In 1999, Norway took the initiative of organising a Nordic research seminar on the subject of manor houses. The seminar was titled ‘The Nordic Castle and Manor House Symposium’. The organisers included representatives from Oslo University and Frederikstad Museum at Elingaard. Since 1999, Nordic Castle and Manor House Symposiums have been held more or less regularly in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The aim of the symposiums has always been to bring together researchers from the Nordic region across disciplinary and national borders, thereby creating a forum for the exchange of research findings and working methods, and fostering debate on common issues related to Nordic manorial culture.
In addition to giving manor houses a place on a common Nordic agenda, the symposiums have engendered a successful symbiosis between universities and museums. Indeed, one of the most significant results of this initiative has been the establishment of an active, highly efficient researcher network. This network has made it possible to maintain and develop close contact among Nordic manorial researchers. Another result of the collaboration, from 2009 to 2011, was the establishment by three museums and universities in Norway, Sweden and Denmark of an EU Interreg project. The project’s main focus was cultural heritage in the Kattegat and Skagerrak region.
Nordisk Netværk is all about the exchange of information about symposiums and common areas of interest related to the subject of manor houses.
