Posts Tagged History
A few facts about ski jumping
- Olaf Rye, an officer in the Dano-Norwegian army, was the first known ski jumper. In 1809, he hopped 9.5m in front of fellow soldiers in Morgedal, Norway – the first ski jump ever recorded.
- The first international ski jumping competition was held in Husebyrennene, Oslo in 1879, with another Norwegian, Olaf Haugann, setting the first world record for the longest ski jump at 20m.
- The annual event was moved to Holmenkollen, Oslo, in 1892. The first competition there drew a crowd of 10,000, and was won by Svein Sollid from Morgedal in Telemark, Norway, with a 21.5m jump. Holmenkollen has remained the pinnacle of ski jumping venues ever since.
- Ski jumping has been an Olympic discipline since the first Winter Games in Chamonix Mont-Blanc in 1924. The Large Hill competition was included on the Olympic programme for the 1964 Olympic Games in Innsbruck.
- The winner in a ski jumping competition is decided on a scoring system based on distance, style, in-run length and wind conditions. In the individual event, the scores from a skier’s two jumps are combined to determine the winner.
- The first official jumper at the new Holmenkollen ski jump was Norway’s best woman ski jumper, 25-year-old Anette Sagen, who inaugurated the jump on 4 March 2010 with a 106.5m jump.
- The Holmenkolldagen Annual International Ski Jumping Competition, held in March each year, is also known as Norway’s second National Day, and draws tens of thousands to the hills above Oslo, where the ski jump is located. It is the world’s second oldest ski jump competition still in existence.
- The new Holmenkollen ski jump, designed by JDS Architects, cost 1 billion Norwegian kroner to build. The world’s most modern ski jump, it is completely built of steel, and lit up at night by powerful floodlights, hence its nickname, the Holmenkollen Fyr (Holmenkollen Lighthouse). The start house tower, 60m above the ground, affords great views of the Oslofjord in the background (Holmenkollen is located 375m above sea level).
- Ski jumping is a popular sport in Scandinavia and Central Europe (almost all world-class ski jumpers come from those regions, or from Japan), and during the season many events are broadcast live on Norwegian TV.
- The fact that ski jumping is the only sport where women are not allowed in the Olympic Games has become a major bone of contention as the field of elite female competitors has grown.
- Ski flying is an extreme version of ski jumping. The events take place in big hills with a K-spot of at least 185m (607 ft). It’s possible to fly over 200m (660 ft) in all the ski flying hills, and the current world record, set by Norwegian Bjørn Einar Romøren at Planica, Slovenia, in 2005, is 239m (784 ft).
- 145 years after the first ever ski jump took place in Norway, Oslo remains the undisputed capital of ski jumping, and Holmenkollen has become a national icon – over the years the arena has hosted nine different nordic skiing and biathlon world championships, including the 1952 Winter Olympics. The World Ski Championships will take place here in 2011.
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Want to try the Holmenkollen ski jump for yourself? Yes you can… Check this link out www.visitnorway.com/holmenkollen/
A history of Norway in 10 key dates
Posted by admin in History and architecture on March 10, 2010
- 800–1066 The Vikings invade Europe on their famous longships.
- 1030 Olaf Haraldsson is killed at the battle of Stiklestad. He was the driving force behind Norway’s conversion to Christianity, and was later canonized, and known as St Olav.
- 1349 The Black Plague kills half of Norway’s inhabitants.
- 1450 Norway becomes a subject of the Danish Crown. It will remain under its authority for almost 400 years.
- 1814 Secession from Denmark. The peace treaty of Kiel gives Norway to Sweden. The Norwegian constitution is written.
- 1825 First wave of Norwegian immigrations to the USA. The big exodus starts.
- 1905 The union with Sweden is dissolved and Norway becomes independent.
- 1960s Oil is found in the North Sea, a discovery that will change the fortunes of the country significantly.
- 1972 Norway votes against EU membership (it will do so again in 1994).
- 1994 The winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer.
