The Norway National Heritage Board proposes to preserve the Jewish cemetery at Sofienbergparken in Oslo and the memorial “Place for remembrance” on Akershuskaia.
Both places are important cultural monuments from Jewish history in Norway according to the National Heritage Board.
According to Jewish tradition, Jewish graves are eternal and cannot be removed. Therfore, the graves stayed when the rest of Sofienberg burial ground was converted into a park in the 60s.
The cemetery has cultural-historical value as the first Jewish cemetery in Norway. It was taken into use in 1885 until 1917, when it was replaced by a new Jewish cemetery at Helsfyr.
The memorial “Place for remembrance” is located by Akershuskaia, outside the fortress wall of Akershus Fortress. It consists of eight seatless chairs facing the sea and commemorates the 773 Norwegian Jews who were deported from Norway to the Auschwitz death camp. Only 35 people survived.
