In Norway, it’s long been established that the vast majority of people own the home they live in. This is part in a policy with royal roots that stretches back several hundred years. On November 17th 2021, Crown Prince Haakon was present to celebrate 75 years since the establishment of the association for Norwegian homebuilders.
Upon his arrival, Crown Prince Haakon was received by Oslo’s Deputy Mayor, Abdullah Alsabeehg, the association for Norwegian homebuilders CEO, Bård Folke Fredriksen, and Kristin Leiros, chairman of the association. The anniversary was celebrated with various entertainments, lectures on the history of development and several speeches. The Crown Prince gave a speech. The Crown Prince was also in conversation with three young people who told about what it was like for them trying to enter the housing market, which in recent years has seen sky-high prices.
In his speech, His Royal Highness said: “The association for Norwegian homebuilders is an important social actor that I would like to congratulate on the first 75 years. A home is a prerequisite for being able to take care of oneself and one’s loved ones. A prerequisite for being able to make a living and contribute to the community. That is why building homes is also community building. When we talk about the rebuilding of the country after the last world war, housing construction was one of the most important and tangible examples of what this was about”.
The association for Norwegian homebuilders was founded after World War II when there was a great need to rebuild the country and the goal then was to build 100.000 new homes. The Crown Prince’s great-grandfather, King Haakon VII, was very concerned that the country had to be rebuilt so that people could move into houses. In connection with his 80th birthday in 1952, he said: “Since the war, I have received many letters in which people around the country have asked if it was not possible for me to provide them with housing. Unfortunately, it was impossible for me to comply with the requests. However, we have to address this issue, because there are so many patriots who suffer because they have not been able to get their own home”.
