Welcoming invitation to visit Norway’s culture featuring our guest Kristin Skjefstad Edibe : Although modern Norway has only existed for 200 years, the story of the Nordic lands is a long one. From the first settlers of this former glacial land to the modern era of engineering and technology, there’s so much to learn. The land now known as Norway emerged from the last Ice Age thanks to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. The glacial land became habitable from around 12,000 BC. The long coastline and good conditions for sealing, fishing and hunting attracted people in numbers. Although it is believed that people arrived earlier, the oldest human skeleton found in Norway was carbon dated to 6,600 BC. Find extra information on the subject here : Kristin Skjefstad Edibe.
Bergen and the western fjords : this is the place where historical World Heritage sites meet innovative fashion, trendy restaurants, and a progressive music scene in Norway’s second-largest city. You can visit some of the country’s top museums like KODE art museums and composer homes, get lost in squiggly cobblestone streets, and experience the city from above at one of the seven surrounding mountain tops. Bergen is the gateway to some of Norway’s most famous fjords, including the Sognefjord, Norway’s longest and deepest fjord, in the north, and the Hardangerfjord – where you’ll find the famous mountain plateau Trolltunga – in the south. Many of the fjords have sidearms that are at least as beautiful, but far less busy.
Home of Bocuse d’Or champions: Norwegian chefs have gained an excellent reputation abroad, with several wins and podium finishes at the world’s most prestigious culinary competition, the Bocuse d’Or awards. Since the competition was first held in 1987, Norway has won five gold, three silver, and four bronze medals, making Norway, together with France, the country with the most Bocuse d’Or awards. One of Norway’s most experienced competitive chefs, Christian André Pettersen, won his second bronze medal in the 2021 competition, after having also won bronze in 2019. Pettersen was awarded for his delicate and surprising flavours from the Arctic. Much of Pettersen’s inspiration comes from growing up with a Filipino chef mother and a Norwegian chef father in Bodø, just north of the Arctic circle. Norwegian cuisine is big and it’s here to stay. Have you booked your table yet?
Norway – a world class art destination. 1. MUNCH MUSEUM: Check out no less than three versions of the iconic painting The Scream at MUNCH in Oslo. 13 floors are dedicated to the famous expressionist painter Edvard Munch’s life and art. The highly distinctive museum building, designed by Estudio Herreros, has been specially designed for major art exhibitions. With its 26,313 square metres and 11 galleries, the museum is tailor-made for the world’s biggest collection of art by Munch, as well as works by other Modernist and contemporary artists, often related to Munch’s art. 2. The NATIONAL MUSEUM: More iconic Munch paintings await in the new National Museum, next to Rådhusplassen, the square by Oslo City Hall. Opened to the public on June 11, 2022 the biggest art museum in the Nordic countries exhibits highlights from its collection of more than 47,000 art works and objects. Here, you can experience art from famous international artists like Renoir and Monet, and of course works by Norwegian masters, including Harald Sohlberg’s Winter Night in the Mountains – sometimes referred to as “Norway’s national painting”. The museum’s collection includes the earliest versions of The Scream, by Edvard Munch.
Norwegian creativity, the lesser known of the Scandinavian arts and craft, has its own flavour reflecting the more reserved national temperament. A new wave of designers are making themselves heard, while the classic icons are rediscovered. Lighting, rainwear, wool and passports are among the Norwegian designs that are attracting worldwide attention. Many of the Norwegian designers are now working with the international market in mind, inspired by global trends. That means it can be difficult to define a unified Norwegian design, even though factors as nature-inspired forms, graceful lines and light are prominent. The Norwegian nature, weather and way of life have also set its mark on the work of many designers. It’s probably no coincidence that some of the most renowned clothing brands the last few years have produced rainwear, or warm garments made of wool. They make clothes for ordinary people with a sense of style, while luxury clothing made from Norwegian fashion designers are a rarity. Norwegian designers have worked a lot with lamps and lighting – perhaps natural considering the long and dark winters.
A design for life: It’s easy to think about furniture or electronic products when someone mentions the word “design”. However, more and more focus on schools such as The Oslo School of Architecture and Design has been on the role designers can have at problem solving in society in general – both in the private and public sectors. How can designers work to reduce emissions and contribute to a sustainable society? Or to build public spaces where children can move and play on their own terms? A much-discussed example of this was when a team of designers worked together with Oslo University Hospital on the process of cancer diagnosis, and the project managed to reduce the waiting time from 12 weeks to seven days. The design institute at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design is today ranked among the world’s best, and at The Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture (DOGA) you can experience exhibitions, conferences and other events that promote good use of design and architecture.
The most popular sport in Norway is, by far and away, football. While football only comes third by television viewership (after biathlon and cross-country skiing), the sport is the most popular one in terms of active membership, with 8.5 percent of the population playing it! Even though the national team is lesser known, Norway has produced famous players and managers such as Erling Haaland and Ole Gunnar Solskjær