Two centuries of Viking attacks on Europe culminated in the adoption of Christianity by King Olaf Trigvasson in 994. The baptism of the entire Norwegian kingdom required several more decades.
In 1397, Norway entered into a union with Denmark that lasted over four centuries. In 1814, the Norwegians resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and adopted a new constitution. The Swedes occupied the country, but allowed the Norwegian constitution to be preserved in exchange for the creation of a union under the rule of the Swedish king. The growth of nationalist sentiment throughout the XIX century. led to Norway's independence in a referendum in 1905.
Although Norway remained neutral in the First World War, its shipping was severely damaged. Despite its declared neutrality, Norway could not escape the five-year (1940-1945) German occupation during World War II. In 1949, neutrality was abolished and Norway became a member of NATO.
The discovery of offshore oil and natural gas deposits in the late 1960s spurred the development of the economy. The main challenges today for Norway are to modernize the system of broad social security and prepare in advance for the moment when oil reserves are exhausted. In the referendums of 1972 and 1994, the Norwegians rejected the proposal to join the EU.
State symbols
Geography
Area: 323,802 km2; land surface area - 307,422 km 2, water surface area - 16,360 km 2
Geographical coordinates: 62° 00" N, 10° 00" E
Borders: total length- 2,542 km, with Russia - 196 km, with Finland - 727 km, with Sweden - 1,619 km.
Coastline: 25,148 km.
Climate: temperate along the coast, where the climate is influenced by the North Atlantic Current; cooler in inland areas where more rainfall occurs; year-round rainfall on the west coast.
Population
Population: 4 644 457 people (2008)
Ethnic groups: Norwegians, 20,000 Saami
Believers: parishioners of the Norge church - 85.7%, Pentecostals - 1%, Catholics - 1%, other Christians - 2.4%, Muslims - 1.8%, others - 8.1%.
Languages: Standard Norwegian has two forms: Bokmål and Nynorsk (both official), small Sami and Finnish-speaking minorities; Sami is the official language in 6 municipalities.
State
Title: Kingdom of Norway.
State structure: a constitutional monarchy.
Administrative division: Norway is divided into 19 counties.
- Akershus
- Buskerud
- Vest-Agder
- Vestfold
- Mere o Romsdal
- Nordland
- Nur-Trendelag
- Oppland
- Rogaland
- Ser-Trendelag
- Sogn-og-Fyurane
- Telemark
- Troms
- Finnmark
- headmark
- Hordaland
- estfold
- eust-agder
And also Norway (Kingdom of Norway) is a country of islands, islets and rocks located in its territorial waters, some of them are located at a great distance from the Scandinavian Peninsula.
This, for example, Svalbard archipelago(Svalbard and nearby islands) in the eastern part of the Norwegian Sea; Jan Mayen between the Greenland and Norwegian seas; Bouvet Island on South Atlantic Ocean.
Svalbard Island
In the picture: the village of Longyearbyen
This is the northernmost part of the kingdom of Norway. Administrative center - village Longyearbyen. The archipelago and coastal waters of Spitsbergen are a demilitarized zone, i.e. military installations and other facilities have been liquidated here, the maintenance of armed forces, building fortifications, performing maneuvers, etc. There is a Russian locality – the village of Barentsburg, where there are only 435 inhabitants (Russians and Ukrainians), but, nevertheless, it has a consulate Russian Federation. The city got its name in honor of the Dutch navigator V. Barents, who visited Svalbard in 1596-1597.
In the picture: View of Barentsburg from the sea
Until the 1990s, there were other Russian settlements on Svalbard: Pyramid(a mining village on the island of Western Svalbard, now mothballed) and Grumant(also canned).
In the picture: Grumant village
Jan Mayen Island
This abandoned mountainous island was named after the Dutch whaling captain who discovered it in 1614. In the following centuries, the island was only occasionally visited by whalers and trappers of the North Greenland Company. The island has been under the control of Norway since 1929. The long dormant Beerenberg volcano resumed its activity in 1970. It is the northernmost active volcano on Earth.
Pictured: Beerenberg Volcano
Bouvet Island
An uninhabited volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. Named after the discoverer, the Frenchman J.-B. Bouvet de Lozier, who discovered the island on January 1, 1739. Bouvet is one of the most inland islands in the world. There is an automatic meteorological station on the island.
Norway borders on Sweden, Finland and Russia. It is washed by the Norwegian, Barents and North Seas.
Pictured: Bouvet Island
Since Norway is famous for its fjords, let's talk about them.
norwegian fjords
Some of them are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These natural attractions of the country cannot leave anyone indifferent. When the ship turns from the stormy Norwegian Sea into the narrow 200-meter throat of the bay, there is a ringing, almost solemn silence and a feeling of improbability, fabulous unreality. It is these narrow, deep and winding bays, surrounded by harsh rocky mountains covered with dense vegetation and snowy peaks, that are called fjords. The formation of fjords dates back to ancient times, when a huge glacier occupied the whole of Scandinavia. As the glacier receded and the sea level rose, the gorges created by the ice filled the sea waters, forming the most beautiful place in the world - the edge of the Great Northern Fjords.
Fjords also exist in other parts of the world: in New Zealand, Greenland, Novaya Zemlya, in southern Chile. But the Norwegian fjords enchant with their harsh beauty.
