Nobel Peace Center

You’re now standing in front of the Nobel Peace Center, a museum part of the global network of Nobel institutions managed by the Swedish foundation. Housed in Oslo’s former train station, it’s been completely remodeled for the occasion. It was inaugurated in 2005 in the presence of the royal families of both Norway and Sweden. The Center serves as both a museum dedicated to the Nobel Peace Prize and a hub for debate and reflection on global issues such as war, peace, and conflict resolution. Inside, you can explore the life of Alfred Nobel as well as the work of various Peace Prize laureates, through interactive exhibitions, events, debates, educational programs, and concerts, theater performances, and conferences. We all know the Nobel Prize, but let me tell you the story of how the inventor of dynamite left his vast fortune to advocate for world peace. Alfred Nobel was born in 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden, into a prominent family of engineers. He pursued scientific studies, and after living in Russia, where his father invented plywood, he went on to study chemistry in the United States. He then spent a year in Paris studying under a well-known French chemist: Théophile-Jules Pelouze, who was working with Ascanio Sobrero, the man who had just discovered nitroglycerin. Back in Sweden, Alfred started focusing on explosives. This was in 1862, and honestly, not much had changed since the invention of gunpowder! It was dangerous work, many accidents happened, even one that killed five people, including Alfred’s brother. This pushed him to focus on safety, and he eventually discovered, by accident, a safer way to handle explosives. That’s when he invented the detonator and later patented dynamite, which was first used in England in 1867. He later moved back to Paris and opened his own powder workshop. His secretary, Bertha von Suttner, became a radical pacifist journalist and eventually won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905. Alfred Nobel, once again by accident, went on to invent an even more powerful explosive. Then, in 1888, a French newspaper mistakenly published his obituary while he was still alive, condemning his inventions. The headline read, “The merchant of death is dead. Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.” Ouch. That journalist may not have been kind, but his words certainly made Nobel stop and think. He realised this wasn’t the legacy he wanted to leave behind. In his will, he stated that his fortune should go to those who bring the greatest benefit to humanity. He created a prize for “the person or group that has done the most or the best work for the fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and for the promotion of peace congresses.” The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded every year on the 10th of December at Oslo’s City Hall. It’s the only Nobel Prize awarded in Norway, the others are given in Sweden.