Petter Dass and the Petter Dass Museum

After visiting the War Cemetery, we visited the Peter Dass museum. Petter Dass (picture 1) was a poet priest who lived from 1647-1707. He lived from 1689 until his death in Alstahaug, with which he is very connected. The house, in which he lived, is next to the museum (picture 2). Petter Dass has a central role in Norwegian cultural history. He is one of the most important Danish-Norwegian poets of his time. His works are embossed by the nature and the living conditions in northern Norway. Him in honor, the Petter Dass museum was opened in 1966, which is part of the Helgeland museum. The museum is a place of contrasts, because it consists of a new and modern museum (picture 3/4), a parsonage from the 18^th century and a medieval church (picture 5). The museum conveys primarily the life story of the poet priest and the wide role which he has for the cultural history of the region. The museum’s building was designed by the renowned architectural firm Snohetta AS. The Petter Dass museum is a very modern building midst of nature. The building itself is slope. If one stand on the top floor, one can see on the one side the church through a glass facade. If one look to the other side (180 degrees), one can see the ocean (picture 6) and forest. It seems, as one could look up in the future. The building is very impressive, because it stands in the middle of a rock (the two sides, where no glass facades are). The museum is very clearly arranged with a TV room, musical elements and precise information about Petter Dass. Although it is surrounded by a rock, it looks very bride and friendly inside the museum, because of the glass facades and the ocean view. I am very impressed about the museum and I have never seen a museum like this before. In my opinion, the combination of modernity and nature is very good and I really like that place. 

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https://snl.no/Petter_Dass

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War Cemetery

In the week from the 23^rd to the 26^th of November, we made a 4 day trip with our course. On the first day, we took the ferry from Bodø to Sandnessjøen. On our second day, the first stop was at a War Cemetery (picture 1), which seemed very unimposing when we arrived. At the first glance, one saw a big grass field, which is fenced by a wall. As we stood on the grass field, we saw that panels were installed on the stone wall. At the other end of the field is a monument (picture 2/3). This war memorial commemorates on the victims of the 27^th of November 1944. On this date, the British army attacked a ship with war prisoners by planes - at the same point of the fjord, where the monument is nowadays. Almost all war prisoners died because of this attack. Up to the 70s, the ship was on the coast to commemorate on the attack. After removing the ship, the rudder of the ship was brought to the other side of the fjord and remembers to the disaster. Half of the monument consists of a mass grave of the victims. This can be seen because of the panels at the wall (picture 4/5). The other part of the monument consists of individual graves, which can be recognized because of the small stone tables in the grass (picture 6). Unfortunately, there is not so much known about the graveyard, like about other memorials. Nevertheless, there are two ceremonies to commemorate to the causalities every year. The visit at the War Cemetery was very interesting and for me the most interesting visit of our 4-day-trip. It is horrible what happened because of the war and how many places and cities all over the world were destroyed and attacked. It is a pity that not so much information are known about the visited cemetery. We should talk more about topics like this.

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Restoration - an example from Bodø

On the second day of our course - the 18^th of November- we went to the Bodin church and heard something about their history and their restoration. Restoration designated the rebuilding of the old state, which has often been lost over time. Which disciplines are involved in the restoration process, depends on the restored object, on the materials and on the used techniques. After visiting the church, we went to the Louis-Philippe room at the cultural center of Bodø. This restoration is the most comprehensive project in the field of conservation of historic interior since 1995 – in the region Nordland. The restoration began 2009 and was carried out by conservationists and students from Poland and Germany. 1795, the French citizen king was a guest in the vicarage Bodin. Later, the vicarage was demolished and some of the finest canvases could be obtained. On the canvases are hunting scenes (picture 1) and elegant gentlemen and ladies shown (picture 2). On the door are Chinese figures and landscapes printed (picture 3). The Louis-Philippe room contains the oldest preserved interiors with Rococo style in Norway and has therefore an utmost national importance. Because of the high art and cultural historical value of the canvases, the assurance of the room has the highest priority.  

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Bodø and the World War II

Our first day of the new course: “Adventure Knowledge: Art, Architecture and Cultural Heritage“ began on the 17^th of November at the Nordlandsmuseum. The Nordlandsmuseum is one of the oldest buildings in the center of Bodø which was not destroyed in the World War II. In the museum are exhibitions of the history of Bodø, the Vikings, the Sami and the Lofoten fisheries. We watched a film about the history of Bodø and we learned that it was a town with canneries, a steam ship wharf and shops. And then, the World War II broke out and Bodø was affected. Bodø was attracted on the 27^th of May 1940 by the German air force and was almost completely destroyed. Therefore, there are only a few historical sights today. Bodø was the most destroyed city in Norway. After bombing raids, the city had to be rebuilt almost completely. The vast majority of inhabitants were housed in temporary barracks and homeless shelters, till the war ended. After rebuilding, a completely different town arose, which is characterized by a sober and functional style. It was quite interesting for me to learn something about the history of Bodø and to see, what kind of city Bodø was before and after the World War II. The development of the city is fascinating and almost everything was destroyed. And then, the city had to develop again. Personally, I find Bodø not really spectacular and quite simple. But if one knows the background and the historical past of the city, one should the inhabitants and the city face with respect.