As far as palaces go, the official royal residence in Oslo is a modestly sized building. Did you know that it was built by a French general?
The royal palace in Oslo | Built by a French general
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Places monuments structures
Paestum – Italy | A place of majesty and beauty
If you are ever in the Italian Campania-region, we recommend a visit to the ancient Greek temple-ruins at Paestum. It is a mesmerising place.
Heddal stave church | A divine building built by a troll
The Heddal stave church – stavkirke – is Norway’s largest remaining building of its kind. It is a wooden masterpiece, with a history that stretches back more than 800 years.
Fridtjof Nansen and his Arctic mission impossible
In 1893, Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen and his crew set out on a three-year expedition; aboard a ship locked in by the slow-moving Arctic Ocean ice.
Skibladner | Norway’s oldest paddle steamer still in service
Skibladner is one of the world’s oldest paddle steamers still in regular service. Her launch was in 1856, and she sails on Norway’s largest lake, Mjøsa.
The global seed vault | An Arctic Noah’s ark
On an island in the Arctic Ocean, deep inside a mountain, we find the Svalbard Global Seed Vault – a treasure trove of food-plant seeds from all over the world.
Bergen – Norway | Historical city once plundered by pirates
Bergen is Norway’s second-largest city and one of the country’s oldest urban locations. The first post-viking king, Olav Kyrre, gave it market-town-status around AD 1070.
The old Norwegian farm | Farmhands could only leave twice a year
Summer and winter Today, the Norwegians think of the year in terms of 4 main seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. But the old Norwegian...
Norwegian Buhund | Herding dog and keeper of ancient traditions
A Buhund is not necessarily equal to a buhund When we talk about a Norwegian buhund, we must distinguish between: The spitz dog type and its place...
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Norwegian railway history | The pioneer era 1851-1868
Preparing for progress For thousands of years, the Norwegians relied on boats, horses, reindeer, and their own two feet to transport both goods and...
Norwegian to English dictionary | The best for genealogists?
In North America and other parts of the world, there are millions of descendants of the nearly 1 million Norwegians who emigrated in the 1800s and...
The Sami | The Sami flag days calendar
The Sami flag days calendar lists the official flag days across Sapmi: the historical Sami territories located across Norway, Sweden, Finland, and...
The old Norwegian farm | The Sortehaug farm saga
The municipality of Skodje Skodje is a municipality in the county of Møre og Romsdal, Norway (Sunnmøre). The administrative centre of the...
The Norwegian Fjord Horse | Almost as old as the mountains
Locked in by the landscape The Norwegian Fjord Horse, with its ancient features and markings, has roots that stretch back thousands of years. Its...
Norwegian ski history | Hunting in deep snow
Rock carvings found at Rødøy In 1933, ethnographer Gutorm Gjessing discovered the above rock carving on the island of Rødøy, in the Norwegian region...
The Norwegian kjenge | A wooden drinking bowl
Pronunciation Kjenge The kjenge is predominantly used for drinking beer. It is usually round, whereas the kane has a more elongated shape, like a...
Childhood Christmas memories from northern Norway
This post is based on the childhood memories of Othilie Johnsen, born 1894 in Kiby, Finnmark, Thomas Johansen, born 1883 in Kvalnes, Nordland, and...
The old Norwegian farm | How machinery changed the landscape
A patchwork of fields When we travel through today's Norwegian agricultural landscape, we often see large and undulating fields with well-sifted...
Uff da! | What does the Norwegian expression mean?
Pronunciation Uff da! Variations Uff da! is usually said in a deep voice, and in a drawn-out and comforting way. But the response can also be quick...
Stabbur | The food storehouse on the old Norwegian farm
Keeping the rodents out The Norwegians placed the stabbur on top of wooden stilts or boulders; specifically designed to keep rodents and other...
The Norwegian summer pasture farm | Preserving milk in a bog
Bogmilk The Norwegian word myrmelk is composed of two words: myr + melk = myrmelk. Myr means peat bog or wetland - and melk means milk, so in...
Fridtjof Nansen and his Arctic mission impossible
No land mass under the ice Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) was a Norwegian zoologist, Arctic explorer, great humanitarian, diplomat, and Nobel Peace...
The old Norwegian farm | Memories from Værøy in Lofoten
Værøy is a small island municipality at the very tip of the Lofoten archipelago - in the region of Nordland, Norway. Surrounded by the might of the...
Muskox | Norwegian man killed in 1964 muskox attack
Driven away from the herd After several attempts, the muskox species was successfully introduced into the Norwegian fauna around 1950. Its main...
Skibladner | Norway’s oldest paddle steamer still in service
The great Lake Mjøsa It was on the great Lake Mjøsa that Skibladner went on her maiden voyage in 1856, as both a passenger and a freight vessel. And...
Norwegian food and drink | The Viking pizza
Norway’s new national dish In today’s Norway, people eat pizza like never before. Jokingly, it is said to be Norway’s new national dish. But...
Norway’s 5 largest lakes
A land full of water Norway is a land full of water; and whether you are walking through an open, mountainous landscape - or find yourself deep...
Norwegian history timeline | From the ice ages until today
Norwegian historians divide the thousands of years between then and today into sub-periods, characterised by how people lived and the cultures that...
When a bear attacked Norwegian milkmaid Kari Moen in 1836
On her way to the mountain pasture farm One early summer's day in 1836, milkmaid - budeie - Kari Moen was on her way to the Sauherad mountains, to...
Klippfisk | What is Norwegian klipfish?
Can be stored for years The art of drying food is one of humankind’s oldest preservation methods. Fresh meat and fish are highly perishable, but...
Norway | A land of water
With its mountains, fjords, and forests, Norway represents one of our planet’s many majestic faces. The Kingdom of Norway, located on the western...
Norwegian words | Skårfast | Stuck on a mountain ledge
Getting to know the word Skårfast is composed of two words: skår + fast = skårfast In this context, skår – a noun - means a steep mountain or...
Norwegian words | Uekte – ekte | Illegitimate – legitimate
Old Norwegian birth records In old Norwegian birth records, you normally find one of two words recorded next to the name of every newborn child:...
A Norwegian’s take on the lead-up to the Black Death
The Black Death may have been one of the worst disasters ever to have hit humankind. In the mid-1300s, this bubonic plague went like fire across...
The old Norwegians needed no money
Picture this; the year is AD 1478. A family lives on a small farm in a mountainous part of Norway. The holding consists of a few simple buildings,...
The old Norway – and its last army of storytellers
Our humble beginnings Today, we have forgotten that the humans were also once a wild animal. Every single being was firmly connected to Mother Earth...
Norwegian to English dictionary | The best for genealogists?
In North America and other parts of the world, there are millions of descendants of the nearly 1...