AT THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF NORWAY: MARKING A MAJOR JUBILEE – 110 YEARS SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE KINGDOM OF SERBIA AND THE KINGDOM OF NORWAY

Ambassador Dr Jasmina Mitrović Marić visited the National Library of Norway, where she met with Åse Wetås, the recently appointed Director of this institution of national importance.

During the cordial meeting, recalling the Embassy’s previously established cooperation with the Department of Foreign-Language Literature, discussions focused on institutionalising cooperation between the National Library of Serbia and the National Library of Norway, as well as on joint activities in preparation for an important anniversary in 2027 – 110 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Serbia and the Kingdom of Norway.

During a tour of the National Library of Norway, specially arranged for the delegation of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia, a valuable collection of manuscripts, working notes and maps from the personal collection of Olaf Broch was presented. Broch was a renowned Norwegian Slavist, a member of both the Norwegian and Serbian academies of sciences, and the author of the book “Dialects of Southernmost Serbia.”

The National Library of Norway was also presented with catalogues containing information on the representation of Norwegian literature and translated works in the collections of the National Library of Serbia, including a complete list of all titles. Particular attention was drawn to the impressive fact that the National Library of Serbia’s collections contain as many as 579 translations from Norwegian into Serbian, 164 books in Norwegian, as well as 26 translations from Serbian into Norwegian.

Plans for cooperation in 2028 were also discussed, when the 200th anniversary of the birth of the renowned Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen will be commemorated.