The proposal to preserve the deportation monument “Place of Remembrance” and the cemetery in Sofienberg Park in Oslo is now under consultation. These are important cultural monuments from Jewish history in Norway.
The cemetery in Sofienberg Park
The Jewish cemetery at Rathkes gate 20 in Oslo is the first Jewish cemetery in Norway. It is located north of Sofienberg Church and was separated from the former Sofienberg cemetery for use as a Jewish cemetery in 1869. The cemetery covers approximately 680 square meters and was purchased with private funds by individuals from some of the first Jewish families to settle in Norway. The cemetery was put into use in 1885 and remained in use until 1917, when it was replaced by a new Jewish cemetery in Helsfyr.
According to Jewish tradition, Jewish graves are eternal and cannot be removed. The graves were therefore not removed when the rest of Sofienberg Cemetery was converted into a park in the 1960s. There are 197 Jewish graves here.
The cemetery has cultural and historical value as the first Jewish cemetery in Norway. It is one of the earliest traces we have of the Jewish population in the country. As a cultural monument, the cemetery also has significance as a memorial site and is an important source of Jewish history and tradition.
The Site of Remembrance memorial
A total of 773 Jews were deported to the Auschwitz death camp. Only 35 people survived. The first deportation took place on November 20, 1942, when 21 people were deported on the Monte Rosa. Most were deported on November 26, 1942, when 529 people were deported on the «Donau.» On the same day, an additional 26 people were deported on the cargo ship «Monte Rosa.» Another 158 were deported on February 25, 1943, on the ship «Gotenland.».
The memorial is located at Akershuskaia, outside the fortress walls of Akershus Fortress. It consists of eight chairless chairs facing the sea and the quay. The chairs are made of steel and stand both individually and in pairs. The artwork was created by British sculptor Antony Gormley (1950) on commission from the Norwegian government. The memorial was unveiled on October 25, 2000.
The national memorial represents the history of the many Norwegian Jews who were deported and killed during World War II. It also represents the Jewish minority's culture of remembrance.
Read more about the preservation order on the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage's website.
