Chateau Neuf

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Building information
Chateau Neuf
Chateau Neuf
Shown within Norway
Town	Oslo
Country	Norway
Coordinates	59°55′56″N 10°42′45″E / 59.9323, 10.7126Coordinates: 59°55′56″N 10°42′45″E / 59.9323, 10.7126
Architect	Kjell Lund and Nils Slaatto
Client	Det Norske Studentersamfund
Construction start date	1963
Completion date	1973

Chateau Neuf is a building in Oslo that houses Det Norske Studentersamfund, (The Norwegian Students' Society), including cafes, bars, performance centers, and other facilities for student assembly. It is situated at Slemdalsveien 15 near Majorstuen just south of the main campus of the University of Oslo at Blindern.

Though the name literally means "The Ninth Castle" in French, it also involves a pun on "nøff," the Norwegian onomatopoeic for the sound of a pig. The highest protector of the Students' Society is His Majesty the Pig.

[edit] History

Although the Students' Society was housed in permanent facilities at Universitetsgaten 26 from 1861 onwards, the society outgrew this structure by 1918 and moved to different locations around the city. In 1940, the society was offered Logen, but this plan fell apart with the German invasion of Norway.

In the 1950s, funds were raised to build a new structure, spearheaded by Jan P. Syse among others. Based on the university's expansion plans, the site was picked, though the university changed its plans after Chateau Neuf's construction had started.

Ground was broken by C.J. Hambro in 1963 in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the society. The architects were Kjell Lund and Nils Slaatto. Construction was complete in 1971 and officially opened in 1973.