The longest and deepest of them - Scoresby.
Its length is 350 km, and the depth is 1450 m. The fjord is named after Scottish whalers, father and son Scoresby, who discovered it in 1822. Scoresby is covered in ice from October to June. An unusually large number of animals live near Scoresby for Greenland. This is due to the presence in this region of open water, which does not freeze even in winter, as well as sufficiently fertile land. Deer and musk oxen graze here, arctic foxes, ermines and lemmings live here, and until the beginning of the 20th century. here one could see the Melville island wolf, distinguished by its beautiful white fur. Here, colonies of migratory birds numbering up to a million individuals find refuge: little auks, polar terns, herring gulls, polar loons, etc. The waters of the largest fjord are inhabited by a variety of polar species of fish and mammals: ringed seal, sea hare, harp seal, Atlantic walrus.
Sognefjord
In the picture: Undredal settlement on the banks of the Sognefjord
Its width is only 3-6 km, but the depth is 1308 m. The length is 204 km. On the plateau of Yusteldabre there is the largest glacier in Europe, the thickness of which is 300 m in the center, and along the edges long tongues of glaciers sliding down the gorges give rise to numerous rivers.
Lake in the middle of the glacier Duane on which tourist boats run. You can spend hours admiring the majestic spectacle of steep rocky shores, from the heights of which waterfalls break down. The highest waterfall Utigard(610 m).
Geirangerfjord stretches for 15 km and is an offshoot of the Storfjord. Near the Geirangerfjord is the village that gave it its name. Geiranger. In it is located fjord museum, telling about the natural history of this region of Norway.
One of the attractions of the fjord are waterfalls, the most famous of which are - Seven Sisters, Bridal Veil and Groom. Along the banks there are sheer cliffs up to 1400 m high and glaciers. There are also abandoned farms along the Geirangerfjord, some of which are located on small areas of mountain ledges, so it seems possible to get to them only by special ladders or rope ladders.
Hardangerfjord - third longest in the world and second in the country.
Pictured: Vøringsfossen waterfall
The fjord is surrounded by rocky mountains up to 1.5 km high, from which many magnificent waterfalls fall, in particular Vøringsfossen waterfall tall 145 m. The fjord washes the shores of 13 municipalities in the Hardanger fylke Hordaland region. The Hardangerfjord is a popular tourist attraction, and there are many hotels on its shores. The fjord is famous for its coastal orchards that bloom in spring.
Mount Turghatten
It is famous for its characteristic hole: a natural tunnel located in its center.
According to legend, the mountain with a hole was formed when the troll Hestmannen pursued the beautiful girl Lekamöya. As soon as the troll realized that he could not get the girl, he fired an arrow to kill her, but the troll king Semna threw his hat in the path of the arrow to save the girl. The hat turned into a mountain with a hole in the middle.
The tunnel was formed during the Ice Age, its length 160 m, width - 35 m, height - 20 m. As a result of water and ice erosion, the soft rock of the rock collapsed, while the harder rock of the summit was not eroded. The tunnel can be walked along a well-prepared path.
hole in mountain
State symbols of Norway
Flag- a red rectangular panel with a blue Scandinavian cross in a white border. The ratio of the flag's width to its length is 16:27. The width of the crosses of the cross is 1/8 of the width of the cloth, the width of the white border is 1/16 of the width of the cloth.
From 1748 to 1814, under the conditions of the Danish-Norwegian union, Norwegian ships sailed under the Danish flag (Dannebrog). In 1814, the King of Sweden became king of Norway, and the Norwegians got the right to use this flag, adding to it the Norwegian golden lion crowned and holding an axe. But the struggle for their own flag continued, and in 1821 the parliament adopted a new flag design: Dannebrog with a dark blue cross with a white border. This combination of red, white and blue is called the French tricolor, which was considered a symbol of freedom. The cross is a common symbol of the flags of Denmark and Sweden.
Coat of arms- a scarlet shield crowned with a royal crown with a golden crowned lion holding in its front paws a silver ax with a golden handle. The head of state uses a special personal coat of arms, which has a mantle, insignia of the Order of St. Olaf and the Norwegian royal crown. The Norwegian coat of arms is one of the oldest in Europe. IN modern form known since 1285 by the silver penny (the currency of many countries and territories, in different time part of the British Empire, as well as Finland and Estonia) of King Erik Magnusson.
Royal coat of arms of Norway
a lion in heraldry is a symbol of strength, and battle ax (ax) - a favorite weapon of the ancient Norwegians and an attribute of the heavenly patron of Norway - St. Olav, whose cause of death was a wound inflicted by an ax.
State structure of modern Norway
Form of government constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy.
Head of State and Executive- King.
supreme legislative body- bicameral parliament (Storing). Consists of 169 deputies.
Administrative division- 19 counties (provinces).
Population– 5,047,400 people The distribution of the population is extremely uneven: more than 80% of the population is concentrated in Southern, Western and Eastern Norway, with almost half in the latter. More than 90% are Norwegians. The largest national minority are the Arabs (several hundred thousand people). The Sami (about 40 thousand people), Kvens (Norwegian Finns), Poles, Swedes, Russians, Gypsies, and others live in Norway.
