About The Nansen–Amundsen Year

Organization chart  for The Nansen-Amundsen Year.

Background

In 2011 two anniversaries with great significance for Norway coincide. It is 150 years since the birth of Fridtjof Nansen and 100 years since Roald Amundsen, accompanied by four of his men, arrived as the first at the South Pole.

As a unifying framework for this jubilee year the Norwegian Government decided to establish the Nansen–Amundsen Year 2011. The objective of the celebration is to spread knowledge and arouse enthusiasm about the lives and work of Nansen and Amundsen. This year will highlight roles these men played as nation-builders and polar heroes, their contributions to science and literature, as well as Nansen’s humanitarian endeavours and his role as a diplomat and politician.

Opening and events

The Nansen–Amundsen Year was officially opened in Tromsø 23 January by Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre as part of a large outdoor party that included an ice concert, arctic food, films about Nansen and Amundsen, and dog-sledding. The exhibition ‘Snowhow. What the polar heroes learned from the Inuit, the Sami and Arctic seafarers’ opened at the same time and will be open to the public throughout the year. Nearly 130 events are planned in Norway and abroad during the year (see the calendar).