CULTURE
The breathtaking spectacle of the Northern Lights, the midnight sun, the fjords, the silent islands, the rocky slopes, the enormous plateaus and the endless woods make Norway an intensely evocative place, where the elegance of nature, the strength of the seasons, is still accompanied by the magic of myths and history. There are many archaeological finds that have brought to light evidence of prehistoric rock art or ancient Viking treasures, the oldest is related to a settlement on the island of Magerøya in the northern region of Finnmark, dating back to ca. 12,000 years ago. As many are the links between the culture of the Norwegians and their way of experiencing nature, a true national symbol, and a strong component of the identity of the place. The veneration for the pristine mountain landscape, the passion for outdoor sports open air (schools organize compulsory periods on skis), for the simple life, sometimes even a little “Spartan”, arise from ideological and moral considerations with a cultural background, in this country of Lutheran faith where religion has embraced the love for nature, enhancing its symbols and values of spirituality, meditation and reflection. These are territories where the monuments and legacies of human history are considered within a broad and harmonious context, in which all the elements form a unitary whole that tells the life of ordinary people in ancient times. Examples are the Havrå agricultural complex, the Utstein monastery, the Sami Neiden settlement, the Kongsberg silver mines, while other projects concern the Restoration of the Pilgrim’s Way, the Conservation of Monuments and Sites along the Coast and the Lighthouse Safeguard Plan. If the last two projects were born to protect coastal areas of historical interest whose deterioration would result in the loss of an important part of the Norwegian maritime and cultural tradition, the first is aimed at reviving the paths used by medieval pilgrims to reach the Cathedral of Nidaros. (now called Trondheim), where the relics of St. Olav were kept. In Norway there are seven sites declared by the the first is aimed at reviving the paths used by medieval pilgrims to reach the Cathedral of Nidaros (now called Trondheim), where the relics of Saint Olav were kept. In Norway there are seven sites declared by the the first is aimed at reviving the paths used by medieval pilgrims to reach the Cathedral of Nidaros (now called Trondheim), where the relics of Saint Olav were kept. In Norway there are seven sites declared by the UNESCO for the World Heritage Site: Bryggen, the old pier of Bergen with its characteristic sloping and parallel houses built in front of the sea in an unmistakable architectural style that dates back to a thousand years ago (1979); the mining town of Røros, with an ancient and traditional Renaissance square plan (1980); the rock engravings of Alta, discovered by chance in 1973, and made over a long period of time between about 6000 and 2500 years ago (1985); the stavkirker of Urnes, built in the second half of 1100, with interiors decorated with unusual pomp (1979); Vegaøyan, the archipelago of Vega, made up of dozens of islets just south of the Arctic Circle, which preserve evidence of the frugal life of fishermen and farmers over the last 1500 years (2004); the geodetic arc of Struve, which develops over the territory of ten countries (2005); the industrial archeology site of Rjukan-Notodden, immersed in a suggestive panorama of mountains, rivers and waterfalls (2015). Visit sourcemakeup.com for events in Norway.
PREHISTORY
Covered by the ice sheet throughout the Pleistocene, the Norwegian territory could only be inhabited after the 10th millennium BC. C.: the most ancient testimonies of Norwegian prehistory are therefore referable to the epipaleolithic times, in which the two cultural aspects of Fosna and Komsa, of the Finnmarkian group, stand out. More abundant are the remains belonging to the Neolithic, an era to which the culture known as funnel vases refers and to which the most archaic rock carvings can be traced, mainly representing animal figures and boats; however, the greatest number of petroglyphs dates back to the subsequent Bronze and Iron Ages in which the Norwegian cultural aspects do not present a marked physiognomy, but fall within the contemporary complexes of the other Scandinavian countries.
