President of the Storting Masud Gharahkhani opened the exhibition in the Eidsvoll Gallery. Among those present were Anne Hambro Alnæs, Carl Joachim Hambro’s granddaughter; and Rear Admiral Bjørn-Erik Marthinsen, representing the Norwegian Armed Forces. Photo: Storting.
1940: the year dictatorship supplanted democracy
“We must never take peace and freedom for granted,” said President of the Storting Masud Gharahkhani when opening the exhibition about the outbreak of war in Norway in 1940.
On 9 April 2025, 85 years to the day after Norway was occupied by Nazi Germany, the Storting opened an exhibition about the start of the occupation. It is no coincidence that the exhibition has been staged in the Eidsvoll Gallery, for it was here that Reichskommissar Joseph Terboven had his office throughout World War II.
On display are photographs from the opening days of the war in Norway, when the Storting, the Government and the King fled first to Hamar and swiftly on to Elverum. The photos show how the Nazis took over the Storting building.
The exhibition will be open to the public via the entrance on Karl Johans gate when the Storting is sitting from Wednesday 23 April until Thursday 8 May. It will be possible for visitors to view the exhibition on the way to the public gallery.
See the exhibition in PDF (Norwegian only)
The Elverum Authorization. Photo: Storting.
The Elverum Authorization
What has since become known as the Elverum Authorization also forms part of the exhibition in the Eidsvoll Gallery. At the small town of Elverum on 9 April 1940, the then President of the Storting, Carl Joachim Hambro, read out a declaration in which the Storting gave the Government the authority to carry out the duties that would normally belong to the Storting until it could once again convene. This declaration provided the Government with the legitimacy it needed while it was in exile. The Storting would not meet again until June 1945, over five years later.
Anne Hambro Alnæs, Carl Joachim Hambro’s granddaughter, and President of the Storting Masud Gharahkhani. Photo: Storting.
The occupying regime’s central administration, the Reichskommissariat Norwegen, was located in the Storting building until the winter of 1945.
“80 years after the Second World War finally ended, it’s almost incredible to think that we’re once again living in an age where democratic values are under pressure. Where we have to think about national security and defence on an ever-increasing scale, and where peace and freedom cannot be taken for granted. This is why the exhibition has taken on even greater significance. It invites us to do two things at the same time: to learn the lessons of history, and to use the knowledge we have to meet the challenges of today,” added Mr Gharahkhan
Last updated: 10.04.2025 12:44