Capital- Oslo.
Largest cities Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim.
Territory- 385 186 km².
Currency- Norwegian krone.
Official language- Norwegian. In a number of communes of Troms and Finnmark, the Sami has an equal status with him.
State religion- Lutheranism. By law, the King of Norway and half of the ministers must be Lutherans. Article 2 section A of the Norwegian Constitution guarantees every citizen of the country the right to freedom of religion. Orthodoxy is the most dynamically developing Christian denomination in Norway. It is represented in the country by four Orthodox patriarchates: Moscow, Constantinople, Serbian and Romanian.
Economy is the largest oil and gas producer in Northern Europe. Hydropower covers most of the energy needs, which allows most of the oil to be exported. Oil funds serve for the development of future generations.
Mineral reserves. Large merchant fleet. Low inflation (3%) and unemployment (3%) compared to the rest of Europe, but few highly qualified personnel. Harsh climate limits development Agriculture, high taxes and very expensive labor also hamper development. The country has large forest reserves, deposits of iron, copper, zinc, lead, nickel, titanium, molybdenum, silver, marble, and granite. Norway is Europe's largest producer of aluminum and magnesium. Europe's largest titanium ore deposit is located in southwestern Norway. The fish processing industry is almost as important to Norway as the extraction of oil and gas. Forests cover 27% of the country's area. And forestry is a small but very important industry for local farmers.
Agriculture- difficult due to natural conditions: high-latitude position of the country, a relatively short growing season, cool summers and low soil fertility. Norway provides itself with agricultural products of its own production only by 40% and is forced to import grain crops. The leading industry is intensive animal husbandry, which provides about 80% of all agricultural products, mainly meat and dairy. Sheep breeding is developed.
Education- the compulsory educational program involves a ten-year study, that is, the receipt of primary, incomplete secondary and complete secondary education. Higher education is carried out at universities and university institutes. Public education in Norway is free, including upper secondary education. The cost of education in public universities is usually minimal. The State Loan Fund, founded in 1947, provides student loans and living allowances to those who receive higher education. It is also possible to finance Norwegian students who wish to receive full or partial education abroad.
Culture of Norway
Sport
Norway has participated in almost every Summer Olympic Games since Paris in 1900, and every Winter Olympic Games since Chamonix in 1924. It has hosted the Winter Olympics twice: in 1952, the Olympics were held in Oslo, and in 1994 - in Lillehammer. Mostly developed winter views. Norwegians won the most medals in cross-country skiing and speed skating competitions. Football is popular.
Music
The most famous Norwegian composer - Edvard Grieg, who laid down the main traditions of Norwegian romanticism.
E. Peterssen "Portrait of E. Grieg"
Edward Hagerup Grieg(1843-1907) - Norwegian composer of the Romantic period, musical figure, pianist, conductor. Grieg's work was formed under the influence of Norwegian folk culture.
One of the most famous works Grieg are considered two suites from the music for the drama G. Ibsen "Peer Gynt". The first suite included the pieces "Morning", "Death to Ose", "Anitra's Dance", "In the Hall of the Mountain King", the second - "Ingrid's Complaint", "Arabic Dance", "Peer Gynt's Homecoming" and "Song of Solveig ".
Grieg wrote 637 songs and romances, about 150 piano works, created theatrical music, chamber music, a piano concerto with an orchestra in A minor, etc. About twenty more Grieg's plays were published posthumously. In his lyrics, he turned almost exclusively to the poets of Denmark and Norway, occasionally to German poetry (G. Heine, A. Chamisso, L. Ulanda). The composer showed an interest in Scandinavian literature and, in particular, in the literature of his native language.
A significant contribution to the development of Norwegian music was made by Christian Sinding, called "the largest national composer after Grieg"; F. Valen, who applied the principles of dodecaphony in his work; Alf Hurum, Harald Severud and others.
The most popular and recognizable Norwegian musical group is group a-ha, established in 1983 in the city of Oslo. A-ha is one of the leading electro-pop bands.
Norway has a developed metal scene, especially the black metal and viking metal scene.
Among musical groups that combine several styles, one can single out Katzenjammer.
Norway has won the Eurovision Song Contest three times (1985, 1995, 2009).
Literature
Norwegian literature traces its rich history back to the Old Icelandic sagas. Great Writers II half of XIX in. - Henrik Ibsen and Bjornsjorn Bjornson.
E. Peterssen "Portrait of G. Ibsen"
Henrik (Henrik) Johan Ibsen(1828-1906) - Norwegian playwright, founder of the European "new drama"; poet and publicist. He began writing while still a pharmacist. He then directed the theater in Bergen. He spent a quarter of a century abroad, living in Rome, Dresden, and Munich. His first world-famous plays were the poetic dramas Brand (1865) and Peer Gynt (1867). In the drama about Julian the Apostate "Caesar and the Galilean" (1873), he affirms the coming synthesis of the spiritual and carnal principles in man. Ibsen's most popular play in Russia was A Doll's House. He also wrote other plays that are staged in theaters around the world.
Since 1986, the national Ibsen Prize has been awarded in Norway for contributions to drama, and since 2008, the International Ibsen Prize.
