Germany–Norway relations

German-Norwegian relations

Germany	Norway

Germany–Norway relations are foreign relations between Germany and Norway.

Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1905, after Norway's independence. During World War II, Norway was occupied by Nazi Germany, lasting from 1940 until 1945.

Both countries are full members of NATO,^[1] and of the Council of Europe.^[2] As of 2022, there were around 15,000 Norwegians living in Germany and around 10,000 Germans living in Norway.^[3]

To promote the German-Norwegian relations, in 1982, the German-Norwegian Society,^[4] and in 1988, the German-Norwegian Friendship Society, were founded.^[5]

Official name	Federal Republic of Germany	Kingdom of Norway
Flag
Coat of Arms
Anthem	Deutschlandlied	Ja, vi elsker dette landet; Royal anthem: Kongesangen
National day	3 October	17 May
Capital city	Berlin	Oslo
Largest city	Berlin - 3,677,472 (Metro: 6,144,600)	Oslo - 709,037 (Metro: 1,588,457)
Government	Federal parliamentary constitutional republic	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Head of State	Frank-Walter Steinmeier	Harald V of Norway
Head of Government	Olaf Scholz	Jonas Gahr Støre
Military	Bundeswehr	Norwegian Armed Forces
Official language(s)	German; Danish, Low German, Sorbian, Romani, and Frisian recognized as minority languages	Norwegian, Sami; Kven, Romani, and Scandoromani recognized as minority languages.
Religion	55% Christianity 37,7% No religion 6,5% Islam 0,8% Other	74,9% Christianity —68% Church of Norway —6,9% Other Christian 21,2% No religion 3,1% Islam 0,8% Others
Current Constitution	8 May 1949	17 May 1814
Area	357,114 km2 (137,882 sq mi)	385,207 km2 (148,729 sq mi)
EEZ	57,485 km2 (22,195 sq mi)	2,385,178 km2 (920,922 sq mi)
Time zones	1	1
Population	83,695,000	5,488,984
Population density	233/km2	14.3/km2
Expatriate populations	15,000 Norwegians in Germany as of 2022	10,000 Germans living in Norway as of 2022
Ethnic groups	80% Germans, 5% Turks, 5% other Europeans, 10% other	81.5% Norwegians, 18.5% non-Norwegians
GDP (nominal)	$4.031 trillion	$504 billion
GDP (nominal) per capita	$48,398	$92,646
GDP (PPP)	$5.317 trillion	$425 billion
GDP (PPP) per capita	$63,835	$78,128
HDI	0.942	0.961
Currency	Euro	Norwegian krone

Both what is now Germany and Norway were settled by Proto-Germanic peoples. The Ahrensburg culture, named after the town of Ahrensburg in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, originated mostly in the North German Plain and were the first known peoples to settle modern-day Norway.^[6] By the 2nd century AD, Proto-Norse evolved from Proto-Germanic in Scandinavia.^[7] This separated the West Germanic peoples (of whom Germans are associated) and the North Germanic (of whom the Norwegians are associated).^[8]

The Hanseatic League, a coalition of mostly German towns,^[9] engaged in trade relations with Norway. A kontor, a Hanseatic trading post, was established in Bergen,^[10] this first buildings in the area. This post dominated Norwegian trade for almost 400 years.^[11]

In 1315 Norway entered a large alliance with Denmark, Poland, Sweden, the Duchy of Pomerania and Duchy of Mecklenburg against the Margraviate of Brandenburg.^[12]

Following the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905, the German Empire established relations with the Kingdom of Norway.

The 1914 Septemberprogramm authorized by German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg proposed the creation of a Central European Economic Union, comprising a number of European countries, including Germany and possibly Norway, in which, as the Chancellor secretly stressed, there was to be a semblance of equality among the member states, but in fact it was to be under German leadership to stabilize Germany's economic predominance in Central Europe, with co-author Kurt Riezler admitting that the union would be a veiled form of German domination in Europe (see also: Mitteleuropa).^[13][14] The plan failed amid Germany's defeat in the war.

In 1925 Germany signed the Svalbard Treaty, which recognizes the sovereignty of Norway over the archipelago of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean, and grants signatories equal rights to engage in commercial activities and scientific research on the archipelago.

