The Norway Pavilion Opens
Billed as “The Gateway to Scandinavia” The Kingdom of Norway was dedicated on this day in 1988. Attended by (then) Crown Prince (now King) Harald V of Norway, the “Royal Dedication Ceremony” featured traditional Norwegian folk performers, a concert by the Royal Norwegian Guard, and a musical salute with the World Dancers and Voices of Liberty singing “There’s no place like World Showcase” as well as an inspiring speech by Walt Disney Company President, Frank Wells, and culminated in Harald V officially opening the pavilion.
The pavilion was the result of many years of research into the history, culture, architecture, and myths of Norway led by (now) master Imagineer, Joe Rohde. In many ways, this was the prototype for Joe’s many anthropological projects.
Curiously the site was originally intended for a Denmark pavilion where its restrooms were constructed in 1982 and then incorporated into the design of the Norway pavilion.
Construction started in 1986 and for the next two years the pavilion took shape.
Four uniquely Norwegian styles of architecture can be seen in the Norway showcase. Setesdal style, with grassy roofs and thick logs, projects a "rough woods" look in The Puffin's Roost and Kringla Bakeri Og Kafé. Bergen style, captured here in The Fjording shop, is marked by gabled windows on close-set, wooden buildings. Oslo style is marked by the surrounding walls of the Akershus Castle. Our Restaurant Akershus has the same name as the famous castle and is of the same stone construction. Ålesund style is typified by the white stucco and stone-trimmed Informasjon building where you find the entrance to the Maelstrom.
And finally, the Stave Church is a replica of the Gol Stave Church found in the Norwegian Folk Museum in Oslo. Stave churches, which once numbered in the hundreds in Norway, now number just thirty.
