2001 in Norway

← 2000 1999 1998 2001 in Norway → 2002 2003 2004
Centuries:	19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	List of years in Norway

Events in the year 2001 in Norway.

Incumbents

• Monarch – Harald V
• Prime Minister – Jens Stoltenberg (Labour Party) until 19 October, Kjell Magne Bondevik (Christian Democratic Party)

Events

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg (left) meets Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on 19 June 2001.

January

• 26 January: Murder of Benjamin Hermansen.

February

• February – Former Prime Minister, then foreign affairs minister Thorbjørn Jagland makes a political scandal when he jokingly refers to Gabon's president Omar Bongo, due for a state visit to Norway, as "Bongo from Congo". ^[1]
• February – Around 40,000 people in Oslo march in a rally to express their outrage and devastation over the racially motivated murder in Holmlia, Oslo of a young black Norwegian boy, Benjamin Hermansen at the hands of a group af neo-Nazis. Marches take place simultaneously all over Norway.

March

• 25 March – The Schengen Agreement treaty comes into force in Norway.

June

• 18 June – The state-owned oil and gas company Statoil is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.

August

• August – The Bratsberg Line in Nedre Telemark closes down. It was opened in 1917.
• 25 August – Wedding of Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, and Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby.

September

• 10 September – The 2001 Norwegian parliamentary election takes place. The Norwegian Labour Party won a plurality of votes and seats, closely followed by the Conservative Party. The Labour Party was unable to form a government, and a centre-right coalition of the Conservative Party, the Christian People's Party and the Liberal Party was formed, led by Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik of the Christian Democratic Party.

October

• 19 October – Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik's Second Cabinet was appointed.

November

• 3 November – Population Census: 4,520,900 inhabitants in Norway.
• 17 November – Eurasian harvest mouse is observed in Norway for the first time.

Popular culture

Music

Main article: 2001 in Norwegian music

• Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001

Film

Main article: Norwegian films of the 2000s (decade) § 2001

Literature

• Jan Kjærstad is awarded the Nordic Council Literature Prize, for The Discoverer . ^[2]

Television

Main article: 2001 in Norwegian television

Notable births

• 12 January – Vilde Nilsen, Paralympic cross-country skier and biathlete
• 16 April – Mia Svele, handball player
• 14 July – Maren Grøthe, politician. ^[3]

Notable deaths

January to June

Rønnaug Alten

• 12 January – Gunnar Olram, actor and stage director (born 1908). ^[4]
• 17 January – Sigurd Vestad, cross country skier (born 1907)
• 20 January – Rønnaug Alten, actress (born 1910). ^[5]
• 26 January – Benjamin Hermansen, murder victim (born 1985)
• 4 February – Asbjørn Antoni Holm, politician (born 1921)
• 8 February – Ivo Caprino, film director and writer (born 1920)
• 8 February – Torkell Tande, politician (born 1901)
• 13 February – Knut Theodor Gleditsch, sports commentator (born 1938) ^[6]
• 14 February – Olav Reiersøl, statistician and econometrician (born 1908)
• 8 March – David Sandved, architect (born 1912)
• 11 March – Finn Ferner, sailor and Olympic silver medallist (born 1920)
• 22 March – Rolf Birger Pedersen, football player and coach (born 1939)
• 28 March – Alf Frotjold, trade unionist (born 1929) ^[7]
• 29 March – Helge Ingstad, explorer (born 1899)
• 4 April – Sverre Engen, skier, ski coach, ski area manager and filmmaker in America (born 1911)
• 10 April – Knut Andreas Knudsen, politician (born 1919)
• 12 April – Reidar Hirsti, newspaper editor and politician (born 1925)
• 24 April – Gro Anita Schønn, singer (born 1950). ^[8]
• 26 April – Sverre Walter Rostoft, politician and Minister (born 1912)
• 7 May – Thor Støre, politician (born 1924)
• 19 May – Vidkunn Hveding, politician and Minister (born 1921)
• 27 May – Knut Myrstad, politician (born 1913)
• 5 June – Sigmund P. Haave, politician (born 1916)
• 14 June – Andreas Wormdahl, politician (born 1911)

July to December

Jakob Weidemann

• 2 July – Fredrik Stabel, illustrator and satirical writer (born 1914). ^[9]
• 15 July – Helge Rognlien, politician and Minister (born 1920)
• 21 July – Gudmund Grytøyr, politician (born 1920)
• 24 July – Sven Olsen, politician (born 1922)
• 31 August – Odd Steinar Holøs, politician (born 1922)
• 6 September – Dagny Hald, ceramist (born 1936). ^[10]
• 12 October – Gunnar Thorleif Hvashovd, politician (born 1924)
• 27 October – Ellisiv Steen, literary scholar (b. 1908). ^[11]
• 1 November – Engly Lie, politician (born 1919)
• 3 November – Liv Paulsen, sprinter and shot putter (born 1925).
• 8 November – Alf Hellevik, philologist (born 1909). ^[12]
• 18 November – Roar Hauglid, art historian (born 1910). ^[13]
• 1 December – Olav Mosebekk, illustrator and painter (born 1910). ^[14]
• 10 December – Knut Fægri, botanist (born 1909)
• 15 December – Leif Kolflaath, politician (born 1927)
• 19 December – Jakob Weidemann, painter (born 1923)
• 28 December – Arne Rettedal, politician and Minister (born 1926)

Full date unknown

• Odd Abrahamsen, poet (born 1924)
• Håkon Flood, professor of inorganic chemistry (born 1905)
• Henriette Bie Lorentzen, humanist, peace activist, feminist and editor (born 1911)
• Anfinn Lund, civil servant and politician (born 1926)
• Nils Slaatto, architect (born 1923)

References

1. "Ytterst pinlig" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 7 February 2001. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
2. "Nordic Council Literature Prize". norden.org. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
3. "Grøthe, Maren (2001-)". stortinget.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 15 October 2021.
4. Bolstad, Erik (ed.). "Gunnar Olram". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
5. Larsen, Svend Erik Løken. "Rønnaug Alten". In Bolstad, Erik (ed.). Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
6. "Markant sportsreporter". Asker og Bærums budstikke (in Norwegian). No. 38. 14 February 2001. p. 6.
7. Hansen, Stig-Audun (1999). "Alf Frotjold (1929–2001)". Arbeiderhistorie (in Norwegian) (2001): 252–253.
8. Bergan, Jon Vidar. "Gro Anita Schønn". In Bolstad, Erik (ed.). Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
9. Øystå, Øystein. "Fredrik Stabel". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
10. Linder, Mats. "Dagny Hald". In Bolstad, Erik (ed.). Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
11. Bolstad, Erik (ed.). "Ellisiv Andrea Steen". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
12. Bolstad, Erik (ed.). "Alf Hellevik". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
13. Opstad, Lauritz. "Roar Hauglid". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
14. Jensen, Lill-Ann. "Olav Mosebekk". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 6 November 2012.