During World War II, Nazi Germany led an invasion of Denmark and Norway in Operation Weserübung in April 1940. Vidkun Quisling, a former foreign minister, was the leader of the Norwegian puppet state. The Norwegians were considered racially superior to the German people by Hitler, and plans were made to improve the country's infrastructure. The German occupation of Norway lasted until May 1945.^[15]

Norway, West Germany, and East Germany became members of the United Nations.^[16] West Germany and Norway also became members of NATO.^[1]

German and Norwegian leaders have established closer relations in recent times. Former Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg's first overseas visit in November 2013 was to Angela Merkel in Germany.^[17] Likewise, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz^[18] and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck.^[19]

Despite Norway's status as a non-EU member, Norway communicates with the European Union and has identified diplomatic focuses that will help it gain influence, one of which being Germany.^[20]

Norway is also a member of the European Economic Area and has other bilateral agreements with the European Union.^[21]

Germany has one embassy in Oslo, and 8 honorary consuls in Ålesund, Bergen, Bodø, Kirkenes, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Tromsø, and Trondheim.

The German ambassador to Norway is Detlef Wächter.^[22] The honorary consuls are: Siri Reichel (Ålesund), Nils Børge Rokne (Bergen), Hege Alst (Bodø), Monika Christine Raab (Kirkenes), Lars Christian Jacobsen (Kristiansand), Per Arne Larsen (Stavanger), Ole-Martin Andreassen (Tromsø), and Kristin Offerdal (Trondheim).^[23]

Norway has one embassy in Berlin in the Nordic Embassy Complex in Tiergarten and 11 honorary consuls in Bochum, Bremen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Kiel, Leipzig, Lübeck, Munich, Rostock, and Stuttgart.

The Norwegian ambassador to Germany is Torgeir Larsen. The honorary consuls are: Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath (Bochum), Hans-Christian Specht (Bremen), Axel Hellmann (Frankfurt), Tina Voß (Hanover), Arno Michael Witt (Kiel), Ulf Heitmüller (Leipzig), Petra Baader (Lübeck), Max J. Aschenbrenner (Munich), Oliver Brünnich (Rostock), and Thomas Edig (Stuttgart).^[24]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (March 2023)

• Flekkefjord, Agder and Misburg-Anderten, Lower Saxony since 1971.^[25]
• Frogn, Viken and Mitte, Berlin since 1990.^[26]
• Trondheim, Trøndelag and Darmstadt, Hesse since 1968.^[27]
• Haugesund, Rogaland and Emden, Lower Saxony since 2009.^[28]
• Lørenskog, Viken and Garching, Bavaria since 1974.^[29]
• Hamar, Innlandet and Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since 1997.^[30]
• Dovre, Innlandet and Gronau, Lower Saxony since 2002.^[31]
• Kristiansand, Agder and Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia since 1967.^[32]
• Lillehammer, Innlandet and Oberhof, Thuringia since 1993.^[33]
• Haugesund, Rogaland and Oettingen, Bavaria since 1971.^[34]
• Skien, Vestland and Rendsburg, Schleswig-Holstein since 1995.^[35]
• Bergen, Vestland and Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since 1965.^[36]
• Halden, Viken and Wismar, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since 1991.^[37]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (March 2023)

As members of the House of Glücksburg,^[38] descending from the House of Oldenburg, the sitting Norwegian Royal Family is also of German descent.^[39]

