1948 MAJESTIC NORWAY

[Music] rugged majestic mountains and europe's largest glaciers that gradually melt and drip to become waterfalls rivers and streams innumerable deep fjords and a seemingly endless jagged coastline these are the tough immutable elements from which nature created norway this is the land that has fashioned the norwegian people these are the skyscrapers of norway a tremendous upthrust of rocky mountains their faces gashed with countless rushing waterfalls whose mist catches a rainbow in the sun two-thirds of norway's profile is cut like this enough scenic grandeur here to employ a lyric poet indefinitely but an engineer may see it a different way let's follow the rivers to the valleys and see how norwegians have coped with the ruggedness of their country [Music] motor roads here tempt the driver but their construction was an engineering feat that old rule of the shortest distance between two points seems out of order in these mountains there are so many problems land or snow slides must be foiled long protective sheds must be built over the [Music] roads [Music] there are many little farms with cattle perched up in the mountains where the soil is amazingly rich and fertile you simply have to stop your car and look hairpin curves and scenery gazing are not compatible when one is driving from here you see the winding route you'll take farther and farther down into the valley skirting the crags and peeps you're descending rapidly now you've traveled over numerous bridges you've seen norway's rich timberland there's water everywhere you look what if it sprang from the mountain glaciers above water turbulent at first hastening over cliffs and boulders then slowing down a little as it reaches the quiet valleys dotted with farms and ambling cattle [Music] the waterways are put to use by the important lumber industry logs from the forests are floated down the rivers to the middle but farming is the major source of livelihood in norway where only three and a half percent of the soil is cultivable most of the farms are small owned and worked by one family some of the little farms have been in the hands of a single family for centuries every inch of soil is planted and farmers work hard they must for there are no greener pastures to move on to if a man should ruin his own fertile acres the summer season is brief here so the norwegian farmer long ago had to invent his own quick method of drying hay racks like these strung across the field are a familiar sight in this northern latitude everyone is pitching in families get together to speed up the heying procedure and young boys and girls come from town to work on farms in summertime at last this farmer can relax a bit his load is in [Music] though the majority of farms are small homesteads norway has its quota of vast modern ones too which employ all the machinery and proven methods of scientific agriculture [Music] instead of bemoaning their rough countryside norwegians have put to use all their natural resources water power is undoubtedly one of the most important of these it has always been utilized first for primitive grindstones still reliable today then for flour mills and sawmills for the production of nitrates and for adequate electricity in fact there is hardly an industry that does not employ this inexpensive source of power the plant at rukan is one of the largest in europe and has become famous for its production of heavy water because there is an inexhaustible supply of water here and its power can be developed so cheaply there's no doubt that norway's chances of becoming a great industrial country are more than good roads and rivers continue to zigzag farther down into the valleys toward the lakes and fjords at sea level [Music] majestic norway indeed majestic mountains majestic fjords what is a fjord not merely the norwegian word for bay or inlet but a unique geographical feature deep pads of water have been cut into the profile of the mountainous western coast these salt water indentations were norway's first highways even today in some cases they are the only means of travel between one little town and another there are thousands of fjords some broad some narrow some deeper than the mountains they cut there is no finer place for cruising but one simply cannot be in a rush here who could hurry by grandeur such as this yes all kinds of boats everything from little fishing boats to handsome steamers modern fairies and primitive ones like these well they'll get you to the other side that's all that's necessary [Music] farther out toward the coast are the many little villages that use all this abundance of waterways and water power for commercial purposes scores of fishing hamlets of course and quite a few industrial towns that specialize in minerals in wood pulp and above all shipping for which norway is so famous these norwegians have rested a living from the beautiful scenery about them and all this without spoiling the view or the charm of the [Music] a city of the villages developed into leading cities of scandinavia bergen a thriving commercial port of over 100 000 people is colorful her streets lined with relics of the middle ages and the active years of the hanseatic league according to her latitude norway should be frozen the year round but southwest winds and the gulf stream were nature's gifts to this northern country bergen's flower market bright kind sun that shines while in northern norway the sun never sets at all [Music] it was inevitable that norway's shape and position on the globe would make her a fishing and seafaring nation and a great exporter of fish products farther up the west coast is norway's third largest city trondheim situated well in from the sea on a tremendous fjord once norway's capital today it is an important trade and travel center with good hotels and a friendly atmosphere founded in 997 by olaf triglison trondheim's royal origin is still acknowledged by the celebration here of all the coronations at the end of trondheim's principal avenue stands the finest cathedral in northern europe referred to reverently in all ages of norwegian literature the original church a wooden one dated from the time that king olaf the saint bad all his people take up christianity the famous cathedral was begun in roman style in the 11th century and finished in gothic in the 14th fires wars and restorations have altered the edifice considerably whatever its style the cathedral is an imposing symbol of the growth of christianity in norway passenger planes fly the long route to arctic norway the upper half of the viking country lies beyond the polar circle all year round fishing craft bob upon the waters of northern norway particularly around the lofoten islands but from january to april this region becomes