Norwegian support

(Click on the links to read the statements)

Norsk Luftfartsmuseum, Bodø, Norway

Norsk Luftfartsmuseum is the Norwegian national museum of aviation, and the largest of its kind in the Nordic countries. The museum presents the foremost knowledge on Norwegian aviation history. The Norwegian Aviation Museum is a technical and cultural history museum. Appointed by the Norwegian government to be the responsible institution of aviation network in Norway. Spitsbergen Airship Museum has participated in their annual seminar in February 2007, where we presented the project. The Museum is very interested in seeing the Spitsbergen Airship Museum becoming a reality, and offers help and guidance. The Museum sees it as natural that Spitsbergen Airship Museum is a part of their network.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications is responsible for transport of people and goods, telecommunication and postal services. States that efforts and initiatives made to preserve the Norwegian history of communication, in this respect airship history, are regarded as positive.

SNSK is the oldest mining company on the Svalbard archipelago, as well as its largest enterprise and employer. Their coal mining dates back to 1916. Since then the business has been, and still is, a cornerstone of Norwegian presence and society in the Arctic. They are supportive of the Spitsbergen Airship Museum as a means of bringing forth a well known, yet rarely displayed chapter of Arctic history. As well as potentially play a significant role in securing valuable knowledge and artifacts from the history of polar aviation. Offers a suitable site for the Museum and assistance in any way desired.

Secretariat for the Svalbard Reiselivsråd. The marketing and promotion company Svalbard Reiseliv represents more than 50 tourism and tourism-related companies operating in Longyearbyen and around Svalbard. Svalbard Reiseliv's marketing responsibilities include the production and distribution of tourist information material and the provision of information services for tourists. Svalbard Reiseliv also compiles statistics on tourism. Svalbard Reiseliv coordinates measures relating to environment, security and competence building, and is responsible for training guides and tours leaders, through the Svalbard Guide- and tour leader education program.

The Norwegian Mapping Institute, Norwegian Map Museum and the attached association. The purpose of the association is to achieve the aims of Norsk Kartmuseum (Norwegian Map Museum): to maintain documents and artifacts representing Kartverket (the national map institution), the history and development of the mapping professions, and contribute in map related questions and work. Assists in the running of Norsk Kartmuseum. Emphasizes the importance the subjects of the Spitsbergen Airship Museum have had in the mapping of Svalbard and the surrounding areas.

Longyearbyen Lokalstyre is the political administration of Longyearbyen. They are responsible of infrastructure, community and area planning, economy planning, statistics, development and regulation of community services regarding children, adolescents and adults, social consulting, child care, kinder gardens and serves as a political secretary for the minor civil court.

Aas has in 2002 published a biography about Umberto Nobile. In his support of the project he emphasizes that the realization of the Spitsbergen Airship Museum will draw attention and focus to the human dimension in the history of the Polar Regions, which to this date has been dominated by the natural sciences.

Magazine about flying in Norway, issued by NAK, Norsk Aero Klubb. The magazine is an organ for the section of motor aero planes, Norsk Aero Klubb. The magazine is read by all members within the organization. In addition to the members, the magazine is also distributed to the aviation authorities, all departments of the air force, workshops and control towers. Spitsbergen Airship Museum is invited to write a 10 page article about Norwegian Airship history and the project itself.

The University Centre in Svalbard is the world’s northernmost higher education institution. The center is located in Longyearbyen. The center offers courses at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate level in biology, geology, geophysics and technology.

The Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs does not, for unknown reasons, whish to give an official letter of recomendation to the project

(unfortunately their letter is written in norwegian only).

the ministry was established in 1918, and has app. 270 employees in seven departments, amongst them The Polar Affairs Department.
The tasks of the Polar Affairs Department are the matters dealt with by the Ministry of Justice concerning the Norwegian Arctic and Antarctic polar regions including the administration carried out by the Governor of Svalbard, the preparation of the annual Svalbard budget and the coordination of the Polar affairs of the central government administration.

The Polar Affairs Department is the secretariat for the Interministerial Committee on the Polar Regions, which is an important forum for coordination of ministerial affairs concerning the Arctic and the Antarctic.

the museum is a contemporary and historical museum for technology, industry, science and medicine. The museum has more than 10 000 square meters exhibition area, over four floors and app. 15 permanent exhibitions. The association Foreningen Norsk Teknisk Museum was founded in 1914, in relation to a jubilee exhibition in Frogner, Oslo. Several of the museum's artifacts comes from this exhibition. Since 1995 the Norsk Teknisk Museum has been a national museum (unfortunately their letter is written in norwegian only).

The Norwegian Polar Institute is Norway's central institution for research, environmental monitoring and mapping of the polar regions. The Institute is the Norwegian authorities' consultant and supplier of knowledge, and contributes to the best possible administration of Norwegian polar areas.

Norwegian Air Sports Federation (the earlier Norsk Luftseiladsforening, then Norsk Aero Klubb) was established in 1909. The first chairman of the Norsk Aero Klubb was Roald Amundsen. Norsk Luftseiladsforening was the owner of the airship "Norge", and was also responsible for the finances of the "Amundsen-Ellsworth-Nobile, Transpolar Flight" in 1926.