• Johan Gerhard Theodor Ameln (1838–1917), merchant and politician.
• Nils Astrup (1778–1835), politician.
• Johan Henrich Berlin (1741–1807), composer and organist.
• Harald Beyer (1891–1960), literary historian.
• Karoline Bjørnson (1835–1934), actress.
• Harriet Bosse (1835–1934), actress.
• Harald Damsleth (1906–1971), cartoonist who worked for the Nasjonal Samling.
• Carl Dørnberger (1864–1940), painter.
• Anneli Drecker (1969–), singer and actress.
• Simone Eriksrud (1970–), musician.
• Gerd Fleischer (1942–), war child and activist, receiver of the Jenteprise.
• Ragnar Frisch (1895–1973), influential economist
• Fredrik Georg Gade (1830–1905), businessperson and politician
• Eyvind Getz (1888–1956), politician and former mayor of Oslo.
• Finn Graff (1938–), illustrator.
• Waldemar Hansteen (1857–1921), architect.
• Carl Dietrich Hildisch (1867–1949), businessperson and member of the Nasjonal Samling.
• Clara Holst (1868–1935), philologist and women's rights advocate.
• Hans Holtermann (c. 1709–1781), businessman and landowner.
• Sophus Kahrs (1918–1986), commander for the German SS.
• Caspar Kauffeldt (1773–1843), industrialist
• Halvdan Koht (1873–1965), historian and politician
• August Konow (1780–1873), businessman and politician
• Wollert Konow (1779–1839), merchant, politician, and vice consul
• Jürgen Christoph von Koppelow (1684–1770), nobleman and officer in the Great Northern War
• Karoline Krüger (1970–), singer, actress, and composer
• Hans Linstow (1787–1851), architect and designer of the Norwegian Royal Palace
• Morten Lyng Lossius (1819–1892), military officer, engineer, and politician
• Anni-Frid Lyngstad (1945–), singer-songwriter and environmentalist; founding member and lead singer of ABBA
• Catharina Lysholm (1744–1815), businesswoman and ship-owner.
• Carl von und zu Mansbach (1790–1867), military officer and diplomat.
• Linni Meister (1985–), model and singer.
• Edvard Moser (1962–), psychologist, neuroscientist, and professor.
• Ingunn Moser (1965–), sociologist and university and health executive.
• Arne Næss Jr. (1937–2004), businessman and mountaineer.
• Benjamin Wegner Nørregaard (1861–1935), journalist and army officer.
• Henriette Pauss (1841-1918), teacher, editor, humanitarian, and missionary leader.
• Peter Arnoldus Petersen (1851–1916), businessman.
• Johan Christopher Ræder (1782–1853), military officer.
• Johan Georg Ræder (1751–1808), military officer.
• Pål Refsdal (1963–), journalist, photographer, and filmmaker.
• Georg Reichwein (1630–1710), military leader.
• Georg Richter (1915-1972), actor.
• Olaus Michael Schmidt (1784-1851), judge and politician.
• Cecilie Christine Schøller (1720-1786), socialite, land owner, and businessperson.
• Emil Schreiner (1831-1910), philologist and educator.
• Kristian Schreiner (1874-1957), professor of medicine.
• Carl Schulz (1851-1944), educator and politician.
• Tellef Dahll Schweigaard (1806-1886), politician.
• Vebjørn Selbekk (1969–), newspaper editor and author.
• Wilhelm Christian Suhrke (1863-1950), architect and politician.
• Michael Tetzschner (1954–), politician.
• Olav Anton Thommessen (1946–), contemporary composer.
• Jørgen Thormøhlen (c.1640–1708), merchant, shipowner, slave trader, and industrialist.
• Vicky Vette (1965–), porn star.
• Lars-Christopher Vilsvik (1988–), footballer.
• Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner (1967–), programmer and businessman.
• Georg Reinholdt Wankel (1843-1907), politician.
• Johan Peter Weisse (1832-1886), philologist.
• Dikken Zwilgmeyer (1853–1913), fiction writer.

• Cappelen
• Von der Lippe

• Niklas Andersen (1988–), footballer.
• Matthias Brandt (1961–), actor and audiobook narrator, son of former Chancellor Willy Brandt
• Thordis Brandt (1940–), American actress.
• Johann Siegwald Dahl (1827–1902), animal painter.
• Isabel Freese (1979–), dressage rider.
• Olaf Andreas Gulbransson (1916–1961), architect.
• Karen Horney (1885–1952), psychoanalyst.
• Princess Marie Luise Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel (1814–1895), princess of Anhalt-Dessau.
• David McAllister (1971–), politician.
• Bjørn Melhus (1966–), film and installation artist.
• Miriam Neureuther (1990–), biathlete and cross-country skier.
• Hans Thomsen (1891–1968), German Nazi diplomat.
• Georg Uecker (1962–), German actor.

• Jørn Andersen (1963–), football manager.
• Rut Brandt (1920–2006), writer and Willy Brandt's wife.
• Carl Frithjof Smith (1859–1917), painter
• Kirsten Heiberg (1907–1976), actor who worked on a propaganda film for the Nazis.
• Christian Lassen (1800–1876), orientalist and Indologist.
• Vincent Stoltenberg Lerche (1837–1892), painter, illustrator, and author.
• Ludvig Munthe (1841–1896), landscape painter.
• Georg Anton Rasmussen (1842–1914), landscape painter.
• Per Schwenzen (1899–1984), screenwriter, writer, and translator