Jakob Vaage (9 February 1905 – 29 January 1994) was a Norwegian educator, author and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

. He served as secretary of the

Association for the Promotion of Skiing The Association for the Promotion of Skiing (, or Skiforeningen) is a large association in Norway promoting Nordic skiing and other outdoor recreational activities. Skiforeningen was founded in 1883 and has about 70 000 members.Anette LundsvollRe ...

and

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

of the

Holmenkollen Ski Museum Holmenkollen Ski Museum () is located at the base of the Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo, Norway. The Ski Museum was founded in 1923 and is the world's oldest ski museum. The initiator of the museum was the architect Hjalmar Welhaven. His privat ...

Biography

Vaage was born in

Aker, Norway Aker was a former independent municipality in Akershus, Norway, that constitutes the vast majority of the territory of the modern city of Oslo. The name originally belonged to a farm which was located near the current Old Aker Church. The church ...

. His parents were Jakob Vaage (1862–1953) and Mathilde Gundersen (1866–1953). He was raised in the Oslo neighborhood of

Lilleaker Lilleaker is a neighbourhood and industrial site in Ullern, Oslo, Norway. It is located east of the river Lysakerelva. The area is named after the Lilleaker farm. Lilleaker served by the Lilleaker (station), Lilleaker station of the Oslo Tramway, ...

. Vaage studied science at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

, where he became cand.real. in 1931 with a botany major. His specialty was plants of the Arctics. He was employed as a high school teacher in

Ullern Ullern is a List of boroughs of Oslo, borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. History The borough has its name from an old farm, Old Norse language, Norse ''Ullarin''. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the Norse god Ullr. The l ...

from 1934 until he retired in 1972. During the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

, he was imprisoned along with hundred of other Norwegian school teachers. He was incarcerated in

Bredtveit concentration camp Bredtveit Prison (formally Bredtveit Prison Service, Custody and Supervision Unit, ) is a prison located in the neighborhood of Bredtvet in Oslo, Norway. During World War II it was a concentration camp. Pre-World War II It originated at Bredtv ...

from March 1942, then in

Grini concentration camp Grini prison camp (, ) was a Nazi concentration camp in Bærum, Norway, which operated between 1941 and May 1945. Ila Detention and Security Prison is now located here. History Grini was originally built as a women's prison, near an old croft ...

for some days. On 31 March he was moved to

Jørstadmoen Jørstadmoen is a village in Lillehammer Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located along the river Gudbrandsdalslågen, about northwest of Lillehammer. The village has a population (2021) of 661 and a population density Pop ...

, later to

Kirkenes (Norwegian language, Norwegian; ), (Northern Sami language, Northern Sami; , or is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark county, in the far northeastern part of Norway. The town lies on a peninsu ...

. He was released in November 1942. As a skier in Ullern SK, he was also goalkeeper for the team that in 1937 played Norway's first handball match against SK Arild at

Akershus Fortress Akershus Fortress (, ) or Akershus Castle ( ) is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress has been the namesake and centre of the ...

and afterwards founded the

Norwegian Handball Federation The Norwegian Handball Federation (, NHF) is the national handball association in Norway. The Norwegian Handball Federation was founded in 1937, and is a member of the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (NIF) ...

. He was admitted to the

SK Ull Skiklubben Ull was a Norwegian Nordic skiing club based in Oslo. Founded in 1883, Skiklubben Ull attracted several skilled sportsmen who between 1883 and 1891 won six Ladies' Cups and one King's Cup in national skiing events. The sporting facilit ...

skiing club in 1947. He served as deputy chairman from 1970 to 1973 and chairman from 1973 to 1992. He served as secretary of the Norwegian-based

from 1945 to 1947, and

of the

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

from 1946 to 1984. He wrote many books about Norwegian

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

including ''Skikongen Lauritz Bergendahl'' (1975) and ''Den satt! og andre nye og gamle skihistorier'' (1983. with

Birger Ruud Birger Johannes Ruud (23 August 1911 – 13 June 1998) was a Norwegian ski jumper and alpine skier. Career Born in Kongsberg, Birger Ruud, with his brothers Sigmund and Asbjørn, dominated international jumping in the 1930s, winning three w ...

Personal life

He was married in 1938 to Berit Gerd Andersen (1918–1995). He received the

Medal of St. Hallvard The Medal of St. Hallvard () is the highest award of the City of Oslo, Norway. It is awarded to people who have made a particularly noteworthy contribution to the City of Oslo. It is named after the city's patron, Saint Hallvard (ca. 1020–1043) ...

in 1976. For his historical works regarding Holmenkollen, Vaage earned the Holmenkollen medal (''Holmenkollmedaljen'') in 1984. Vaage died during 1994 and was buried at Ullern kirkegård in Oslo. A stone monument to Vaage at Lilleaker Station in Oslo was unveiled in 2000. It was designed by sculptor

Nils Aas Nils Sigurd Aas (21 April 1933 – 10 February 2004) was a Norwegian sculptor. He was one of the most prominent artists in modern Norwegian sculpture and is particularly well known for his statue of Haakon VII, located in the June Seventh Squ ...

(1933–2004). Memorial in Vaage's honor. November 10, 2000

References

External links

1905 births 1994 deaths University of Oslo alumni Norwegian curators 20th-century Norwegian historians Schoolteachers from Oslo SK Ull members Bredtveit concentration camp survivors Grini concentration camp survivors Holmenkollen medalists Sportspeople from Oslo {{Norway-wintersport-bio-stub