Østfold in Pictures: Halden Fortress
Posted by admin in History and architecture, Photos and videos on March 1, 2010
Fredriksten Festning, Halden
Posted by admin in History and architecture on March 1, 2010
Halden Fortress, or rather Fredriksten Festning, to give it its real name, was built in the 17th century in a bid to protect the country’s border against attacks form its belligerent neighbour to the south. Perched on a hill facing Sweden across Iddefjord, one of eastern Norway’s deepest fjords, the fortress is quite a sight, particularly when lit up at night. It is used for many events throughout the year, including outdoor concerts and an opera festival in summer, and a Christmas market in December.
The fortress is open to visitors year round. You can join a guided tour (including a ghost tour for children) in season or explore the compound at your leisure, with or without an audioguide. Fredriksten fortress is home to a museum, several restaurants, a shop and a tourist information centre. In addition there is also a golf course and a campsite (open in season only) within the grounds, just outside the walls. The fortress is a hugely popular attraction – 290,000 people visited last year (2009), more than ever before. Entry is free (charge for the museum).
Birkebeinerne, by Knud Bergslien (1869)
Posted by admin in History and architecture, Sport on February 22, 2010
Norway and the Winter Olympics
Posted by admin in History and architecture, Sport on February 22, 2010
Day 11 of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and so far 5 gold medals, 3 silver and 4 bronze. It hasn’t been such a bad year for Norway after all, although some of the big favourites, Petter Northug among them, haven’t scored so well.
Here are, however, a few hugely impressive facts to ponder. It might be small (just about 4.7 million inhabitants), but Norway is the country that has won the most medals in the history of the Winter Olympics. A whopping 290 medals to date (and counting!), well ahead of the US in second position with 237, and the former Soviet Union with 217. So far Norway has won 103 gold medals in the Winter Olympics, again, well ahead of the US and the former Soviet Union (84 and 87 respectively). Well, they do say that Norwegians are ‘born with skis on their feet’… but still!
In terms of gold medals, the best games so far for Norway were Salt Lake City in 2002, when Norway scooped an unbelievable 13 gold medals (out of 25 medals they brought home). But the most successful games overall were the Lillehammer games in 1994, when Norway, which was competing on home turf, beat all other participating countries and topped the table with an impressive 26 medals, of which 10 gold!
Focus on Gamlebyen: The drawbridge
Posted by admin in History and architecture on February 3, 2010
The drawbridge, at the entrance to the Old Town, is the first thing visitors see on approaching Gamlebyen. As many as 30 soldiers were once required to raise the bridge at dusk and lower it at dawn. Anyone arriving after the bridge had been drawn would have to wait until the next day to get into the town. The bridge is still there, but because it’s built of wood it has burned down and been rebuilt many times. Today it’s a popular spot with locals, who come here to feed the ducks in summer, and take sunset pictures in winter. The guardhouse outside the bridge has been converted into a glassblower’s cabin. A selection of hand-blown glassware is on display – on certain days during the holidays you can even see the glassmith at work.
Jens Stoltenberg in Hvaler, Østfold
Posted by admin in Photos and videos, Uncategorized on January 26, 2010
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on January 26, 2010
Labour politician Jens Stoltenberg (born 16 March 1959) was Norway’s youngest prime minister ever when he first took office aged just 41, in March 2000, after the resignation of Christian Democrat Kjell Magne Bondevik’s government.
He held the post for a year-and-a-half, until Oct 2001, when the Labour Party suffered a severe defeat in the elections. After a term as leader of the opposition, Stoltenberg came back to power in Oct 2005, having won the general election, and was reelected for another mandate in 2009.
His dad, Thorvald Stoltenberg, was a top politician in two governments in the late 1970s- early 1990s, and Jens Stoltenberg was involved in politics from an early age. At university, he studied social economy, the queen of the sciences during the Labour Party’s golden years from 1945 until the 1970s.
His economic policies, however, have been rather different from those traditionally associated with the Labour Party, continuing Gro Harlem Brundtland’s move towards the political centre and a more liberal economy.
Stoltenberg is a well-liked politician in his home country, seen as reliable and trustworthy, although some argue he lacks his father’s charisma. He is, however, a very capable politician, and a good ambassador for Norway.
Jens Stoltenberg is married to diplomat Ingrid Schulerud and together they have two children, Axel and Catharina. He lives in Oslo and has a summer house in Søndre Sandøy, Hvaler, where he often spends his holidays with his family. He is a keen cross-country skiier, and an atheist.