Emergency shelters

Information about private and public emergency shelters in the event of a war.

Private emergency shelters

Most residents would likely head to a private shelter in the event of an emergency. Private emergency shelters are shelters built in larger buildings before the 1990s. These are typically located in schools, churches, cinemas, community centres or apartment buildings built before 1990. There was less focus on the need for emergency shelters after this point and larger buildings are no longer required to have such shelters.

The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection has a list of all private emergency shelters.

Public emergency shelters

Public emergency shelters are managed and operated by the City of Oslo and the Norwegian Civil Defence. These are intended for residents in the immediate vicinity if an alert or siren warns them to seek shelter. This is why there are more emergency shelters in the city centre than in residential areas.

Below is a map of all public emergency shelters in the City of Oslo. These vary in size, and most are currently being used for other purposes. If these shelters are needed for evacuation purposes, we will be able to prepare them for use within 72 hours, and they will then receive residents with assistance from the Norwegian Civil Defence.

Overview of public emergency shelters in Oslo