Just found this absolutely amazing new travel brochure from Visit Norway that was originally conceived as a riposte to Trump’s temper-tantrum when he was once again denied his Nobel Peace Prize and called Norway a “sh*thole country” Trump insulted Norway, so the country hit back with a bizarre tourism campaign
Donald Trump might want to be careful about throwing insults at countries with a good sense of humor. Norway, apparently, has decided that if the American president thinks the country is a giant toilet, it might as well show him what a properly designed one looks like.
Following Trump’s description of Norway as a “sh*t house country,” the country’s tourism board, Visit Norway, has responded with an unusually cheeky promotional campaign showcasing some of its most spectacular public toilets.
And these are not the miserable roadside facilities motorists desperately hope to avoid. Some are architectural masterpieces with extraordinary views, environmentally conscious designs, and enough aesthetic appeal to make you reconsider how much thought you have ever given to a bathroom.
The campaign’s central question is wonderfully provocative: “Are these the world’s best sht houses?”Visit Norway even borrowed Trump’s political messaging style with the declaration: “Norway makes shthouses great again!” Apparently, turning an international diplomatic insult into a tourism advertisement requires little more than excellent photography and a healthy appreciation of irony.
The campaign is not entirely built on toilet jokes. The facilities featured on Visit Norway’s website are genuinely impressive examples of architecture, landscape design, and infrastructure.
Take Stegastein, overlooking the magnificent Aurlandsfjord in western Norway. Its public restroom is so unusually positioned that visitors can enjoy spectacular fjord scenery while taking a bathroom break. Visit Norway notes that DesignCurial previously included it among the world’s 10 best public toilets.
Then there is Ureddplassen along the Helgeland coast, whose distinctive wave-shaped design complements the surrounding Norwegian coastline. Its name translates roughly to “the place of the fearless,” referencing a nearby memorial to sailors who died when the Norwegian submarine Uredd sank during the Second World War.
On Senja island, visitors can find a striking golden restroom, while the facility at Ostasteidn in Ryfylke has been designed to accommodate moss growing across its exterior walls. At Utsikten viewpoint along Gaularfjellet, meanwhile, the restroom operates entirely on solar power.
The facilities at Eggum in Lofoten are another architectural curiosity, with a design resembling an amphitheater beneath the remains of a German radar installation. They were designed by internationally acclaimed Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta.
Perhaps the funniest part of this episode is that Visit Norway is getting considerably more mileage out of Trump’s language than he probably intended.
According to tourism industry publication Skift, the tourism board adapted an existing webpage about Norwegian Scenic Route toilets, and the results were extraordinary. By October 30, the page had attracted more than 80,000 views from over 170 countries in five days, representing traffic more than 540 times higher than the previous week.
Ultimately, Norway has managed to turn Trump’s insult into a sales pitch. And judging by the extraordinary views, environmentally conscious engineering, and architectural creativity on display, some of these toilets might genuinely deserve a place on a tourist’s itinerary.