the most concentrated fishing area in the world spawning cod arrive in jam-packed shoals often 150 feet deep in this small area in this short season 40 million codfish may be caught now you know why norway is europe's greatest fishing nation and leading exporter of dried cod fish these are reindeer that migrate annually to summer pastures in norway's lapland where twenty thousand laps continue to live in the strange ways of their ancestors they are traditionally a nomadic people following their reindeer to the mountains in the autumn and to the coast again in the spring the laps are small in stature small in numbers and apparently have no connection with any other racial group their colorful garb their exotic costumes and the mystery of their racial background still intrigues sociologists as well as just plain tourists who would believe that here hundreds of miles north of the arctic circle women could wear cotton dresses farmers grow crops raise hot house flowers and turn their cattle to pasture again it's the warm waters of the gulf stream that bring the miracle of summer climbs and blossoms to these northern latitudes [Music] incredible this summer in arctic norway land of the midnight sun skies are ablaze all night with magnificent color darkness never descends and the sun never sets there is something for the artist wherever he sets up his easel in norway north south east or west unlimited scenic grandeur is a challenge to his palate while the quaint to a picturesque intrigue him [Music] yes no way beckons there is so much for you to see good modern hotels are scattered everywhere by the fjords by the sea and clinging to the tops of mountains norwegians handle transportation efficiently over their many waterways and despite the solid immovable mountains there are ferries to carry your car where roads cannot be built you can even hire a plane to drop you off wherever your fancy dictates in general norway presented insufferable obstacles to railway engineers nevertheless modern streamliners connect east with west north with south all kinds of transportation a cable car at rukan lifts passengers from the deep valley to dizzy heights a bit primitive this way but a great convenience to sportsmen and the big thrill for the youngster norway's crop of sturdy smiling children shows no signs of petering out their shining blonde hair and rosy cheeks the embroidery on their little dresses all as colorful as the setting in which they run out in the country in the villages you will discover that folks enjoy dressing up in their traditional costumes particularly on sundays or festival days there's a different costume for each district and what is more festive than a wedding in june and a joyous bridal couple note the gold and silver crown along the highways crossing the mountains there's no end to the unusual and colorful scenes for instance how to milk a goat in one easy lesson [Music] what is the happiest way to travel home from church if you haven't a car these farmers prefer their trotters [Music] angling for salmon is popular with norway's fisherman it's a dull day but he hopes for a good catch from this icy mountain stream his will be a fish story that even he can believe [Music] norwegian ski all winters over a contrast in sports everyone enjoys the old swimming hole in summertime there are bathing facilities everywhere up in the mountains below in the valleys at resorts in the fjord district and right outside the big cities too [Music] open-air museums such as those at oslo and lillehammer are important to such an old country as norway here visitors may examine authentic articles from early history and from the glorious days when vikings sailed the seven seas cultural landmarks are the remaining wooden stave churches still intact with their pagoda-like roofs inspired dating from the 10th to 12th centuries the churches are unique in architecture with unusual sturdy construction and intricate wooden [Music] carving an ancient log cabin with both one of the first glass windows to be made in norway [Music] before he achieved worldwide fame as a dramatist henry gibson worked as an apprentice in this store and here he burned the midnight oil dreaming of a brilliant future today as for generations gibson and his letters are revealed by all norwegians his plays performed in theaters everywhere it was here in this modest home that he labored over his first drama catalina [Music] edvard grigg lived near bergen and in this secluded cabin created his composition lovers of his music will want to visit his grave his workshop and his home greg's statue overlooks his birthplace the city of bergen norway's great capital oslo is graced by the works of another great artist gustav vigeland eminent sculpture of vast imagination and boundless energy these gates designed by the land open into a park which oslo has dedicated to his life work a series of fountains figures and groups which represent the entire span of human life the dominating piece of sculpture is a granite monolith 65 feet high symbolizing mankind's eternal quest for freedom more than a hundred human forms struggle upwards in a vital seething mass [Music] there are enough figures here to people a small town every age of man every human emotion or passion is expressed though among the public controversy reigns over the merit of all this it was a gigantic undertaking it is an imposing sight and no one criticizes the vigal on children they are superb and chatting architecturally speaking norway is amazingly progressive she was one of the first countries to break away from the old experiment with the new ultra-modern buildings have sprung up and sitting 900 years old oslo leads the social welfare field with modern housing and her town hall is a model of functional architecture the latest addition to oslo university and here the radio broadcasting center both are in the clean-cut 20th century style apartment houses were planned to catch the most air in sunlight and flowers bloom on each balcony every norwegian takes great pride in his home even if that home is just a couple of rooms in the city-owned housing project [Music] in the midst of all his modernity are the beautiful old churches trinity church is one of oslo's finest in the heart of oslo stand parliament and the royal palace [Music] on national holidays such as the king's birthday here the normally reserved and diligent norwegians drop all work to come out and pay tribute to their democratic monarch they are fond of the royal family it is a red letter day the time for warm-hearted spontaneity the country itself has made them what they are the sturdy self-reliant and hospitable people surely now is the day for them to look about with pride to unfurl the flag of their beloved country majestic norway