Norway reopens government quarter 15 years after Breivik attacks

Fifteen years after the 2011 attacks by far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik, Norway has officially reopened parts of its government quarter in Oslo, marking the return of several ministries to the redeveloped site.

The reopening on April 13 follows years of reconstruction, including the renovation of existing structures and the construction of new facilities, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

On July 22, 2011, Breivik detonated a car bomb outside the prime minister’s office, killing eight people, before carrying out a mass shooting at a Labour Party youth camp on Utoeya, where 69 people, mostly teenagers, were killed. The bombing caused extensive damage to government buildings in Oslo, forcing ministries to relocate to temporary offices across the city. 

“We have been in exile,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told reporters as he presented his new office, describing the moment as historic.

“It is an important part of history for us: it was the Labour Party that was bombed out of these offices, and it is the Labour Party that is coming back,” he said.

Støre, who now leads a minority Labour government, was serving as foreign minister at the time of the attacks under then-prime minister Jens Stoltenberg.

His new office reflects a minimalist Scandinavian design, featuring Norwegian wood and artwork depicting national landscapes. Among the personal items displayed is a photograph of former South African President Nelson Mandela with former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland at Robben Island.

“This picture is a reminder that we are part of something bigger,” Støre said.

By Sabina Mammadli