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The
Norwegian Nobel Institute
The Norwegian Nobel Institute was established in 1904, and moved
into its present building in central Oslo, close to the royal palace,
in 1905. The building, which was built in 1867, is a classic mansion
house. It was bought in 1903 from consul Christian Christophersen,
a prominent figure in the booming business life of Kristiania (the
name of the Norwegian capital until 1924) in the 1890s. A private
house consisting of two separate apartments, it had to be totally
renovated inside before the Institute could start using it. By Norwegian
standards in 1905, the Nobel Institute was both fashionable and
expensive; at that time some people criticized the Nobel Foundation
for spending too much money on a building. However, the same criticism
could hardly be maintained 50, 60, or even 70 years later. Little
was done to keep up appearances before 1984, when the Nobel Foundation
initiated a second renovation of the whole building.
The principal duty of the Nobel Institute is to assist the Nobel
Committee in the task of selecting the recipient of the Nobel Peace
Prize and to organize the annual Nobel events in Oslo. In order
to serve as a center of knowledge related to peace and international
affairs in general, the Institute has built up what is today a 181,000-volume
library. The literature which is available at the Nobel Institute
Library is chiefly devoted to international relations. The library
is open to the public and has a nice reading room. Today, the Nobel
Institute also has its own research department which organizes research
projects related to issues of war and peace. The department is based
on a fellowship program for visiting scholars from all over the
world. The Nobel Institute arranges meetings, seminars and lectures
in addition to holding so-called Nobel Symposia, exchanges of views
and information to which it invites distinguished specialists from
many countries.
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