Black Death Monument (Peststøtten) in Oslo, Norway (opens in new tab)

The last time Oslo suffered from a bout of the plague was in 1654. The plague claimed the lives of more than 1500 citizens. Estimates vary, but at the time this could have represented as much as 40% of the population. The city desperately needed space for mass graves, and so Christ graveyard was opened. To commemorate the sad occasion, Oslo erected peststøtten, or the plague-marker. Today this is Oslo’s oldest public monument, although at the time it would have been well outside the city limi...