Luther College and Vesterheim announce schedule for Decorah visit by H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon of Norway

Luther College and Vesterheim, the National Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School, are announcing a visit to Decorah on Monday, Oct. 6, by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway in honor of the 200th anniversary of the first organized Norwegian emigration to the United States.

The public is invited to participate in the main events of Crown Prince Haakon’s visit:

• 10 a.m., Street Festival Celebration, on and around the Vesterheim campus
• 11:15 a.m., Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting, Hanson Vesterheim Commons
• 1:15 p.m. Celebration Convocation, Luther College Center for Faith and Life Main Hall. Reserved seating required; doors open at 12:30 p.m. and ticket holders must be seated by 1:15 p.m.

There is no cost to attend these events, but tickets are required for the Celebration Convocation at Luther. Tickets are limited to two per person. Tickets will be available to the public through the Luther College Ticket Office starting Tuesday, Sept. 23.

Crown Prince Haakon’s visit will highlight the deep cultural and historical ties between Norway and the U.S. and promote cooperation in business, education and culture.

The visit to Decorah will be the ninth by members of the Norwegian royal family since 1939; the last visit was in 2011, when King Harald V and Queen Sonja attended Luther’s sesquicentennial celebration.

Luther College is the first U.S. college founded by Norwegian immigrants (1861). In 1877, Norwegian Americans began collecting and preserving objects at Luther College, documenting their chapter of the immigrant story. That early collection grew into the Vesterheim, which features a world-class collection of 33,000 artifacts, a Heritage Park with 12 historic buildings, and a Folk Art School.

Another connection between Decorah and Scandinavian culture is Decorah’s annual Nordic Fest, which has drawn more than 1.5 million visitors since 1967. This year’s fest celebrated the theme of “Commemorating Crossings, 1825–2025.”

This year, many organizations in Norway and the U.S. have been commemorating the 200th anniversary of the first organized migration from Norway to North America. On July 4, 1825, a group of 52 Norwegians set sail on Restauration to New York City. Since that first voyage, about 900,000 people have followed. Today, nearly five million people in North America claim Norwegian ancestry.