The Nobel Peace Center (Norwegian : Nobels Fredssenter) in Oslo, Norway, is a showcase for the Nobel Peace Prize and the ideals it represents. The center is also an arena where culture and politics merge to promote involvement, debate and reflection around topics such as war, peace and conflict resolution. [1] The center is located in Oslo, Norway at the City Hall Square (Rådhusplassen). [2]
The Nobel Peace Center was opened in 2005 by His Majesty King Harald V of Norway in a ceremony attended by the royal families of Norway and Canada. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai was also present. The Center welcomes app 250.000 visitors per year and is one of Norway's most visited museums. The Nobel Peace Center is located in the former Oslo Vestbanestasjon (Oslo West railway station) building. Dating from 1872, the former station building was drawn by architect Georg Andreas Bull (1829–1917). It ceased to be used as a railway station in 1989. It is overlooking the harbor and located close to the Oslo City Hall where the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony takes place every 10 December, to commemorate Alfred Nobel's death. [3] [4]
British architect David Adjaye is responsible for the center's creative design, including its color schemes; the American designer David Small developed its hi-tech installations. The Nobel Peace Center is financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Culture, private sponsors and admission fees. Temporary exhibitions are fully sponsored. [5]
The Center presents the Nobel Peace Prize laureates and their work, in addition to telling the story of Alfred Nobel and the other Nobel prizes. This is done using multimedia and interactive technology, exhibitions, meetings, debates, theater, concerts and conferences, as well as a broad educational program and regular guided tours. [6]
The Nobel Peace Center is a foundation and part of a network of Nobel institutions represented externally by the Nobel Foundation, which also administers informational activities and arrangements surrounding the presentation of the Nobel Prize. Kjersti Fløgstad is director of the Nobel Peace Center. Olav Njølstad is chairman of the center's board, which is appointed by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
The Nobel Prizes are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist most famously known for the invention of dynamite. He died in 1896. In his will, he bequeathed all of his "remaining realisable assets" to be used to establish five prizes which became known as "Nobel Prizes". Nobel Prizes were first awarded in 1901.
The University of Oslo is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick University, the university was established in 1811 as the de facto Norwegian continuation of Denmark-Norway's common university, the University of Copenhagen, with which it shares many traditions. It was named for King Frederick VI of Denmark and Norway, and received its current name in 1939. The university was commonly nicknamed "The Royal Frederick's" before the name change, and informally also referred to simply as Universitetet.
The Nobel Prize in Physics is a yearly award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions for humankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901, the others being the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Physics is traditionally the first award presented in the Nobel Prize ceremony.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee selects the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize each year on behalf of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel's estate, based on instructions of Nobel's will.
The Nobel Foundation is a private institution founded on 29 June 1900 to manage the finances and administration of the Nobel Prizes. The foundation is based on the last will of Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite.
Oslo City Hall is a municipal building in Oslo, the capital of Norway. It houses the city council, the city's administration and various other municipal organisations. The building as it stands today was constructed between 1931 and 1950, with an interruption during the Second World War. It was designed by architects Arnstein Arneberg and Magnus Poulsson. The building is located in the city center, in the northern part of the Pipervika neighbourhood, and it faces Oslofjord.
Oslo West Station or Oslo V, is a former railway station located in Vika in Oslo, Norway. It was the terminus of the Drammen Line between 1872 and 1980, until the Oslo Tunnel opened. The station remained in use until 1989, when all traffic was moved to the new Oslo Central Station. Until its closure it was the main station for trains on the Sørland Line, the Drammen Line and the Vestfold Line. There was no passenger rail connection to Oslo Ø, the eastern station that served the eastern lines and trains to Bergen. The only connection was the Oslo Port Line that went partially through some of the most trafficked streets in Oslo.
Skollenborg Station is a railway station located in the village of Skollenborg in Kongsberg, Norway. The station is on the Sørlandet Line railway. Skollenborg Station was served by local trains between Kongsberg via Oslo to Eidsvoll until December 2012.
Rådhusplassen is a square located between Oslo City Hall and the Oslofjord in Vika, Oslo, Norway. Previously used as a road and part of European route E18, it has since 1994 served as a recreational area. North of the square stands the city hall, to the south the fjord, to the east Akershus Fortress and to the east the former Western Railway Station.
Vika is a neighborhood in the Oslo city center in Norway. It is located between the Royal Palace, Oslo, Oslofjord, Aker Brygge, Pipervika, Slottsparken, Oslo City Hall, Oslo Concert Hall and borders on the north with Karl Johans gate, the main street of the city of Oslo which hosts Norwegian Parliament Building as well as known for being the hub to major Scandinavian brands, bars and hotels including Grand Hotel, the annual venue of the winner of Nobel Peace Prize and various state dignitaries.
Henrik Bull was a Norwegian architect and designer. Among his works are the Paulus Church at Grünerløkka in Oslo, the National Theater, the Historical Museum in Oslo, and the Government Building. He also designed coins for Norges Bank, and participated at the Kristiania Jubilée exhibition at Frogner during 1914. He directed the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry from 1912 to 1934.
Georg Andreas Bull was a Norwegian architect and chief building inspector in Christiania for forty years. He was among the major architects in the country, and performed surveying studies and archeological research.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature, peace, and physiology or medicine. This award is administered by the Nobel Foundation, and awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on proposal of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry which consists of five members elected by the Academy. The award is presented in Stockholm at an annual ceremony on 10 December, the anniversary of Nobel's death.
Villa Filipstad is a notable building in the neighborhood Filipstad in Oslo, Norway. It is located at Munkedamsveien 62. The villa is very prominent in the terrain, being situated atop a crag. It is similar to, and can be viewed from, Oscarshall across Frognerkilen.
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine and Literature. Since March 1901, it has been awarded annually to those who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses". The Oxford Dictionary of Contemporary History describes it as "the most prestigious prize in the world".
The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo on 8 October 2021. Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov received the prize "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace."
