History
Latest articles on history.
Did you know that Oslo hasn't always been Norway's capital?
Even today, Oslo can sometimes feel like a provincial city rather than the capital of a wealthy, highly developed petrostate and there's a reason for that. For most of Norway's history, it wasn't the capital at all.
Why Vikings in Norway were more violent than their Danish counterparts
Vikings in Norway lived up to their blood-thirsty reputation, while their Danish counterparts appear to have had a more civilised society, new research has revealed.
The people and stories behind some of Norway's common street names
You've seen them and said them dozens of times, but how much do you know about the people who gave their names to Norway's streets? Here's a look at some of the people and faces behind the road names.
How a Viking king inspired one of our best-known modern technologies
A Swede and American tell the story of how they hatched the idea for the moniker 'Bluetooth' over beers.
Five things you need to know about the Vikings
In popular culture they're depicted as ruthless warriors who pillaged and plundered. That reputation is not totally undeserved, but is only part of the picture. Here are five things to know about Vikings.
Race against time (and mould) to uncover secrets of Viking ship
Inch by inch, they gently pick through the soil in search of thousand-year-old relics. Racing against onsetting mould yet painstakingly meticulous, archaeologists in Norway are exhuming a rare Viking ship grave in hopes of uncovering the secrets within.
What unites and divides the Nordic countries?
Since the onset of the pandemic, the idea of a 'Nordic unity' has been difficult to sustain. Why do we speak of Northern Europe as a separate entity and, if these countries are so similar, what explains the divergences in approach to the coronavirus crisis?
Why not all Vikings were blond-haired and blue-eyed
In the popular imagination, the Viking warriors who plundered northern Europe from the 8th century were as tall, fair and Scandinavian as they were murderous. In fact, according to a new study, they were far more diverse than previously thought.
Nazi warship found off Norway coast after 80 years
A Nazi cruiser torpedoed and sunk off the coast of Norway in 1940 has been found by chance at a depth of 490 metres (535 yards) during a subsea power cable inspection, the finders said on Thursday.
Viking-age skeleton found under Norway couple's house
Archeologists have now found a skeleton in the suspected Viking-era tomb a Norwegian couple discovered last week under their house -- but the bones have been broken into pieces.
Norway couple find Viking grave under floor of their house
A couple in northern Norway were pulling up the floor of their house to install insulation when they found a glass bead, and then a Viking axe. Now archeologists suspect they live above an ancient Viking grave
Norway to excavate Viking ship burial for first time in 100 years
Norway's government has agreed to fund the first excavation of a Viking ship burial for over 100 years, launching a race to pull the vessel out of the ground before it is destroyed by fungus.
Norway now has highest unemployment rate since WWII: agency
Nearly eleven percent of the workforce in Norway is now registered as unemployed, the highest number since the Second World War, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration reported in a press release on Tuesday.
Norwegian World War 2 hero dies aged 99
Norwegian war veteran, writer and historian Ragnar Leif Ulstein has died at the age of 99.
1,000-year-old ship found underneath ground on Norwegian island
A ship likely to have built by the Vikings has been found by Norwegian researchers using georadar.
Norwegian Game of Thrones actor to make 'True Viking' reality show
Kristofer Hivju, who played wildling leader Tormund Giantsbane in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, is to be one of the producers behind a Viking-themed reality show.
How Norwegian World War Two refugees shaped Swedish migration policy
At the height of the Second World War, when Norwegian refugees first sought sanctuary in Sweden, they were sent back. The tide turned in the last years of the war, as Sweden reversed its policy, accepting these refugees. So what happened next?
The Anglo-Saxons were more menacing than the Vikings, and the English language can prove it
The Vikings invaded England in the 9th and 10th centuries. They plundered, raped and burned towns to the ground. Or at least, this is the story we know from school and popular culture.
Here’s how to view a Google map of Oslo in the 1700s
Imagine if you could somehow drop a historic map on top of Google maps to see how a place has changed over the centuries.
'Think like a vagabond': Tales from the world's northernmost pilgrimage
Stretching from the Swedish to the Norwegian coast, St Olavsleden is a hiking route and pilgrimage following in the footsteps of a Norwegian king. The Local spoke to some of those who have made the journey who told us what it meant to them, and shared their tips for anyone hoping to embark on the trail.
How Norwegian trees have revealed the story of Germany's biggest WWII battleship
Tree rings and forest composition provide unlikely evidence of a WWII battle which sought refuge off Norway's northern coast.
TV series to tell story of Scandinavian Star disaster
A six-episode series about the 1990 Scandinavian Star ferry disaster will be produced, in a collaboration between Nordisk Film and Danish Documentary, it was announced in a press statement on Friday.
Discoveries from 1,400-year-old Norwegian ice surprise scientists
A team of archaeologists who have spent the last decade researching glaciers in Norway have delivered a string of fascinating insights into the Scandinavian country's distant past.