FeaturesHistory

Norway's lost royal monument

Today, an impressive large statue of King Karl Johan is present at the Palace Square in Oslo. It has been there since 1875 and has become a symbol, a landmark and an icon of the entire city. What is less known is that this was not the first statue there. Before the Karl-Johan monument another, larger, statue stood on the same place. It was “The Freedom Monument”. The idea of ​​a Karl Johan…
Read more
NorwaySweden

King Karl Johan’s secret escape plan

This year marks 200 years since Karl XIV Johan became king of both Norway and Sweden. The French General, who became Swedish and Norwegian King, was used to troubled times. After he became a monarch, this did not change. The Swedish representatives created problems for the King. There were also more threats from Norway about political issues and a threat of war throughout the period when Norway…
Read more
FeaturesHistory

Who was King Carl XIV Johan?

This year it is 200 years since Carl XIV Johan became king of both Norway and Sweden. But who was he? King Carl Johan (1763-1818-1844), originally Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, was born in the south of France and became a soldier at 17-years-old. During the French Revolution, he…