New Munch Museum finally approved

The high-rise museum design that won an architecture competition back in 2009 will be built after all, and at the site where it was initially intended: On Oslo’s redeveloped eastern waterfront at Bjørvika.

Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported the Munch Museum compromise as the city government parties led by the Conservatives (Høyre) called a sudden press conference Tuesday morning that included the opposition Socialist Left party (SV).

NRK reported that SV has now gone along with the non-socialist government parties in supporting the Bjørvika site, in return for getting assurances from them that they’ll support community redevelopment projects in Oslo’s Tøyen district, where the current and long-inadequate Munch Museum is located.

SV’s cooperation means the city government finally, after seemingly endless quarreling and efforts to block the Munch Museum project at Bjørvika by the most conservative Progress Party, now has the majority it needed to get the project underway on the waterfront next to the Opera House.

“We need a new, future-oriented Munch Museum,” said SV’s City Council Member Marianne Borgen. “But we want the Tøyen area to get a lift. We have signed a 10-point plan for Tøyen with the city government today.”

She then presented the new redevelopment plans for Tøyen, which include a large “badeland” (aquatics park) and an open-air theater and concert stage. Complaints over the currently depressed state of the highly multi-cultural Tøyen district had hit a new peak in recent days, with neighbourhood protests and urgent calls for improvements.

They’ve clearly been heard at City Hall, and ultimately led to the political settlement on a site and the design known as “Lambda” for a new Munch Museum. City politicians have become the targets of ridicule and even a torchlit protest march last autumn over their failure to build a new museum for Norway’s most famous artist, not least in the midst of this year’s celebrations of the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Both SV and the Labour Party had argued to keep the Munch Museum at Tøyen as an anchor for redevelopment there. The Progress Party wanted to move the city’s priceless inherited collection of Munch art into what’s now the National Gallery downtown when it moves to a new site on the western waterfront. The Progress Party, with its former leader Carl I Hagen at the forefront, had argued that a new Munch Museum at Bjørvika was far too expensive and that it would be better to make use of the vacated National Gallery.

Arguing is likely to continue as development gets underway, but the settlement on the site is a breakthrough. Museum officials were heaving a sigh of relief as they geared up to open the new Munch exhibit this weekend at both the National Gallery and Tøyen, and finally feeling they can celebrate a bit themselves.

Fløibanen

Fløibanen is a funicular in Bergen, Norway which runs up the mountain of Fløyen. It is one of Bergen's major tourist attractions and one of Norway's most visited attractions. Over 1 million passengers a year have used it over the past few years.^[when?] Fløibanen was officially opened on 15 January 1918.^[1] The idea to build transport to Fløyen was put forward in 1895 by John Lund, a member of the Norwegian legislature.^[1] Work to build Fløibanen started in 1914. The line was ready in 1918. Today the company is owned 44% by the municipality of Bergen, the rest spread on various private interests. A certain percentage of the yearly profits are invested to finance the next generation of cars, this will likely happen sometime after year 2030. The cars and machinery were last totally renewed in September–November 2002.^[1]
Two cars, each with room for approximately 80 passengers, operate between the centre of Bergen and Fløyen throughout the year. The length is 850m and the height difference is 300m. Fløibanen is a narrow gauge railway, with a gauge of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in).
Each car is named and individually painted - Blåmann is blue, whilst Rødhette (equivalent to Little Red Riding Hood in English) is red. The cars were named by the winners of a naming competition.

Fløibanen in 1999.

The trip takes approximately seven minutes with stops at all stations, and 3 min. 20 secs. non-stop. Service travel speed is either 4 or 6 m/s depending on traffic load. Typically, 6 m/s is selected when there are eight or more departures per hour, including two calling at all stations.
The funicular operates a basic schedule with departures every 30 minutes from opening until 10 o'clock, then every 15 minutes until 20:30 when half-hour service resumes until closing. All departures call at all stations, except weekends and summers. At those times all stations are only served at half-hour intervals, providing time for maximum four direct services per half-hour with dwell times of two minutes or less. To achieve this extra staff is employed to assist passengers though fare gates and with prams/strollers and/or wheelchairs.
The funicular is fully wheelchair-accessible at the bottom and top stations only. Small, manual wheelchairs may be carried on and off the funicular by staff at the intermediate stations. Electric wheelchairs up to 900 mm wide enjoy full access to both the funicular and the facilities at Fløyen.

A VERY, VERY OLD CHURCH

Kaupanger Stave Church (Norwegian: Kaupanger stavkyrkje) is the largest stave church in Sogn og Fjordane, and is situated in the town ofKaupanger, Norway. The nave is supported by 22 staves, 8 on each of the longer sides and 3 on each of the shorter. The elevated chancel is carried by 4 free standing staves. The church has the largest number of staves to be found in any one stave church. It is still in use as a parish church, having been in use continuously since its erection.

Kaupanger Stave Church was built in the 12th century, and is situated on the ruins of what might be two previous post churches. Kaupanger was a market town that King Sverre burned down in 1184 to punish the local inhabitants for disobeying him. It was previously thought that the stave church previously standing on this site burned down in this fire, as archaeological research in the 1960s revealed that the previous church had burned down. The present church was therefore believed to have been built around 1190. Recent research has changed these assumptions. Dendrochronology has shown that the timber used for building the church was cut in 1137. Also, Sverris saga makes no mention of the burning of the church at the time the town was burnt. Consequently, it is now assumed that the church was built around 1150.

Several restoration projects have taken place both inside the church and on the exterior, but in spite of these changes, the medieval construction has been preserved. The pulpit, altarpiece and font are all from the 17th century. In 1984, composer Arne Nordheim was inspired by the neumes and the sound of the medieval bells in Kaupanger stave church in composing the work Klokkesong, which was first performed inside the church as part of the 800th commemoration of the Battle of Fimreite.

BERGEN

 Bergen is the second biggest city in Norway. A long time ago Bergen was the capital of Norway

This is a video of Bergen