The Hartvig Nissen School ( no, Hartvig Nissens skole), informally referred to as Nissen, is a gymnasium in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It is located in the neighborhood Uranienborg in the affluent West End borough of

Frogner Frogner is a residential and retail borough in the West End of Oslo, Norway, with a population of 59,269 as of 2020. In addition to the original Frogner, the borough incorporates Bygdøy, Uranienborg and Majorstuen. The borough is named af ...

. It is Norway's oldest high school for girls and is widely considered one of the country's two most prestigious high schools alongside the traditionally male-only

Oslo Cathedral School Schola Osloensis, known in Norwegian as Oslo Katedralskole (''Oslo Cathedral School'') and more commonly as "Katta",Hartvig Nissen Ole Hartvig Nissen (17 April 1815 – 4 February 1874) was a Norwegian philologist and educator. He founded Nissen's Girls' School in Christiania in 1849. In 1865 he became director-general in the Ministry of Education, while remaining one of t ...

and was originally a private girls' school which was owned by its headmasters and which served the higher bourgeoisie. The school formerly also had its own teachers college. The school and its teachers college have the distinction of being both the first gymnasium and the first higher education institution in Norway which admitted females, and the school and its owners played a key role in promoting

female education Female education is a catch-all term of a complex set of issues and debates surrounding education (primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and health education in particular) for girls and women. It is frequently called girl ...

during the 19th and early 20th century. The school was located at the address ''Rosenkrantz' Gade 7'' from 1849 to 1860 and at the address ''Øvere Voldgade 15'' from 1860 to 1899. Then-owner-headmaster

Bernhard Pauss Bernhard Cathrinus Pauss (born 6 April 1839 at Tangen, Drammen, died 9 November 1907 in Christiania) was a Norwegian theologian, educator, author and humanitarian and missionary leader, who was a major figure in girls' education in Norway in his ...

moved the school to its current address, ''Niels Juels gate 56'', and commissioned the construction of the current school building which was completed in 1899. In 1991 the school also acquired the building of its former neighbours

Frogner School Frogner School ( no, Frogner Høiere Almenskole and subsequently ''Frogner Realskole og Gymnas'', commonly known as ''Frogner skole'') was a secondary school at Frogner in Oslo, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a No ...

and Haagaas School at ''Niels Juels gate 52''. The TV series '' Skam'' was centered on the school.

History

It was established in 1849 by

Hartvig Nissen Ole Hartvig Nissen (17 April 1815 – 4 February 1874) was a Norwegian philologist and educator. He founded Nissen's Girls' School in Christiania in 1849. In 1865 he became director-general in the Ministry of Education, while remaining one of t ...

and was originally a private girls' school, named Nissen's Girls' School (''Nissens Pigeskole'', later changed to the modern spelling ''Nissens Pikeskole''). The school was privately owned, usually by its headmasters, until it was sold to Christiania Municipality in 1918.Solbakken, Tove: ''Dueliggjort til det frie Arbeide paa Videnskabens Mark – privatskoletiden i Kristiania''. In '' Byminner'' No. 2-2012, pp. 12-27 Nissen's Girls' School was the first institution in Norway to offer

examen artium Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1 ...

—the university entrance exam—for women. Then-owner Bernhard Cathrinus Pauss also established the first

tertiary education Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...

for women in Norway, a women's teacher's college named Nissen's Teachers' College (''Nissens Lærerinneskole''). Øvre Vollgate 15 Oslo

Nissen's Girls' School mainly served the higher bourgeoisie, and was one of three leading private higher schools in Oslo, alongside

and Vestheim School. Due to its location in the wealthy borough of

and also because few working-class Norwegians attended gymnasium before the "education revolution" that started in the 1960s, it remained a school of choice for pupils from affluent families also after it was acquired by the municipality, although today, it has pupils from all parts of Oslo and with more diverse backgrounds. Its alumni include two members of the Norwegian Royal Family, Princess Ragnhild and Princess Astrid. From 1860 to 1899, the school was located in a building in ''Øvre Vollgate 15'' in central Oslo. The current school building in ''Niels Juels gate 56'' was commissioned by then-owner Bernhard Cathrinus Pauss in 1897, designed by Hartvig Nissen's son, architect

Henrik Nissen Johannes Henrik Nissen ( 21 April 1848 – 4 June 1915) was a Norwegian architect. Personal life He was born in Christiania as a son of school manager Hartvig Nissen (1815–1874) and Karen Magdalena Aas (1820–1900). He was a great-grandson ...