Bjornstjerne Martinius Bjornson(1832-1910) - Norwegian writer, laureate Nobel Prize in Literature 1903. Bjornson is considered one of the four great Norwegian writers; the other three are Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie and Alexander Hjelland. Bjornson wrote the words to the Norwegian national anthem "Yes, we love this land", more than 20 plays, 10 novels. He is also a writer of poetry.
Outstanding representatives of Norwegian modernism were Knut Hamsun And Sigbjorn Obstfeller. Modernism reached its peak in the 1960s. The playwright is also a prominent representative of modernism. Yun Fosse.
Prominent Norwegian writers of the 20th century: Johan Borgen And Axel Sandemuse. In the 21st century popular, including in Russia, Lars Soby Christensen, Nikolai Frobenius and Erlend Lu.
Three of the Norwegian writers have received the Nobel Prize in Literature: Bjornstjerne Bjornson (1903), Knut Hamsun(1920) and Sigrid Unset (1928).
Norway is also famous for its children's literature. "Norwegian Brothers Grimm" are considered Peter Asbjornsen And Jorgen Mu, who published in 1874 a collection based on the Norwegian folklore collected and processed by them folk tales Norske Folkeeventyr. Modern children's writers have gained immense popularity all over the world - Anne-Catherine Westley and a rising star in Norwegian children's literature Maria Parr.
Travelers
The most famous of them, who made the greatest contribution to geographical and other sciences, are: Eric the Red(950-1003) - navigator and discoverer who founded the first settlement in Greenland. The nickname "red" was due to the color of his hair and beard.
Fridtjof Nansen(1861-1930) - polar explorer, zoologist, founder of a new science (physical oceanography), political figure, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for 1922; Roald Amundsen(1872-1928) - polar traveler and explorer. First person to reach the South Pole (December 14, 1911). The first explorer who made a sea passage through both the Northeast (along the coast of Siberia) and the Northwest sea route (along the straits of the Canadian archipelago). He died in 1928 during the search for the expedition of Umberto Nobile.
Thor Heyerdahl(1914-2002) - one of the most famous travelers of the 20th century, made a number of expeditions on ships built using technologies ancient world. Heyerdahl's first major expedition was sailing on the Kon-Tiki raft. The next achievement of the Norwegian was expeditions on papyrus boats "Ra" and "Ra-II". The success of "Ra-II" was regarded as evidence that even in prehistoric times, Egyptian navigators could travel to the New World. The well-known Russian traveler and TV presenter Yuri Senkevich took part in both expeditions. In addition to these projects, Tur, together with like-minded people, conducted research on about. Easter, Maldives and Canary Islands, in the USSR and other regions of the world. His research has made a significant contribution to history, ethnography and other sciences.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Norway
In addition to the Norwegian fjords, these include ancient Bergen, the stave church in Urnes.
Bergen
The city was founded in 1070
d. But during the excavations, a slab was discovered, which indicates that the age of the city is even more solid. The city and now almost all of it is made of wood, during its existence it has experienced many fires. Recovering, he became even more beautiful.
Bergen is located at the mouth of the Byfjord. City blocks rise like an amphitheater above the fjord.
Until 1299 it was the capital of Norway, until about the 1830s it was the largest city in the country. Today Bergen is a major port, center oil industry. The city has a university.
The medieval waterfront of Bergen (Bruggen) is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Stave Church in Urnes
"Stavkirka" in translation means "log church". In the XI-XIV centuries. about 1200 such churches were built. The interior of the Stave Church in Urnes(the oldest surviving one, erected around 1130) is open to the entire height of the building. The church is small, two rows of pillars give the stave church a resemblance to a Romanesque basilica. The church is famous for the carved panels known from ancient times. Urnes carving "animal style" is widely spread in Scandinavia. Characteristic features of this style are the asymmetry and undulation of the ornament. It is not immediately possible to catch the main plot - a creature that looks like either a lion or a dog, entangled in snakes.
In the picture: Carved panel of the Stave Church in Urnes
Other sights of Bergen
Bergen Cathedral
Bergen Cathedral- Lutheran Cathedral. The first stone temple on this site is dated by historians to the middle of the 12th century. First mentioned in 1181 as the church of St. Olaf. Burned in 1248, 1270 and 1463. In 1537 it acquired the status of a cathedral, and in the 1550s it was rebuilt. Updated after the fires of 1623 and 1640; this period includes the replacement of the spire with a turret. In the 1880s, the Baroque interior was remade in the spirit of the Middle Ages. A cannonball from the Battle of Bergen in 1665 (Second Anglo-Dutch War) was stuck in the cathedral wall. The cathedral has an organ, organ music concerts are periodically held.
Trollhaugen ("Troll Hill")
The house of the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, located near his hometown Bergen. The ashes of the composer and his wife are buried in a rock near the house. The house, the working hut, the estate and the surrounding area are now an open museum of Grieg.
The composer called this house his best creation and actively participated in its creation, the building was designed by his second cousin, the talented architect Shak Bull. The villa was built in the then fashionable Victorian style with a spacious veranda and a tower. A flagpole was installed on the roof of the tower, from where the Norwegian flag fluttered every time Grieg was at home. Large windows allow you to enjoy the beautiful Norwegian nature even from the inside, and also let in a lot of light and air into the house. Rooms with high ceilings of 4 m, comfortable furniture and a beautiful view from the windows of the small bay of Nurosvannet have preserved a special atmosphere. The first floor is open to the public.
