Norwegian Constitution Day

Norway day 2021

The Norwegian flag is flying over Lerwick Town Hall today to mark Constitution Day in Norway – 17th May.

The Norwegian flag is flying over Lerwick Town Hall today to mark Constitution Day in Norway – 17th May.

The day is a national holiday throughout Norway with parades and celebrations to commemorate the date of the signing of the national constitution in 1814.  Shetland has had cultural and historic connections with Norway since the 15th century, when both Shetland and Orkney were part of the Norwegian kingdom, which also included Denmark and Sweden at that time.

In the Second World War, locations in Shetland, including Scalloway and Lunna House, were used as bases for covert operations against Germany, which occupied Norway from April 1941.

Lerwick has a twinning agreement with the town of Måløy, on the island of Vågsøy, which is an important fishing port on the west coast of Norway.

Malcolm Bell, Convener of Shetland Islands Council – “Shetland and Norway share many historical links that are evident throughout our islands and which have shaped our identity as a community.  We still feel a close affinity with Norway and on behalf of the people of Shetland I’d like to wish our friends and neighbours across the North Sea a happy Constitution Day.”

Published: 17th May 2021