Exhibition
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Queen of the Atlantic Ocean - Stavangerfjord
Most of the Norwegians made their return crossing with Kristianiafjord, Bergensfjord or Stavangerfjord that belonged to The Norwegian - American Line. Making her maiden voyage in 1913, Kristianiafjord was the first ship in operation, but Stavangerfjord soon became the most popular. Often called the "Queen of the Atlantic Ocean", she transported more than 640,000 passengers from 1918 to 1964. When Stavangerfjord called the port of Stavanger, the city welcomed her with music and cheerful people waiting to reunite with their loved ones.

American Influences
The remigrants brought change in many forms: New words, "American houses" - new-style houses of brick rather than wood, fancy clothes, as well as ideologies and philosophies. Many of those returning to Europe also displayed an openness that shook off the old and helped transform the peasant world. Remigration contributed to a mingling of cultures which encouraged change as well as helping bring a gradual integration of the cultures of Europe and America.

But there was also a direct influence. In 1896 the first public movie performance took place in the United States. Eight years later, in 1904, the first movie theater opened in Oslo. By 1914 there were more than 150 cinemas in all of Norway. Half of the films shown in Norway were by then American. The America appearing in many of these films had an immense and worldwide appeal. It was largely built on the Wild West, Buffalo Bill, and Nick Carter image that was already familiar from the mass literature. The films, the music and entertainment industry had a massive impact on the cultural development in Europe and Norway.

Today American brands and symbols have become part of our daily life and environment.

Norway Today
The ebb and flow of migration can be explained by an interplay of domestic and international economic circumstances. Economic growth and prosperity in postwar Norway and new national quota systems in the 1960s in the United States reduced overseas migration from Norway. Not more than 49,500 Norwegians emigrated to the United States between 1946 and 1978.

Today the trend has turned: emigration has been replaced by immigration. At the end of 1999 Norway had 4,478,500 residents. Its population grew by 33,000 or 0.7 per cent, in 1999. This is the biggest population increase since the first half of the 1950s and was fuelled by the large immigration surplus of 19,300 persons. The immigrants today count 260,700 persons or 5,9 per cent of the total population.

The Swedes are the largest immigrant group with 22,400 persons. Totally 20 percent of the immigrants in Norway come from the Nordic countries. People from the Third World make up more than half of the immigrants. Most of the immigrants live in Oslo, the capitol of Norway, followed by Bergen and Stavanger.

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