This group is way more subdued than the bright oranges and light leaks of Mexico. Lots of soft grey and blue, which suits Norway. I wish this viking could have protected the pavilion from invaders, alas, he failed.
The above photo is very busy, but I love the sense of dimension with the slanted roof of the Kringla Bakeri jutting out towards us, and the stave church looming in the background. Does anyone know the significance of the pretzel with the crown on it? I've always wondered.
Thats Norway for you. Make sure to join us this winter as we traverse the rest of World Showcase, pretending to be a photographer. See you next week in China.
So I actually wondered the same thing about the sign and looked it up on our last trip. The pretzel (actually a kringle) with the crown is actually the symbol of the Danish baking guild and is what you see outside Danish bakeries to this day. One source said that the crown signified that the bakery had been given the king's seal of approval. Another story that seemed more apocryphal had to do with bakers who were up early warning the city of an invasion and being given the right to display the crown as thanks for their service. Regardless, it definitely seemed like Disney borrowed the sign as a generic Scandinavian thing than something that was distinctly Norwegian.
ReplyDeleteBaker's guilds in Europe has used the kringle or pretzel as a symbol for centuries. It is told (but currently unconfirmed by historic documents), that when Vienna was besieged by the Turkish Ottoman armies in 1529, local bakers working in the night, gave the city defence an early warning of the attacking enemy. For this, they were later rewarded by the Pope, with permission to use a crown as part of their kringle guild symbol. For unknown reasons, the guild in Denmark is now the only baker's guild in the world with official authority to display a royal crown as part of their baker's guild trade symbol. In Denmark, the kringle (with a royal crown) is one of only a few ancient guild signs still in use today and a traditional golden kringle sign is often hung outside of bakery shops
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