Samfundet in Trondhjem in 1945

No one that didn't take part in it can imagine the indescribable feeling of happiness it was to experience the German capitulation in Norway after five years of war and occupation.

Already on that same day, the 8th of May 1945, we stepped into the Red Round House by Elgseter bridge. Samfundet was almost in tuins. German soldiers had used it as a kind of circus with, amongst other things, ponies on the floor of Storsalen (the Grand Hall). The other floors and stairs had also been chopped up by heavy, ironstudded boots, which had stomped around. We literally had to use spades to shovel up the dirt.

Based on this, it is amazing to think that the first Samfunds meeting after the war already took place on May the 17th, just nine days later. It was a meeting that none of us who were there ever could forget: 1,400 people in Storsalen and a fairytale like atmosphere, which strangely enough never went overboard.

Maximum efforts were put in from the first day. They came here straight from the prisons and prison camps in Norway and Germany, refugee camps and police forces in Sweden and all those who had lived up to several years in hiding constantly in fear of being discovered. Crammed together in the Storsalen we sang all seven verses of Ja, vi elsker in unison and at full volume. The text was printed in the Celebration Meeting program. And the King song and Trondhjem's song and Vår egen lille verden ("Our own little world), in between all the speeches of the chairman and the county governor and the bishop and alderman, mayor, principal etc. , etc.

Then we immediately started to prepare UKA-45: Go-A-Head, which premiered November 3.

But in the meantime, June 7th was the then Crown Prince Olav guest of honor at a meeting that, if possible, was just as packed and stylish as the first. He was not only an honorary member of Samfundet, but also Ridderskabet Det Sorte Faars high patron, the Duke of Belfaar. A small private parentheses: (It made a powerful impression on us Resji that Krompen (nickname for corwn-prince" chain smoked Teddy, but only half the cigarettes and stumped rest in the ashtray, which we afterwards threw us over, we that had not tasted tobacco for many years).

And so Samfundet started up again, one hell of a start!

On demand and joy,
Gulleråsen, 6.8.1998
Orvar Braaten