Østkanten and Vestkanten are areas that belong to the same city - Oslo. For the inhabitants of the capital, however, they are like two opposite poles. The sources of internal disproportions in the way and quality of life between the East and the West should be found in the historical outline of both parts of the city. Cities whose western part was inhabited by the Norwegian elite and intelligentsia. In the east, mainly workers concentrated around their workplaces, factories and industrial plants. Soon Østkanten became a space for the poorer social strata, and thus social problems, poverty and a destination for the immigrants.
The differences are already visible in the language
The language of the inhabitants differs: in Vestkanten they speak the Western Norwegian dialect of østnorsk - the everyday language of the upper class, while in the east they use Oslodialekten. The separation of Østkanten and Vestkanten, however, is mainly visible on cultural and economic grounds. It cannot be concealed that the youth of the East and West are almost waging a mental war with each other, not understanding and mutually excluding each other. This is due to the gargantuan disparity in the living standards of Oslo's population. Few of the Norwegians coming from Østkanten can afford to move to the luxurious parts of the city in order to improve the well-being of their family.
East Oslo less professionally active
Inhabitants of the eastern part of Oslo are also characterized by much lower economic activity. Statistics show that every fifth person over 55 receives social benefits. Whereas in Vestkanten it is only 12%. The income of families living in poorer parts of the city is also a huge difference. They earn even over 30% less, which translates into the quality of life - including nutrition - of subsequent generations who become obese twice as often as children on the western border.
Other apartment prices
Because apartments in the eastern neighborhoods are within the reach of people with lower incomes. The prospect of living inexpensively attracts specific social groups whose lives are much less promising than those of the Vestkanten estate owners. In this way, emigrants mainly from outside Western Europe settle on the eastern side of Oslo. Or - temporarily - young people who are just starting to earn some extra money. They are lured by the prices of premises up to 40 percent lower than those available in opposite parts of the city. Unfortunately, the lower cost is due to much worse living conditions.
A stark contrast between the poverty of working-class districts and the architectural and cultural abundance of the villa part. Located west of the town square, it established a border that stigmatizes Oslo to this day. As it turns out, divisions are a natural and indispensable part of the human world, reaching them even in places that seem to be an economic paradise on earth.
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