Nobel Peace Center, Oslo

The Nobel Peace Center, one of Oslo’s most recognizable buildings, is found near Oslo City Hall, overlooking the city’s harbor. The center is housed in an elegant, cream colored European style building, which once housed Oslo West railway station. The station closed in 1989, and the building was restored by British architect David Adjaye. It reopened as the Nobel Peace Center in 2006, in a ceremony led by Harald V, the King of Norway, and Wangari Mathaii, a Nobel laureate.

In just over five years, half a million visitors have come to the center to learn about the history of the Nobel Peace Prize. The center has information on all laureates that have won the prize, as well as the history of the prize, and of Alfred Nobel himself. A renowned physicist, Nobel left a portion of his will to the nation of Norway, in order to establish the Nobel Peace Prize award and ceremony which currently takes place at the nearby City Hall.

The center also hosts debates, lectures, screenings and interactive exhibitions on the subject of peace and conflict resolution. There are also permanent exhibitions on other prizes funded by Nobel’s will, recognizing achievements in the fields of science and literature.