The Bicentenary of the Norwegian Constitution 2014

The Bicentenary of the Norwegian Constitution 2014      

In 2014 it will be 200 years since the Norwegian Constitution was signed and numerous events will take place around the country.                                               

The Norwegian Constitution was signed at Eidsvoll, on May 17, 1814.  Numerous events will take place around the country with the objective of  enhancing knowledge about the Constitution, and highlighting its  historical and contemporary significance.

Exhibit at the Norwegian Folk Museum

What is it that connects the Napoleonic Wars with the Norwegian  Constitution? The exhibition “1814 – The Game for Denmark and Norway”  explains the reasons for and the consequences of the events that took  place during 1814, the “Year of Miracles”.  In collaboration with the  Museum of National History at Frederiksborg in Denmark, Norwegian Folk  Museum, in Oslo, tells one of Norwegian history’s most exciting stories.  The exhibition runs from January 15 to the end of July 2014.

The exhibition will be officially opened by H.M. Queen Sonja on  Tuesday January 14, the date when King Frederik VI of Denmark was forced  to surrender Norway to the King of Sweden. The Bicentenary of the  Norwegian Constitution in 2014 will raise awareness of what the  Norwegian Constitution means today, and what role it will play in our  future democracy.

1814 is a memorable year in Norwegian history, a year that has become  a national symbol. The exhibition "1814 - The game of Denmark and  Norway" put the events of 1814 in a historical context and is an  extensive exhibition that offers a unique cavalcade of items. Several of  these, such as the anointing robes of Christian Frederik, Jakob Bull  Kielland’s uniform, and a series of magnificent paintings will be on  display for the very first time in Norway. Nearly 300 items, 65 of which  have been borrowed from the Museum of National History at  Frederiksborg, relate the story of what happened before, during and  after 1814. This story is told both from a national and an international  perspective. Through the exhibit visitors will become acquainted with  the different players in the events that unfurled in 1814.

The Norwegian Constitution of May 17, 1814, occupies a special place  in Norwegian history. Not only did it lay a foundation for democratic  development, it was also instrumental in providing Norway with status as  an independent country. “1814 – The Game for Denmark and Norway” is  Norwegian Folk Museum’s largest and most important contribution to the  Bicentenary Year of 2014. 

Useful links

• Norsk folkemuseum (Norwegian Folk Museum)
• Norway´s national day
• Come celebrate the Norwegian Constitution