Reconstruction of Akershus’ rose window

Emanuel Vigeland was a Norwegian artist who created and realized the rose window in 1919/20 for the fortification Akershus in Oslo, becoming the representative place for the new Norwegian dynasty. He was self-taught glass painter and studied medieval stained-glass in France as well as lightning of sacred places down to Italy and was heavily influenced by the British Arts and Crafts Movement. In his work he focused on darkness and created thereby light. In 1943, the DS Selma in service of the SS, exploded in the Oslo harbor. The explosion destroyed the rose window. The few remaining panels were conserved, restored, and reinstalled in 2001. 2 years later, the artists’ original sketches were found by chance, as well as fragments of the shattered panels. In addition to 2 historical photos, a basis for the reconstruction of the missing fields was given and a pluridisciplinary and meticulous journey began recreating the rose window in 2022.