Nobel's Will Goes on Display for the First Time

Alfred Noble's will and testament has now gone on display for the first time in Stockholm. Until the now, the will had been seen only by a handful of people and was carefully stashed away at the Nobel Foundation.

The will is expected to be kept on display at least till May.

Noble, the inventor of dynamite is probably more noted for his pivotal role in the creation of the Nobel Prizes.

He devoted 26 lines in his will towards the creation of the Nobel Prizes.

In his will, he had stipulated that part of his fortune, worth 31.5 million Kronor ($220 million in today's value) be placed in a fund, the interest from which will be used to honor "those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind" in the fields of medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace.

The Nobel Prizes today is one of Sweden's most prestigious brands and has helped to resurrect the dynamite inventor's image as a pacific philanthropist.

Exhibition curator Karin Jonsson while speaking to AFP said, "The exhibition draws attention to how important it is to pass things on. The will is the centrepiece. It is a simple document, but it still today provides the basis of our work with the (Nobel) prizes."

Nobel died in 1896 in Italy and had told no one about his plans to institute the Nobel Prizes. When his will was opened a year late, the contents shocked family members.

Nobel's former assistant Ragnor Sohlman played a crucial role in carrying out his last wishes. He helped create the Nobel Foundation after rounding up all his properties spread across the world.

He was also responsible in convincing the erstwhile King of Sweden into setting up the foundation since he was not happy about the fact that the prizes would be awarded to non-Scandinavians as well.

With the foundation in place, the first set of prizes were awarded in 1901.

"With these prizes, he wanted to show who he really was," said Jean-Francois Battail, a professor of Sorbonne University.

Battail goes on to add, "He had no direct heirs, but he left the people closest to him pretty generous sums. They were pretty fatty crumbs. But there were lawsuits, and they tried to have the will annulled -- it didn't transpire peacefully"

"The existence of the prizes is in large part thanks to the will's executors, especially Ragnar Sohlman," he adds.