Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
being selected as the winner! We start from almost 200 candidates in February. The
list is cut down to 30, then five, and the rest of the time is spent focusing on the qual-
ifications of the candidates on the shortlist.
Is the committee ever criticised for being too secretive?
The committee is trans-
parent, but it is true that the list of nominees is closed for 50 years and no minutes are
kept, though some of the members keep notes, which they have made public.
How has the nature of the prize changed while you've been director?
The defini-
tion of peace has slowly broadened to include elements that reflect the changing
world. Human rights, for example, was initially a very controversial interpretation
when it [the prize] was given in 1960 to South African activist Albert Lutuli. The en-
vironment was added as a road to peace in 2004 and there is always pressure to
widen the definition further.
Describe the ideal candidate?
Many see the prize as a declaration of sainthood, but
winners are often just more or less ordinary people who have tried to do something
useful for peace. Their efforts have been heroic, but they are all very different. At the
same time, they share a vision and they have the courage to carry it out.
What is special about the new Fredssetner?
The new Peace Center is where we tell
the story of all the laureates. It is the most electronically advanced museum in Oslo
and the idea is that people can choose to learn as much or as little as they want to
find out. It is up to you.
As told to Kari Lundgren
Damstredet
OLD TOWN
The quirky 18th-century wooden homes of the Damstredet district and the nearby Telthus-
bakken are a nice change of pace from the modern architecture of the city centre. Once an
impoverished shanty town, Damstredet has become a popular residential neighbourhood
for artists. To get there, walk north on Akersgata and turn right on Damstredet gate.
TelthusbakkenisalittlefurtherupAkersgata,alsoontheright.Ontheway,you'llpass
Vår
Frelsers Gravlund
(
Offline map
), the graveyard where Ibsen, Munch and Bjørnstjerne
Bjørnson are buried.
Stenersen Museum
MODERN ART
Offline map
Google map
(Stenersenmuseet;
Click here
; Munkedamsveien 15; adult/
child Nkr45/25, free with Oslo Pass; 11am-5pm Wed & Fri-Sun, 11am-7pm Tue
& Thu)
This museum of Modernism, Realism and avant-garde art contains three formerly
