cabs.   Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
NYC-themed seating group.   Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
Bench etching: “DONALD T.”   Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
Property tycoon Trump in 1985.   Bernard Gotfryd, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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About

The Norwegian capital’s tributes to American political figures are usually grand and symbolic—Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George Marshall all have statues and memorials. But what about Donald Trump? He has a bench at the bus station.

If you’re waiting for a coach in central Oslo, you might come across an unlikely nod to the NYC property tycoon who later became a U.S. President. The dark stone bench is etched with "Donald T." alongside names like "Waldorf Astoria" and "The Village." This piece was designed to bring a slice of the Big Apple to the Galleri Oslo office building and bus terminal when it opened in 1989.

Given that Trump was barely on Norway's radar at the time, why was his name etched into Oslo’s public furniture? Credit goes to Norwegian designer Thomas Wollnick, who visited New York during the 1980s and was thus familiar with the real estate magnate. For Wollnick, Trump represented the bold spirit of Manhattan. Looking back, the designer finds it somewhat amusing that he played a part in creating this modest tribute.

When Trump eventually became a household name in Norway, largely due to his political career, the bench faced growing backlash—ranging from graffiti to one journalist’s sarcastic call to tear it down, while another joked it was perfect for "sitting and farting" by bus passengers waiting for their rides.

Today, Galleri Oslo, once intended as Europe’s longest indoor shopping street, has become one of the city’s least-loved landmarks. As for the Trump bench? In a modern context, it's an odd relic of the yuppie era, when the New York real estate mogul symbolized high-stakes ambition rather than globally polarizing politics.

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Bus Presidents Politics

Know Before You Go

The bench is located on the first floor, on the eastern side of the Galleri Oslo building. To find it, start at the ground-floor bus terminal waiting area and take the moving walkway marked "B13-B14."

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Johan SWE

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December 11, 2024

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  • https://www.nettavisen.no/meninger/fiksdal/trump-attraksjon-i-oslo/s/12-95-3423444145
  • https://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/kommentar/i/yEmglr/skandale-trump-har-hatt-et-monument-i-oslo-sentrum-i-35-aar
  • https://www.morgenbladet.no/aktuelt/samtid/2016/11/11/donald-trumps-benk
  • https://borsen.dagbladet.no/nyheter/oslos-egen-trump-hyllest/82136705
Donald Trump Bench
6 Schweigaards gate
Grünerløkka
Oslo, 0185
Norway
59.912055, 10.756395
Get Directions

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