Celebrating 100 years of Polish-Norwegian diplomatic relations

"Bjarne vil ikke på film” (Bjarne Hates the Camera) is a story of a Polish filmmaker who invades the life of her Norwegian neighbor Bjarne. The filmmaker asks Bjarne many questions about life, death, hopes and dreams. Bjarne wants to know if she is going to stop anytime soon, but she refuses to give up, and a unique relationship, full of absurd situations, warmth and humor, begins to develop. Thus accidentally, Bjarne becomes the main character of a documentary about himself.

17:30 – 17:40 Welcome speech by Professor Roman Cieślak, Rector of SWPS University

17:40 – 17:50 Opening address by the Ambassador of Norway in Poland, Mr. Olav Myklebust

17:50 – 18:30 Screening of "Bjarne vil ikke på film” (Bjarne Hates the Camera)

18:30 – 18:55 Meeting with the movie director, Ms. Weronika Nitsch

18:55 – 19:30 Refreshments

Norwegians and Poles have interacted for centuries. For instance, both Bergen and Gdańsk were linked to the Hanseatic League that traded extensively in the Baltic and North Seas in the period from the 12th to 15th century. However, it was only in 1919 that the two long-standing nations, but recently independent states, established formal diplomatic relations. This included the establishment of embassies in the respective capitals.

At the time, the post of the Polish ambassador in Oslo was held by Count Czesław Pruszyński. While working in Norway, he married Wenche Christiane Grove Prebensen, a daughter of the Norwegian diplomat and a former President of the Norwegian Parliament. The two lived in Warsaw during WWII. Count Pruszyński fought in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. Unfortunately, his wife died as the result of sustained injuries. The couple is buried in Risør cemetery, in Southern Norway.

The first Norwegian Ambassador in Warsaw was Mr. Sam Eyde. In Norway, he is best known as an engineer and industrialist rather than a diplomat. He founded a company called Norsk Hydro, which is still one of the largest enterprises in Norway, and it also employs 1,500 people in Poland. Moreover, Mr. Eyde played a key role in developing Norwegian hydro power that is still Norway’s main source of energy. As ambassador in Poland, he greatly contributed to development of Polish-Norwegian relations.

The Polish-Norwegian relations have fluctuated since 1919, including periods when both countries were allies, during WWII, and being in opposite camps during the Cold War. Nowadays, the relations are at an all-time high as once again, Poland and Norway are NATO allies and close partners in the EU/EEA framework. In fact, the year 2019 marks three anniversaries for Poland and Norway. 100 years of diplomatic relations, 20 years as NATO-allies, and 15 years of cooperation within EU/EEA, including the EEA-grants.