Norwegian Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious Minorities
Encyclopedia
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
known as Villa Grande
Villa Grande
Villa Grande is the name of a property on Bygdøy in Oslo.The construction of the building began in 1917, with drawings of architects Christian Morgenstierne and Arne Eide. It would be handed over to Sam Eyde, founder of Norsk Hydro. The uncompleted building was later taken over by the government...
, on the peninsula of Bygdøy
Bygdøy
Bygdøy or Bygdø is a peninsula on the western side of Oslo, Norway. Administratively, Bygdøy belongs to the borough of Frogner.Bygdøy has several museums, like the Kon-Tiki Museum, which shows all year long the legendary expeditions of Thor Heyerdahl; the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History ; the...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
.
The center's endowment was donated by the Norwegian government at the behest of the Jewish community of Norway as part of the restitution made to Norwegian Jews
Jews in Norway
The Jews in Norway are one of the country's smallest ethnic and religious minorities. The largest synagogue is in Oslo. A smaller synagogue in Trondheim is often claimed, erroneously, to be the world's northernmost synagogue...
for the confiscation of their property while Norway was occupied
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The center is established under the auspices of the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
and has a twofold mission:
- Educating the public on the HolocaustThe HolocaustThe Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, especially as related to the Norwegian experience, i.e., disenfranchisement, persecution, arrests, confinement, confiscation, and deportation to death camps outside of Norway, especially Auschwitz. This will extend to studies of antisemitism in and outside of Norway, in the past, present, and future. - Studying ethnic and religious minorities, especially in Norway.
To this end, the center offers educational materials, programs, exhibitions, a museum, and library collections. Though it is an independent entity, it has established formal relationships with the University of Oslo, Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
, and the Jewish Museum in Trondheim.
On January 23rd, 2008, the center announced that an object of some importance had been stolen from the center's museum on or before November 23rd, 2007. The museum was temporarily closed after this to improve the security system http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/oslo/article2209723.ece