, and built by Harald Kaas. The school was opened for boys in 1955 and it changed its name to the current one in 1963. In 1970, it also acquired the buildings of its neighbour, the former Frogner School. The school is famous for its focus on theatre, having many actors among its alumni. It was also the first school in Norway to introduce a pupil's council, in 1919. The school was also shown in the TV series '' Skam''. The show is about teen Norwegian girls and boys who live in Oslo and go to ‘Hartvig Nisse Skole’

Owners

(1849–1872, sole owner until 1865, then one third) *

Johan Carl Keyser Johan * Johan (given name) * Johan (film), ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** Johan (album), ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunav ...

(1865–1899, one third) *

Einar Lyche Einar is a Scandinavian given name deriving from the Old Norse name Einarr, which according to Guðbrandur Vigfússon is directly connected with the concept of the einherjar, warriors who died in battle and ascended to Valhalla in Norse mytholog ...

(1865–1899, one third) * Andreas Martin Corneliussen (1899–1900, one half) * Bernhard Cathrinus Pauss (1872–1903, one third until 1899, one half until 1900 and sole owner 1900–1903) * Frogner skoles interessentskap ( Thorvald Prebensen, Theodor Haagaas and others) (1903–1918, sole owner) * Christiania/Oslo municipality (sole owner from 1918)

Notable faculty

Notable people who have taught at Nissen's Girls' School/Hartvig Nissen School include: * Peter Ludwig Mejdell Sylow,

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

who proved foundational results in

group theory In abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as group (mathematics), groups. The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as ring (mathematics), rings, field ...

. * Ole Jacob Broch, mathematician,

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...

and government minister.

Notable alumni

Notable people who have graduated from Nissen's Girls' School/Hartvig Nissen School include: * Princess Ragnhild * Princess Astrid * Eva Nansen, mezzosoprano and wife of Fridtjof Nansen * Margrethe Munthe, children's writer, songwriter and playwright * Clara Holst, first woman to obtain a doctorate in Norway * Margrethe Parm, Christian leader and scout leader * Ragnhild Jølsen, writer *

Harriet Backer Harriet Backer (21 January 1845 – 25 March 1932) was a Norwegian painter who achieved recognition in her own time and was a pioneer among female artists both in the Nordic countries and in Europe generally. She is best known for her detailed ...

, painter * Alette Engelhart, women's activist *

Lillebjørn Nilsen Bjørn "Lillebjørn" Falk Nilsen (born 21 December 1950) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and folk musician. He was born in Oslo, and is considered by some to be the leading "voice of Oslo", thanks to numerous classic songs about the city from th ...

, songwriter *

Toril Brekke Toril Brekke (born 24 June 1949) is a Norwegian novelist, writer of short stories, children's writer, biographer, translator and literary critic. Early and personal life Brekke was born in Oslo as a daughter of the poet Paal Brekke and painter ...

, novelist *

Ragna Nielsen Ragna Vilhelmine Nielsen (née Ullmann) (17 July 1845 – 29 September 1924) was a Norwegian pedagogue, school headmistress, publicist, organizer, politician and feminist. Personal life Ragna Nielsen was born in Christiania (now Oslo) to Jø ...

, pedagogue * Triana Iglesias, model * Tarjei Sandvik Moe, actor * Hege Schøyen, comedian *

Jon Balke Jon Georg Balke (born 7 June 1955) is a Norwegian jazz pianist who leads the Magnetic North Orchestra. He is the younger brother of saxophonist Erik Balke. Career Balke started playing classical piano but switched to blues at 12, though he pe ...

, jazz musician *

Maria Bonnevie Anna Maria Cecilia Bonnevie (born 26 September 1973) is a Swedish- Norwegian actress. She was born in Västerås, Sweden, but grew up in Oslo, Norway. Her parents are Norwegian actress Jannik Bonnevie and Swedish actor Per Waldvik. Bonnevie wa ...

, actress * Ulrik Imtiaz Rolfsen, film director * Lea Myren, actress and fashion model

References

External links