Villa Grande is a property on

Bygdøy Bygdøy or Bygdø is a peninsula situated on the western side of Oslo, Norway. Administratively, Bygdøy belongs to the borough of Frogner; historically Bygdøy was part of Aker Municipality and became part of Oslo in 1948. Bygdøy is a popul ...

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. The main building is located on top of a hill, raised above the surrounding residential buildings.

History

The construction of the building began in 1917, designed by the architects Christian Morgenstierne (1880–1967) and Arne Eide (1881-1957). The original owner was

Sam Eyde Samuel Eyde (29 October 1866 – 21 June 1940) was a Norwegian engineer and industrialist. He was the founder of both Norsk Hydro and Elkem. Personal life Eyde was born in Arendal in Aust-Agder, Norway. He was a son of ship-owner Samuel Eyde (181 ...

, founder of

Norsk Hydro Norsk Hydro ASA (often referred to as just ''Hydro'') is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. It is one of the largest aluminium companies worldwide. It has operations in some 50 countries around the world a ...

. He sold the incomplete building after one year. Subsequent owner Henrik Østervold (1878-1957) engaged architect

Jens Zetlitz Monrad Kielland Jens Zetlitz Monrad Kielland ( – ) was a Norwegian architect, professor and author. Personal life Jens Kielland was a member of the prominent Kielland family. He was born in Stavanger to parish priest and politician Jacob Kielland (1841� ...

(1866–1926) to prepare new and reduced building plans. Østervold built the building in the period 1918-21. In 1921, Aker Municipality took over the property. In 1926, shipowner Wilh. Wilhelmsen (1872–1955) handed over Villa Grande as a gift to the Norwegian government. In 1941, it was finished and furnished as a residence for

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

(1900–1980) and

Vidkun Quisling Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (, ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Nazi collaborator who nominally list of heads of government of Norway, headed the government of Norway during t ...

(1887-1945). They lived there until the latter was arrested in 1945. During this period the villa was known as ''

Gimlé In Norse mythology, Gimlé (alternately Gimli as in Icelandic) is a place where the worthy survivors of Ragnarök are foretold to live. It is mentioned in the ''Prose Edda'' and the Eddic poem "Völuspá" and described as the most beautiful plac ...

''. After Maria Quisling had been evicted, General Andrew Thorne (1885–1970), commander-in-chief of Allied forces in

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 ...

, together with his staff, used Villa Grande as their headquarters from 22 May 1945. They stayed until 31 October, when Thorne went back to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

. Since 2006, Villa Grande has housed the Norwegian research institution Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious Minorities.

Gallery

File:Villa Grande 8.jpg File:Bygdöy IMG 4838 villa grande rk 90331.JPG File:Villa Grande 3.jpg

References

External links

Website of Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious Minorities

Specifically about Villa Grande on the website of ''HL-senteret''
Buildings and structures in Oslo Bygdøy Houses in Norway Vidkun Quisling {{Norway-struct-stub