Royal birch
The royal birch ( Kongebjørka ) near Glomstua in Molde is a Norwegian national symbol and commemorative symbol for the German occupation of Norway. King Håkon VII and Crown Prince Olav were photographed here by Per Bratland as they took shelter from the German bombing of Molde on the last weekend in April 1940. The picture became world famous and inspired Nordahl Grieg to write his poem Kongen , which added further symbolic power to the picture and place.
In 1955, King Olav unveiled a plaque next to the birch.
The tree was destroyed by vandals in the early 1980s, but was replanted in 1982. This tree was destroyed again by the hurricane on New Year's 1992 and planted again in the same year. At the same time, the relief of Bratland's picture was supplemented with a stone plaque with a royal poem by Knut Ødegård in memory of King Olav.
The Friedenslund was inaugurated in 1997 in the immediate vicinity of the birch.
Web links
- Per Bratland's photo on Wikimedia Commons is public domain under Norwegian law .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Kronprinsparet ved Kongebjørka . In: Aftenposten . May 26, 2012 (Norwegian, aftenposten.no ).
- ↑ Verdens Gang . May 5, 1955, p. 1 and 8 .
- ↑ Ny bjørk . In: Verdens Gang . August 12, 1982, p. 11 .
Coordinates: 62 ° 44 '24.3 " N , 7 ° 7' 38.2" E