Ready for the Jubilee of the Norwegian Constitution

– It is our wish to see this jubilee marking in connection with the overall national celebration of Jubilee of the Constitution, says Sigmund Grønmo. Photo: Walter N. Wehus Foto: Walter N. Wehus

When the foundation declaration of Bergen Museum was written in 1825, it was Wilhelm Friman Koren Christie who put the pen to the paper. Eleven years prior to this, he acted as permanent secretary of the Eidsvoll Convention in the spring of 1814, and in the autumn the same year he was elected president of the Storting, the Norwegian Parliament. Today, you can see his statue standing both in front of Bergen Museum and in front of the Parliament of Norway (Stortinget), ”Løvebakken”.

When the Jubilee of the Constitution is to be celebrated in 2014, there are good reasons to do so at Bergen Museum. The foundation stone for the Museum was, in fact, laid on the 50th birthday of the Norwegian Constitution, Rector Sigmund Grønmo points out.

– The opening of the Auditorium on the 200th birthday of the Norwegian Constitution marks the significance the Museum and later the UiB had as a nation-building and national academic project. This will be the most important marking of the Jubilee of the Norwegian Constitution in Bergen and will thus also strengthen the national profile and legitimacy of this Jubilee, he says.

Project in two parts

The Ministry of Education has also seen the value of getting everything set for the Jubilee to take place in the planned multi-purpose Auditorium in the south wing of Bergen Museum. In a letter to Statsbygg dated 4 April, the Ministry asks that the restoration project be carried out in two phases. The pre-project for the south wing will be finalised in the course of 2011, while the corresponding for the rest of the building will be available by the end of 2012.

– I strongly believe this is going to happen, says Grønmo.

– Cabinet Minister Aasland has the whole time shown great enthusiasm for the project and with this new letter from the Ministry to Statsbygg, she clearly shows that it is desirable to see the opening of Auditorium in connection with the Jubilee of the Constitution.

A Grand Hall for Western Norway

Grønmo discloses nothing novel in the plans for the Jubilee of the Constitution in the Auditorium, but points out that the marking will highlight the national significance of both the Museum and the University.

The restoration of Bergen Museum is now well under way, and the contracts between Statsbygg, architects, and technical advisors were signed in March this year. The time frame for the Museum Project has for some time been uncertain, but the plan has always been to have something ready for the Jubilee of the Constitution.

And long after the festivities in 2014 are over, the Auditorium will, together with the Tower Room in the Museum,  provide a setting for the conferring of degrees and other ceremonies and events – and not only for the University:

– The Auditorium will be one of the important grand halls for the community at large in Bergen and Western Norway, with possibilities for receptions, large conferences, concerts, and other cultural events, says Grønmo.