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Diplomatic contacts between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of Norway From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Germany–Norway relations are foreign relations between Germany and Norway.
Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1905, after Norway's independence. During World War II, Norway was occupied by Nazi Germany, lasting from 1940 until 1945.
Both countries are full members of NATO,[1] and of the Council of Europe.[2] As of 2022, there were around 15,000 Norwegians living in Germany and around 10,000 Germans living in Norway.[3]
To promote the German-Norwegian relations, in 1982, the German-Norwegian Society,[4] and in 1988, the German-Norwegian Friendship Society, were founded.[5]
| Official name | Federal Republic of Germany | Kingdom of Norway |
| Flag |  |
 |
| Coat of Arms |  |
 |
| Anthem | Deutschlandlied | Ja, vi elsker dette landet; Royal anthem: Kongesangen |
| National day | 3 October | 17 May |
| Capital city | Berlin | Oslo |
| Largest city | Berlin - 3,677,472 (Metro: 6,144,600) | Oslo - 709,037 (Metro: 1,588,457) |
| Government | Federal parliamentary constitutional republic | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Head of State | Frank-Walter Steinmeier | Harald V of Norway |
| Head of Government | Olaf Scholz | Jonas Gahr Støre |
| Military | Bundeswehr | Norwegian Armed Forces |
| Official language(s) | German; Danish, Low German, Sorbian, Romani, and Frisian recognized as minority languages | Norwegian, Sami; Kven, Romani, and Scandoromani recognized as minority languages. |
| Religion | 55% Christianity 37,7% No religion 6,5% Islam 0,8% Other |
74,9% Christianity —68% Church of Norway —6,9% Other Christian 21,2% No religion 3,1% Islam 0,8% Others |
| Current Constitution | 8 May 1949 | 17 May 1814 |
| Area | 357,114 km2 (137,882 sq mi) | 385,207 km2 (148,729 sq mi) |
| EEZ | 57,485 km2 (22,195 sq mi) | 2,385,178 km2 (920,922 sq mi) |
| Time zones | 1 | 1 |
| Population | 83,695,000 | 5,488,984 |
| Population density | 233/km2 | 14.3/km2 |
| Expatriate populations | 15,000 Norwegians in Germany as of 2022 | 10,000 Germans living in Norway as of 2022 |
| Ethnic groups | 80% Germans, 5% Turks, 5% other Europeans, 10% other | 81.5% Norwegians, 18.5% non-Norwegians |
| GDP (nominal) | $4.031 trillion | $504 billion |
| GDP (nominal) per capita | $48,398 | $92,646 |
| GDP (PPP) | $5.317 trillion | $425 billion |
| GDP (PPP) per capita | $63,835 | $78,128 |
| HDI | 0.942 | 0.961 |
| Currency | Euro | Norwegian krone |
Both what is now Germany and Norway were settled by Proto-Germanic peoples. The Ahrensburg culture, named after the town of Ahrensburg in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, originated mostly in the North German Plain and were the first known peoples to settle modern-day Norway.[6] By the 2nd century AD, Proto-Norse evolved from Proto-Germanic in Scandinavia.[7] This separated the West Germanic peoples (of whom Germans are associated) and the North Germanic (of whom the Norwegians are associated).[8]
The Hanseatic League, a coalition of mostly German towns,[9] engaged in trade relations with Norway. A kontor, a Hanseatic trading post, was established in Bergen,[10] this first buildings in the area. This post dominated Norwegian trade for almost 400 years.[11]
In 1315 Norway entered a large alliance with Denmark, Poland, Sweden, the Duchy of Pomerania and Duchy of Mecklenburg against the Margraviate of Brandenburg.[12]
Following the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905, the German Empire established relations with the Kingdom of Norway.
The 1914 Septemberprogramm authorized by German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg proposed the creation of a Central European Economic Union, comprising a number of European countries, including Germany and possibly Norway, in which, as the Chancellor secretly stressed, there was to be a semblance of equality among the member states, but in fact it was to be under German leadership to stabilize Germany's economic predominance in Central Europe, with co-author Kurt Riezler admitting that the union would be a veiled form of German domination in Europe (see also: Mitteleuropa).[13][14] The plan failed amid Germany's defeat in the war.
In 1925 Germany signed the Svalbard Treaty, which recognizes the sovereignty of Norway over the archipelago of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean, and grants signatories equal rights to engage in commercial activities and scientific research on the archipelago.
During World War II, Nazi Germany led an invasion of Denmark and Norway in Operation Weserübung in April 1940. Vidkun Quisling, a former foreign minister, was the leader of the Norwegian puppet state. The Norwegians were considered racially superior to the German people by Hitler, and plans were made to improve the country's infrastructure. The German occupation of Norway lasted until May 1945.[15]
Norway, West Germany, and East Germany became members of the United Nations.[16] West Germany and Norway also became members of NATO.[1]
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German and Norwegian leaders have established closer relations in recent times. Former Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg's first overseas visit in November 2013 was to Angela Merkel in Germany.[17] Likewise, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz[18] and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck.[19]
Despite Norway's status as a non-EU member, Norway communicates with the European Union and has identified diplomatic focuses that will help it gain influence, one of which being Germany.[20]
Norway is also a member of the European Economic Area and has other bilateral agreements with the European Union.[21]
Germany has one embassy in Oslo, and 8 honorary consuls in Ålesund, Bergen, Bodø, Kirkenes, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Tromsø, and Trondheim.
The German ambassador to Norway is Detlef Wächter.[22] The honorary consuls are: Siri Reichel (Ålesund), Nils Børge Rokne (Bergen), Hege Alst (Bodø), Monika Christine Raab (Kirkenes), Lars Christian Jacobsen (Kristiansand), Per Arne Larsen (Stavanger), Ole-Martin Andreassen (Tromsø), and Kristin Offerdal (Trondheim).[23]
Norway has one embassy in Berlin in the Nordic Embassy Complex in Tiergarten and 11 honorary consuls in Bochum, Bremen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Kiel, Leipzig, Lübeck, Munich, Rostock, and Stuttgart.
The Norwegian ambassador to Germany is Torgeir Larsen. The honorary consuls are: Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath (Bochum), Hans-Christian Specht (Bremen), Axel Hellmann (Frankfurt), Detlef Palm (Hamburg), Tina Voß (Hanover), Arno Michael Witt (Kiel), Ulf Heitmüller (Leipzig), Petra Baader (Lübeck), Max J. Aschenbrenner (Munich), Oliver Brünnich (Rostock), and Thomas Edig (Stuttgart).[24]
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Flekkefjord, Agder and 
Misburg-Anderten, Lower Saxony since 1971.[25] Frogn, Viken and Mitte, Berlin since 1990.[26] Trondheim, Trøndelag and Darmstadt, Hesse since 1968.[27] Haugesund, Rogaland and Emden, Lower Saxony since 2009.[28] Lørenskog, Viken and Garching, Bavaria since 1974.[29] Hamar, Innlandet and Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since 1997.[30] Dovre, Innlandet and Gronau, Lower Saxony since 2002.[31] Kristiansand, Agder and Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia since 1967.[32] Lillehammer, Innlandet and Oberhof, Thuringia since 1993.[33] Haugesund, Rogaland and Oettingen, Bavaria since 1971.[34] Skien, Vestland and Rendsburg, Schleswig-Holstein since 1995.[35] Bergen, Vestland and Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since 1965.[36] Halden, Viken and Wismar, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since 1991.[37] |
As members of the House of Glücksburg,[38] descending from the House of Oldenburg, the sitting Norwegian Royal Family is also of German descent.[39]
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