The Peace Dove - Flying with hope

Peace dove flying outside the Nobel Peace Center
Photo: Johannes Granseth / Nobel Peace Center

Join us for a magical moment at noon every Friday outside the Nobel Peace Center! The message will be announced some minutes before 12:00 before we release the peace dove.

The world around us is characterized by conflicts, unrest, and an uncertain future for many. The Nobel Peace Center aims to contribute to the belief that a better, more peaceful world is possible. We are a place for everyone who is concerned about where the world is heading and who needs a bit of future optimism. Therefore, the peace dove flies with a message of hope. It could be a message from one of the Nobel Peace Prize laureates or news of an important progress achieved in the world. Precisely at 12:00 every Friday in the summer months, the peace dove flies from the window of the Nobel Peace Center. As it flies over Rådhusplassen, the city hall bells play John Lennon's song Give Peace a Chance.

"The peace dove is an iconic symbol of peace and hope, and precisely peace and hope are something we need more than ever in a turbulent world."

- Kjersti Fløgstad, Director, Nobel Peace Center

On Friday, May 8, 2020, the first dove was released from the Nobel Peace Center. The dove release thus became a symbolic marking of Liberation Day, which due to Corona was celebrated without major public events that year. Minister of Culture Abid Q. Raja participated in the event together with Kjersti Fløgstad, the director of the Nobel Peace Center.

Photo: Johannes Granseth / Nobel Peace Center

Facts about the peace dove

  • The dove that flies from the Nobel Peace Center belongs to the Norwegian Carrier Pigeon Society. It is delivered to the Center by their owner each Friday.
  • When the dove is released, it flies straight home to their base in the eastern part of Oslo.
  • The doves can fly 80km/h with a top speed of 100km, and they always find their way home.
  • The dove has been used as a symbol for centuries, but gained tracting as a symbol of peace after WWII, when it was used by the anti-war movement.
  • Pablo Picasso drew his famous dove of peace with an olive branch for the International Peace Conference in Paris in 1949.