Not far from the house, Edvard Grieg built a small outbuilding (the Composer's Hut), where he could retire and where much of his work was created. In 1985, the Trollsalen concert hall was built in a small valley not far from the villa. Near the entrance to the concert hall there is a monument to Edvard Grieg by Ingebrigt Wieck. Around 300 classical music concerts are held in Trollsalen every year.
Norwegian Naval Academy
Naval Higher educational institution for the training of officers for the Norwegian Navy. Training at the academy for 3 years. During this time, the cadets study the operational and tactical conduct of hostilities, the logistics of the fleet, navigation, mechanics and electronics, economics and command and control disciplines, etc. After graduating from this naval school, the cadets receive both a military officer rank and the title bachelor.
In the picture: Solveig Krei is the world's first female submarine commander.
Other sights in Norway
Lofoten Islands
Archipelago in the Norwegian Sea. The islands are rocky and separated from each other mainly by narrow straits. They are separated from mainland Norway by the Vestfjord Strait.
The area of the archipelago is 1227 km², and its population is 24.5 thousand people. The main occupations of the inhabitants are fishing and sheep breeding. Dried Atlantic cod made by the Lofoten people is widely known.
The archipelago consists of several large islands and many islets and rocks. Between the islands of Ferø and Moskenese is the famous maelström whirlpool.
December 1, 2007 was opened road, which connected the largest islands of the archipelago with the mainland of Norway. The construction of the road included the construction of several tunnels and bridges, including one of the largest frame-cantilever bridges - the Raftsundet Bridge.
Preikestolen ("Pulpit Rock")
This is a giant cliff 604 m high above the Lysefjord. The top of the cliff is approximately 25x25 meters square and almost flat. From the cliff overlooking the fjord, a magnificent view opens up, and thanks to him the rock is known as one of the main natural attractions of Norway.
"Fram"
Norwegian wooden motor-sailing schooner, specially built for the needs of polar research, in particular, long-term drift in pack ice. Designer - Colin Archer, the author of the project was Fridtjof Nansen. Since its construction, the ship has been state property. On the "Fram" in 1893-1912. were committed three expeditions to the North and South Poles: 1893-1896 under Fridtjof Nansen, 1898-1902 under the leadership of Otto Sverdrup, 1910-1912, led by Roald Amundsen.
Fram Museum
Museum in Oslo dedicated to the history of Norwegian polar expeditions. It is a glass tent directly on the shore of the Oslofjord, in which F. Nansen's expedition ship Fram is exhibited.
Nidaros Cathedral
Lutheran Cathedral in Nidaros (Trondheim), the most significant church in Norway, the coronation site of Norwegian monarchs.
The construction of the cathedral began in 1070 g. at the burial site Olaf Saint who fell at the Battle of Stiklastadir (1030). The construction was completed around 1300. The cathedral suffered from fires several times, as a result of which it was rebuilt several times. The last major restoration began in 1869
and officially ended 2001.
The cathedral is made in the Gothic and Romanesque style. Its western facade is decorated with figures of monarchs, saints and images of Christ, while the interior is decorated with stained-glass windows installed in the 20th century. The temple contains two organs and the relics of St. Eystein Erlendsson. The cathedral is a popular tourist attraction in Trondheim, with over 40,000 tourists from all over the world visiting it every year.
Viking Ship Museum
It is located within Oslo, in which, since 1926, famous ships Vikings: Tyun ship, Gokstad ship and Oseberg ship. It is part of the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo.
Oslo Opera House
The National Opera House of Norway is located in the center of Oslo, on the banks of the Oslo Fjord. The theater was built with state budget funds and is a public institution managed by the Norwegian government. Venue of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet and the Norwegian Academic Opera.
Akershus (fortress)
King is considered the founder of the castle Hakon V the Saint. Together with the fortress in Tønsberg, Norway, they were the strongest strongholds in Scandinavia. According to legend, the king laid the castle after he was attacked by Alf Erlingsson from Sarpsborg. This is the first time in the history of Norwegian architecture that the castle was built of brick and stone. The castle survived the siege of 1308 (Swedes). In 1527 the castle burned to the ground and was rebuilt from stone.
In 1624, King Christian IV founded a fortress near the walls new town, to which he gives his name - Christiania. After 1811 the castle was used as a royal prison. At the beginning of the XX century. a museum was founded on the territory of the castle. In 1940, the castle was captured by the Germans for 5 years: the Gestapo was stationed here.
Restoration work was carried out here until 1976, now official events are held here.
Norwegian monarchs are buried in the castle chapel.
Munch Museum
Museum in Oslo, which collects, processes and popularizes the work of the Norwegian artist and graphic artist Edvard Munch.
At present, the museum fund consists of about 1100 paintings, 4500 drawings, 18000 graphic files. In addition to the artist's works, the museum contains several personal belongings of the artist, including those that he bequeathed to the city after his death (1944). The museum was solemnly opened in 1963.
Edvard Munch(1863-1944) - Norwegian painter and graphic artist, theater artist, art theorist. One of the first representatives of expressionism. His work has influenced contemporary art. Munch's work is covered by the motives of death, loneliness, but at the same time, the thirst for life.
