Difference between revisions of "Norway"

Revision as of 13:26, 13 April 2012

Pavilion History

What would one day become the Norway pavilion, began in 1978 as the Denmark pavilion. Denmark was one of the original concept for World Showcase, with the idea that it would be the park's Scandinavian representative. Between in 1978 and 1982 however, the pavilion went through a lot of changes. Before Epcot's opening the pavilion was dropped, reinstated, and moved next to China. It was eventually decided that Denmark would open with phase two of Epcot, scheduled to take place shortly after the park opened. Since World Showcase needed more restrooms, some were built in the planned location of Denmark, with the idea that the other buildings would be constructed around them. By 1983 however, plans for the pavilion changed. It was decided that Norway, Sweden, and Denmark would open in the "Scandinavian Showcase" which was scheduled for 1987. The pavilion was designed by WED and "Norman International", one of Oslo's largest construction companies. Due to the fact that most of the funds were coming from Norwegian sources, plans for the pavilion changed once again. In June of 1985, it was announced that the pavilion would be named "Norway, Gateway to Scandinavia".

The pavilion was designed with 58,000 sq ft of interior space. This area was then divided into stores, an exhibition, a restaurant and Epcot's first thrill ride. The attraction was titled "Sea Venture", and it's initial concept called for a log flume attraction on which guests would encounter trolls an gnomes as they searched for a rainbow bridge to Valhalla. The storyline however, was deemed too short. The idea was then expanded to include a history trip that took guests from the folklore of Norway all the way to modern times. The thrill part of the attraction was planned to come from a new flume ride system where the boat direction could be reversed during the ride.

Construction began on the Norway pavilion on May 27, 1986. Over the next two years, the pavilion began to take shape around the 1982 restroom building. When complete, the pavilion consisted of a Stave Church (which holds various exhbits), a bakery named Kringla Bakeri OG Kafe and a series of interlinked stores including the Puffins Roost and the Fjording. The Norway pavilion is also home to a restaurant, Akershus, and the pavilions attraction which was renamed "The Malestorm" shortly before opening. The Norway pavilion opened opened to guests on May 6, 1988 and it was officially dedicated in June of that year. On hand for the dedication was Crown Prince Harald, as well as traditional Norwegian dancers. Since the pavilion opened, Norway has seen very few changes. The exhibits inside the Stave Church have been updated over the years and the live band, Spelmanns Gledje, no longer plays in the pavilion. The most recent change came in 2008, when the outdoor playground shaped like the viking Oseberg ship was removed.

Sponsorship of the Pavilion

When countries were originally added to World Showcase, Disney required 30 million dollars in funding before it would add a country. The following companies contributed to the pavilion's creation:

• Selmer-Sande Construction

• Den Norske Creditbank

• Vesta-Gruppen Insturance/Finance

• Norcem Industrial

• Kosmos Shipping

• Det Norske Veritas Marine Insurance

• Frionor Norsk Frossenfisk Seafood

• Norsk Data Technology

• Norway Foods LTD

Note: SAS, the largest Scandinavian airline also sponsored "The Spirit of Norway" film which guests see after exiting the Malestorm.

In 1992, all of the sponsors sold their stake in the pavilion to Disney, and the pavilion has remained without a sponsor. Beginning 1992 the government of Norway agreed to give Disney $200,000 a year, however they choose not to renew their contract in 2002.