King Olav V

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This statue of King Olav V can be seen in the park behind Stiftsgården in the centre of Trondheim. King Olav V was born in England in 1903, and was king of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav reigned as a "People's King," and became extremely popular. During the 1973 energy crisis Norway banned car-driving on certain weekends, but the king, not wishing to miss an opportunity to go skiing outside Oslo, took the tram. When he tried to pay for his tickets, the conductor told him that people further back had already paid for him. A journalist once asked him if he was afraid to walk around unprotected, he answered, "Why should I be afraid? I have 4 million bodyguards!"—referring to the Norwegian people.

King Olav also was an accomplished athlete. He jumped from Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo, and also competed in sailing regatas. He won a gold medal in the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, in sailing (6m mixed) and was an active sailor until old age.