Queen Sonja has attended the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the Norwegian Glacier Museum. The festivities were supposed to be held last year, but due to the global health crisis, they were postponed to 2022.
Upon arrival, the Queen was welcomed and given flowers. The village’s political leadership had also turned up to receive the Queen alongside hundreds of spectators. Her Majesty was then guided around the museum. Then, the local girls’ choir sang for the Queen before local children read poems.
The celebration also included a speech about the museum and the history of the glaciers in the area. The anniversary celebration ended with a gala dinner at Fjærland mountain lodge.
The museum, designed by the world-famous architect Sverre Fehn, is located at the foot of the Jostedalsbreen glacier in western Norway. This glacier is the largest on the European mainland.
This is not the first time Queen Sonja has visited the museum, as she was at the museum’s opening 31 years ago when she was the Crown Princess of Norway. When the museum turned 25, Crown Prince Haakon participated in the celebration and gave a speech on the occasion.
Glaciers are an important part of Norwegian nature. Especially in the west of the country, there are several larger glaciers that still characterise the landscape, which is why it was so important to have royal representation at the event.
The Norwegian Glacier Museum & Ulltveit-Moe Center for Climate Science is a private foundation established by the Norwegian Polar Institute, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, the University of Oslo, the University of Bergen, the University College of Western Norway, the Norwegian Tourist Association and the International Glaciological Society.