Munch's most famous painting is The Scream.
Rondane (national park)
National park in central Norway, in the Rondane mountain range. The very first national park Norway, founded in 1962
Vikingskipet (Viking ship)
Indoor skating rink in Hamar. Built for the Winter Olympics 1994 for competitions in speed skating. At various times, the skating rink is reequipped for cycling competitions, as well as exhibitions and concerts. Situated at a height 125 m above sea level.
Troll Wall
Part of the Trolltinden mountain range. Located on the west coast of Norway, in the Ramsdal region. Has a height 1100 m above sea level. The highest stone wall in Europe.
This is one of the most famous and difficult climbing walls in the world, especially considering that there are frequent collapses here. One of the largest took place in the autumn of 1998. Now there are 14 routes on the wall of various lengths and degrees of difficulty. Some can be overcome without special training in one or two days, the conquest of others can take several weeks and is associated with a risk to life.
The Troll Wall is very popular with basers ( extreme view a sport that uses a special parachute for jumping from fixed objects). At the same time, the Troll Wall is one of the most difficult objects for BASE jumps due to ledges up to 50 m. The first BASE jump was made there in the early eighties. In 1986, the Norwegian authorities passed a law banning BASE jumping at this site due to the high number of accidents, although this did not stop many. 1984 jump from Troll Wall kills father of base jumping Carl Benish.
Museum "Kon-Tiki"
Museum dedicated to life and work Thor Heyerdahl. Located in Oslo on the Bygdøy peninsula, next to the Fram Museum. The main exhibit of the museum is the Kon-Tiki raft, on which Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific Ocean in 1947.
The museum exposition includes ships and objects used during all the expeditions of Thor Heyerdahl - Kon-Tiki, Fatu-Khiva, Ra and Ra II, Tigris, as well as travels to Easter Island. The museum has a special room for temporary exhibitions. Part of the exposition - a 30-meter exhibition of caves - is built in the likeness of the caves on Easter Island. The underwater part of the museum's exposition depicts a scene from the expedition on the Kon-Tiki raft, when fish of various species, including the whale shark, darted under the raft. The museum has a cinema and a gift shop.
Grieghallen (Grig's Concert Hall)
Concert Hall at 1500 seats in Bergen. The building was designed by Danish architect Knud Munk. The hall was opened in 1978 and has been home to the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra ever since. It was the venue for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1986. The hall hosts the annual Norwegian Brass Band Championship.
City Hall (Oslo)
The monumental building of the meetings of the city council of the Norwegian capital. It is world famous as the site of the annual Nobel Peace Prize. The official opening of the building took place on May 15, 1950. The building was erected in a fusion of various architectural styles: national romanticism, functionalism and neoclassicism.
History of Norway
Old Norse society
The ancestors of modern Norwegians belonged to a separate Scandinavian tribe, related to the Danes and Angles.
How was Norway settled? Historians have different opinions on this. It is authentically known that the very first people came to Norway more 10000-9000 years ago and settled in the area of the villages of Komsa in Finnmark and Fosna in Nurmør. These places gave their name to the first Norwegian hunter-gatherer cultures. According to the sagas, the Norwegians occupied the area from the southern part of the Vike Bay to Drontheim, but, like the Goths and the Swedes, they did not have a centralized power. The population was divided into separate groups (fylks). Each county had its own king, or jarl. Several counts were united into one general assembly - Ting. Later the country was divided into four large districts, each with its own separate Thing, with its own separate laws and customs.
Thus, the ancient Norwegian society consisted of two classes: princes and free settlers, or peasants.
Viking Age
Already in 8th century. Norwegians began to terrify neighboring countries with their raids. Sometimes the kings themselves went on a campaign for conquest or robbery, wanting to glorify their name. Only those expeditions that were undertaken under the command of princes, who were called sea kings, were called honorary. Two periods of Viking expeditions are distinguished: in the first, the Norwegians sail across the sea in small detachments, attack only the coasts and islands and retire home when winter sets in; in the second period, they gather in large armies, go far from the coast, stay for the winter in the country that they plunder, take possession of it, build fortifications there, and settle in them. This period begins in some of the lands visited by the Vikings earlier, in others later - in Ireland in 835, at the mouth of the Loire - about the same time, in England and along the lower reaches of the Seine - in 851. The Norwegians even attacked the territory of present-day Turkey, where they were attracted by the riches of Constantinople. At the end of the ninth century Norway rallied into one kingdom, and since then there is more reliable information about her fate.
The first king of the Westerfjord, who left a memory of himself, was Halfdan the Black. His son Harald(863) continued the work begun by his father, subordinating neighboring jarls and kings to his power and establishing autocracy in Norway. He made a complete revolution in the economic and social order country. He divided the country into 16 kingdoms (he allocated a kingdom to each son), but in the year of Harald's death (936), his illegitimate son was elected king Hokan. He, as well as subsequent kings, tried to introduce Christianity into Norway, but to no avail.
