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When war broke out in Norway in
1940, the monument was half finished in cyanite, the rest was modelled in
plaster. The work stopped for the duration of the war. Then when the fate of
the column was once again brought before the Storting, there was political
dissension which, sadly, caused the work to be discontinued still
again. The outcome was that the column was very poorly maintained and it
deteriorated severely. That was the case for 20 years and the column would
have continued to deteriorate for the foreseeable future, had Amund
Elvesaeter not taken the initiative to have it erected. Following three
frustrating attempts to get the column placed in Lillehammer, Amund
Elvesaeter saw no other option but to take matters into his own hands. After
consultations with Wilh. Rasmussen's legal heirs and relatives as well as
the Storting's presidium, Elvesaeter managed to get the monument released so
that it could be privately financed and raised near Elvesaeter. The column
was completed at the end of August 1992. It is 40 meters tall from bedrock
to the top of the king's crown. 33 Meters are visible above ground. |
