Norway has inaugurated a fresh memorial commemorating the 77 people killed in the nation's worst peacetime terror attack, shortly before the 15th anniversary.

On July 22, 2011, neo-Nazi Anders Breivik detonated a car bomb in Oslo killing eight, then murdered another 69, mostly young people, at a youth camp on Utoeya island. Numerous others sustained injuries in this horrific event, the worst in recent Norwegian history.

Survivors and family members of the victims assembled in Oslo on Sunday to witness the unveiling of a significant artwork portraying a bird from Utoeya island.

The creator described the piece as serving dual purposes: honoring the deceased and prompting public participation in democratic resistance to the far-right ideas that fueled the assault.

This modern installation includes a large blue steel structure holding a 12-metre (39ft) tall stone mosaic of a small wading bird, along with straw and sticks mirrored in water.

Named Upholding, the memorial stands in Oslo's updated government area, near the site of the initial bomb explosion in the 2011 attack.

Artist Matias Faldbakken noted spotting the bird on Utoeya island. Many victims there were teens from the Norwegian Labour Party's youth organization, the AUF.

All 77 victims' names are inscribed on the memorial.

"July 22, 2011 was a brutal attack not only on individuals, but also on our democracy," stated Merete Stamneshagen, leader of a victims' support group, as reported by AFP.

Norway's Crown Prince Haakon and officials were present at the Sunday inauguration in Oslo.

Haakon also toured the new 22 July Centre, Norway's national site for remembrance and education about the attacks.

In 2012, Breivik received a 21-year sentence, Norway's maximum, extendable if he poses a threat.

Breivik has contested his sentence conditions over time.

In 2016, he succeeded partially in a human rights lawsuit against Norway, but it was reversed the next year.

In 2022, his parole request was denied as the court found no change and ongoing risk. In 2024, he lost a suit against the government regarding isolation, being held apart from other inmates for safety.