Only Olaf II Tolstoy he succeeded, he crushed the age-old resistance of the people to the new faith. Having approved Christianity, Olaf changed the laws of the country according to the new conditions of life and drew up a church code. The powerful families, which enjoyed complete independence under his ancestors, had to submit to him. He destroyed the heredity of the positions of landermen and brutes. Even the title of Jarl was destroyed; Jarl began to be called the closest assistant to the king in war and in peacetime.
IN 14th century the throne of Norway passed into the Swedish line, and both countries retained their laws and their supreme councils. Norway had 4 local councils and one general council, which met for the most part in Bergen. More big cities had their own government.
Unions with Denmark and Sweden
Since the election Magnus Ericsson the history of Norway is inseparably connected with the history of other Scandinavian states and loses its independent significance. Norway was under the control of Sweden, participating in the wars of Sweden, on long time the development of Norwegian trade was delayed. In Norway, all power was concentrated in the hands of officials; there was no aristocracy, no permanent popular assembly, which could oppose them, although the peasants and the cities retained their original liberties. In 1349, the plague broke out, killing more than a third of the country's population.
Kalmar Union brought little benefit to the Scandinavian states (Kalmar Union- personal union of the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden under the supreme authority of the Danish kings (1397-1523). Countries sacrificed their sovereignty but retained broad autonomy. The divergence of interests (especially Sweden's dissatisfaction with the dominance of Denmark) led to a conflict and the final collapse of the union in 1523). Throughout the 15th century and until 1536 the Norwegians did not cease to be agitated and indignant against any encroachment on their rights. They recognized the Danish kings only after long hesitation and resistance. The Norwegians were especially outraged by the fact that their most important and ancient colonies, the Orkney and Shetland Islands, were given by Christian I in 1468 as a pledge to the Scottish king and have not been redeemed since then, so that they remained in the possession of Scotland. There were constant armed uprisings against foreigners.
After the Danish king Christian II, expelled from Denmark and supported by Norway, was captured by the Danes and deposed, the Danish Rigsdag in 1536, contrary to the Kalmar Union, turned Norway from an equal member of the union into a subject province. IN late XVIII in., Norway had to suffer a lot during the wars between Denmark and England, then the spirit of nationality and love for freedom especially woke up in them. The spirit of national independence spoke with particular force when the Norwegians learned that the Danish king, forced to do so by Sweden, after a stubborn struggle, ceded his rights to Norway to the Swedish king, according to the Kiel Treaty of 1814.
Norway in the 19th century
According to the Kiel Treaty, "Norway should belong to the King of Sweden and be a kingdom united with Sweden, and the new king is obliged to rule Norway as an independent state, according to its own laws, liberties, rights and privileges." The Norwegians opposed the Kiel Treaty. The ruler of Norway at that time was a 28-year-old prince Christian Friedrich, distinguished by determination and energy.
Convinced of the unshakable determination of the Norwegians to prevent the country from turning into a Swedish province, the prince convened the highest dignitaries of Norway, provided them with all the documents regarding the Swedish-Danish agreement, declared himself regent for the period of the interregnum and invited the Norwegians to elect representatives to the Diet in Eidsvold, authorized to develop a new constitution. After that, the troops and the civil guard in the square solemnly swore to defend the independence of Norway: this oath was repeated after them by the people and the prince regent, who swore allegiance in the churches. Elections were held for a national constituent assembly. On April 10, the meeting was opened, and a draft constitution was drafted in a committee of 15 persons. On May 19, 1814, Prince Regent Christian Friedrich was unanimously elected King of Norway. But the Swedish government decided to go on a campaign to take control of Norway. Norway was not able to fight with Sweden, and King Christian freed the people from the oath, and he himself renounced power. The Storting accepted the resignation of King Christian and elected Charles XIII as the constitutional king of Norway by virtue of the Norwegian constitution. The crown prince conveyed the king's written oath "to govern Norway in accordance with its constitution and its laws"; members of the Storting took an oath of allegiance to the constitution and the king. But the great hopes were not destined to come true. Sweden began to pursue its favorite idea - the conquest of Norway, and Norway to defend its independence. The struggle lasted the entire XIX century, and only on August 13 1905 a popular vote was held to break the union with Sweden; The referendum was preceded by passionate agitation. The result exceeded expectations: 321,197 votes were cast in favor of a break with Sweden, only 161 votes were against; 81% of all eligible voters took part in the voting.
Norway in the 20th century
In the XX century. the state was going through the same problems as its Scandinavian neighbors: on the one hand, they were going through a period of turbulent economic development, on the other hand, they lagged behind the most developed countries of that time and were not among the powers that decided the fate of world politics.
Since the invasion April 9, 1940., Norway was under military occupation by German troops and German civil administration in cooperation with a pro-German puppet government. Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany ended 8 May 1945 after the surrender of German troops in Europe. June 7, 1945. After 5 years of exile, King Haakon VII returns to his homeland.
Gradually, Norway becomes a developed European country.
Pictured: Norwegian oil platform Statfjord
Flag and coat of arms of the Kingdom of Norway May 23rd, 2014
Hello dear!
Speaking of Norway, one should not forget about the very basics - the symbolism of this wonderful Scandinavian state.
On the one hand, it is quite unpretentious. But on the other hand, not everything is so simple.Let's start with the state flag.
