The Rose Castle: Remembering Norway’s Occupation, 1940-1945

Marla Peterson
2 days ago
5 min read

“Freedom is not something you can take for granted. It must be protected and nurtured every day.” — Vebjørn Sand

Note: Clicking on any exhibition photo in this post will take you to the Roseslottet digital exhibition for more details on that person or artwork.

The Rose Castle stands on a hillside overlooking Oslo, surrounded by forest and open sky.

Created by artist brothers Vebjørn and Eimund Sand, the installation was completed in 2020 to mark the 80th anniversary of Norway’s occupation and the 75th anniversary of liberation.

A temporary installation, it will remain open at least through September 2026.

While I was on the eastern side of the country, I couldn’t miss the chance to see it. A golden castle in the forest built as an artistic tribute to freedom, democracy, and human dignity.

Set on one of Oslo’s highest points, Roseslottet is both an open-air art installation and a national memorial. Through nearly 300 artworks in painting, sculpture, and light, it tells the story of what happens when totalitarian forces take control, how a society resists, and how the values of freedom and democracy are carried forward.

“Those who fall asleep in a democracy wake up in a dictatorship." - Otto Gritschneder (1914–2005), legal historian, jurist

At the center of Roseslottet rise five golden structures, representing the five years of occupation.

At the center is the Royal Birch, which serves as the anchor of the installation.

It symbolizes the King and his stand.

On April 10, 1940, Hitler demanded that Vidkun Quisling, leader of Norway’s Nazi collaborationist government, be installed as prime minister.

King Haakon VII refused.

The government stood with him, and the demand was rejected. From exile in London, they continued the struggle for a free Norway throughout the war.

All five structures are:

The Royal Birch, symbolizing the King and his stand
a sail for the wartime navy and merchant fleet
a mountain for resistance in the north
a spruce tree for the ‘woods’ resistance in the south
a combined quill and wing for the air force and underground press

The overall layout of Roseslottet follows a 240-meter spiral, guiding visitors through an arc from darkness to light.

The name was inspired by The White Rose, a German nonviolent resistance group that opposed Hitler’s regime during the Second World War. Their courage is honored in the installation with a sculpture of a tall white flower, a tribute to those who fought with words rather than weapons.

The Rose Castle highlights three pillars of a free society: the rule of law, democracy, and humanism. It was created to strengthen understanding of these principles and to remind visitors how easily they can be lost if not protected.

"The Rose Castle was created in gratitude to democracy. It is a learning arena and a place of remembrance that, through art, seeks to create awareness of our inalienable democratic values – shining over Oslo as a symbol of freedom and hope for the future."

Norway Under Occupation (1940–1945)

On April 9, 1940, Nazi Germany invaded Norway as part of its expansion across Northern Europe. The Norwegian government and King Haakon VII refused to surrender and fled into exile, establishing a government-in-exile in London that operated for the duration of the war. Within Norway, a Nazi collaborationist regime led by Vidkun Quisling attempted to impose totalitarian rule.

The occupation reshaped daily life. The regime shuttered independent newspapers. Teachers were ordered to teach Nazi ideology. Civil servants were pressured to pledge loyalty to the regime.

Many refused.

Around 1,000 teachers were arrested in the spring of 1942 after refusing to join a Nazi-controlled teachers’ union. About half were sent to forced labor in Kirkenes. The occupation authorities intended to reshape young minds according to National Socialist ideology.

Instead, widespread protest followed from both teachers and parents. Thanks to public resistance, the effort to fully Nazify Norwegian education ultimately failed.

Acts of resistance ranged from underground newspapers and coded communication to sabotage operations and intelligence sharing with the Allies.

Norway’s Jewish population was especially vulnerable. In 1942, more than 770 Norwegian Jews were arrested and deported, most aboard the DS Donau, bound for Auschwitz. Very few survived. Others escaped through resistance networks into neutral Sweden. Around 50,000 people fled there during the war.

By the time liberation came in May 1945, Norway had lost not only lives, but years of open civic life.

A National Story in Art

The Sand brothers describe Roseslottet as a “castle of gratitude” built in honor of democracy. Using the war years as a framework, they explore how individual choices and collective conscience shape a nation in times of crisis.

Historical figures such as King Haakon VII appear alongside symbolic imagery, including open doors, ascending light, and human figures in motion. The rose, a national emblem of peace and remembrance, is repeated throughout as a symbol of love and nonviolence.

At the entrance, a gallery known as Roseporten presents portraits of wartime witnesses.

Each portrait includes a short narrative, connecting national history to personal experience. Among them are resistance members, survivors, and civilians whose lives were marked by the occupation.

Several works directly address the persecution of Norwegian Jews. One of the most striking installations, Ellinor’s House, follows the story of five-year-old Ellinor Meiran, who was deported aboard the DS Donau on 26 November 1942. The sequence ends in a quiet space that invites reflection on the human cost of war and intolerance.

This part of the installation brought to mind my first Field Note on Moritz Moses Rabinowitz, a Jewish businessman from Haugesund who was arrested in 1941 and later murdered at Sachsenhausen. His life and legacy represent another thread in this shared history of persecution and resilience.

Nearby, a painting depicts the Wannsee Conference of 1942, where the Nazis formalized plans for the systematic extermination of Europe’s Jewish population. The image appears calm at first glance, yet it represents the moment when organized cruelty was fully set in motion.

Throughout the site, geometric forms recur as symbols of balance and transparency, qualities the artists associate with democratic society. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is displayed near a light installation titled The Star of the Unborn, linking the work’s themes to postwar humanist ideals.

Opened to mark the distance between occupation and liberation, The Rose Castle places the individual and their choices at the center.

It holds up the pillars of a free society, the rule of law, democracy, and humanism, as principles that can easily be lost if they are not actively cared for and defended.