Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Jørn Holme, has preserved 40 Norwegian roads.  This was a headline in the Aftenposten online newspaper yesterday.  I was initially intrigued by the title of the article because when I think of the word ‘fred,’ I think of ‘peace’ because in today’s world, it seems as though the latter is a word used more often than ‘preservation.’  The word ‘fred‘ and all it’s forms (verb-å frede, adjective-fredelig, noun-fredning) have several meanings and it took a dictionary to remind me that ‘fredet‘ could mean ‘preserved,’ rather than something referring directly to ‘peace.’

In any case, my initial reaction to the title of the article is unimportant; what is viktig (important) is Jørn Holme’s passion for preservation of Norwegian cultural heritage.  Holme has worked as a police inspector, a judge, a public prosecutor, has written and edited books, and has been very involved in politics.   After reading Holme’s bio, it is clear that he and Riksantikvaret (the Directorate for Cultural Heritage) are very interested in the preservation of monuments that represent Norwegian cultural heritage and the history of communication in Norway.

Halvparten av de 40 veiene som Holmes har fredet brukes daglig, mens den andre halvparten er “ute av drift.”  Half of the 40 roads that Holmes has preserved are used daily, but the other half are out of youth.  Preserving these roads protects an important part of Norway’s communications history.  Holmes was quoted in the article saying “De viser ingeniørkunst og ulike tekniske løsninger i ulike perioder” (They show engineering and different technical solutions in different periods.”  Holmes also stated that in the future there will be skilt (signs) with informasjon about the significance for preserving each road.

Here are a few of the roads that are på listen (on the list):  keep in mind kommune means municipality.

–Børselvfjellet, Lebesby og Porsanger kommuner

-Gammelveien i Øksfjord, Loppa kommune (Gammelveien means ”old road”)

–Carl Johans vei, Verdal kommune (not to be confused with Karl Johans Vei, the main street in Oslo)

–Storbrua – Rislandsfeta, Åmli kommune (means ”big bridge”)

–Korketrekkeren, Modum kommune (means ”The Corkscrew”)

Here is the web address of the article in Aftenposten online:  http://www.aftenposten.no/forbruker/bil/article3506970.ece

I think the road in this picture should be on the list.  It’s a picture of a road my friend and I took to drive down from near Tromsø to Oslo.  It crosses Polarsirkelen (the polar circle)!  Don’t you think?