In order to understand what's what, you need to dig a little into the history of Norway. A long time ago, the tribes inhabiting the current territory of this state were divided into 30 separate groups, which were called counts. Each county had its own leader, who was called jarl (prince). To solve some important problems, or to repel external aggression, several counties united in the so-called Ting - a sort of version of our Russian Veche. In the 10th century Harald I Beautiful-haired, which we have already talked about here:.He united many counties and tings and became the first king (king) of Norway, reduced the rank of jarl to the head of the army.
National flag of Norway
Much time has passed since then, but for almost 10 centuries of its history, Norway has been very closely, one might even say inextricably linked with its other Scandinavian neighbors - Denmark and Sweden. At least 3 times they were single state and the influence of one country on another was very, very great.
Unlike the Danish flag, the color is more reddish. Sometimes this shade is called "Norwegian".
The white cross denotes an inextricable connection with the Danish people, the blue one - the Swedish Bernadotte dynasty, which by the middle of the 19th century ruled the country and, of course, the connection with the Swedish people.
flag during the Swedish-Norwegian Union
The cross itself naturally denotes adherence to Christian values. The blue-red-white colors also initially alluded to France as a symbol of freedom, equality and fraternity.
I am saying this now that the flag of Norway has a direct connection with the state banners of Sweden and Denmark. If you take a closer look, then in principle this is the union of the oldest flag in Europe - the Dannebrog (a red Danish banner with a cross), and the Swedish Scandinavian cross. According to one of the legends, the Dannebrog fell at the feet of the Danish king.Valdemar II the Conqueror, when he prayed to heaven for victory over his enemies, standing on a hillTompea, in the center of modern Tallinn. This banner provided the basis for most of the state symbols of the North of Europe and introduced the very concept of the Scandinavian cross, that is such a cross on the flag, the vertical crosspiece of which is shifted towards the pole edge of the cloth.
1850 flag variant
Until 1844, the Dannebrog was used in Norway with the Norwegian coat of arms (we will talk about it below) in the roof. From 1844 to 1899, the coat of arms in the roof was replaced by the common banner of the Swedish-Norwegian Union.
And only with the beginning of the 20th century, the flag acquired the form that we see today.
State banner of the Kingdom of Norway
By the way, it should be noted that a simple rectangular panel with proportions 16:27
is national.
But the state and military is the flag, which in vexillology is called a banner with 3 braids
Coat of arms.
The Norwegian coat of arms is simple and easy to remember. This is one of the oldest coats of arms in Europe, and therefore in the world.
The lion appeared on the seals of the rulers of Norway as early as the 12th century under Sverr Sigurdsson. His grandson (illegitimate, by the way) Haakon the Old finally approved the lion standing on its hind legs as a symbol of the Norwegians.
In the form in which we know it now (with minor changes), the coat of arms appeared in 1280, when King Eric II Magnusson added a crown and a battle ax to the paws to the lion. A battle ax (axe) in the paws of a crowned animal for a reason. The ax is a sign of the heavenly patron of Norway, Olaf II, who during his lifetime was called Tolstoy, and after his death was called Saint. This restless and interesting warrior, which I think we will talk about separately sometime, was just killed by this weapon. 
Here are the variations.
However, further the coat of arms was slightly modified. Firstly, for some reason, they abandoned the Varangian form of the shield, and most importantly, the farther, the more the edged weapons in the paws of the lion changed. First, its shaft was lengthened, then it bent more and more. And finally, the ax turned into a halberd.
Finally Haakon VII in 1905 returned the first form of the coat of arms, which is still used today. Everything was finally legalized by Decree in 1937.Varangian shield - in a scarlet field, a crowned golden lion with a silver ax in its front paws. The shield is topped with a royal crown.
Have a nice day!
Coat of arms of Norway- one of the oldest European emblems. It originates from the coat of arms of the royal family. The modern version has been officially valid since May 20, 1992.
Haakon the Old used a lion shield. The earliest surviving information about its flowers is contained in the Royal Saga, written in 1220.
The design of the coat of arms has consistently changed over the years. In the late Middle Ages, the handle of the ax gradually lengthened, the ax became like a halberd. The handle was usually curved according to the shape of the shield or coin. Officially, the halberd was replaced by an ax by decree of the king in 1844. In 1905, the type of coat of arms for the king and government was again changed, the medieval pattern was returned, with a triangular shield and a vertically standing lion. The artist Elif Petersen was responsible for this drawing. A simplified version was introduced in 1937 and slightly modified with the king's permission on May 20, 1992.
The shield is always depicted surmounted by a royal crown. However, during World War II, Quisling decided to use the uncrowned coat of arms as official.
The lion has been used on the coat of arms of the royal house since 1905. Around the shield is the ribbon of the Order of St. Olaf. The shield is mounted on a royal ermine cloak and surmounted by the Norwegian royal crown.
Coat of arms of Norway 1733
Coat of arms of Norway, used since 1905
Flag of Norway- red cloth with blueScandinavian cross on a white lining. From 1748 to 1814 year under conditions Danish-Norwegian unionNorwegian ships sailed under the Danish flag (Dannebrog). IN 1814 year when King of Norway became King Sweden, the Norwegians got the right to use this flag by adding to itnorwegian golden lioncrowned and holding an axe. But the struggle for their flag continued, and in
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