TUNTREET
The History We Pass By
Martine Hana Løken Journalist
Simen Walbækken Tangen Photographer Aleksander Mæland Munkejord Translator
At NMBU’s website there’s a list of statues and memorials at campus. These are raised in memory of central individuals throughout the history of agricultural education. Still, many among us are uninformed about who these people really are. As such, Tuntreet decided to delve into the great wide web and find out what exactly brought them to their fame. Here’s a short summary.
Dahlstøtta Agricultural schools emerged after the dissolution of the union. However, there weren’t many qualified teachers, so ideas formed of founding an institution for higher agricultural education. That’s where the swede Frederik August Dahl (1818-1890), who this statue honors, comes into play. Dahl was recruited as an advisor for the development of the higher agricultural education. With experience as manager for a larger agricultural property and teacher at the Ultuna Institute of Agriculture in Sweden, he was a rational choice. Dahl became the first Head of Administration of the institution, from 1858 to 1880. The education itself began on October 1st, 1859.
14
Issue 01 Year 75
Sverdrupbysten Jacob Liv Borch Sverdrup (1775-1841) was born in Nærøy, Trøndelag. He became a pioneer within agricultural operation, and in 1825 he bought a farm which he transformed into a school of agriculture. The farm was “Nedre Semb” in Borre, and it became the first agricultural school in Norway. He ran the school until state subsidies were cancelled in 1936.
Falsenstøtta This statue stands on the grounds of the “Vollebekk” farm. The farm was, on Dahl’s recommendation, bought by the Agricultural University of Norway during its founding. Vollebekk was home to Christian Magnus Falsen (1782-1830), district court judge of Follo. He lived here, and among other things wrote his draft of the constitution. He is referred to as Father of the Constitution. So next time you pass by Falsenstøtta, don’t forget you’re treading where the Father of the Constitution called home.
