The Lofoten War Memorial Museum ( no, Lofoten Krigsminnemuseum) is a World War II museum located in Svolvær, Norway. It focuses on providing informative content about the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, with a particular emphasis on events that took place in the

Lofoten Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvær ...

area and

Northern Norway Northern Norway ( nb, Nord-Norge, , nn, Nord-Noreg; se, Davvi-Norga) is a geographical Regions of Norway, region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainlan ...

during the

German occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

(1940–1945). The non-partisan museum officially opened on June 15, 1996, after a lengthy period of collection and planning by William Hakvaag (born 1948). The previously privately owned museum has been part of

Museum Nord Museum Nord is a Norwegian museum consortium for the northern part of Nordland county, including the districts of Lofoten, Vesterålen, and Ofoten. The museum is set up as a foundation and was established on December 13, 2002. It opened in 200 ...

since 2010.

Exhibits

The small museum has a diverse collection of military uniforms and equipment as well as smaller objects from World War II. Many of these artifacts are linked to well-known figures and events during the war, such as a peaked cap belonging to Siegfried Wolfgang Fehmer and a jacket belonging to

Ernst Weiner Ernst Josef Albert Weiner (13 December 1913 – 17 December 1945) was a German ''SS-Hauptsturmführer'' during World War II. He was most noted for his role in Operation Blumenpflücken during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. Early lif ...

, both of whom worked for the Gestapo in Oslo. In addition, the museum showcases peaked caps belonging to General Carl Gustav Fleischer and Birger Eriksen, Reichkommissar

Josef Terboven Josef Terboven (23 May 1898 – 8 May 1945) was a Nazi Party official and politician who was the long-serving ''Gauleiter'' of Gau Essen and the ''Reichskommissar'' for Norway during the German occupation. Early life Terboven was born in Essen ...

's letter file, lanterns and a compass from Leif Larsen's boats, a lamp from the German battleship ''

Tirpitz Tirpitz may refer to: * Alfred von Tirpitz (1849–1930), German admiral * German battleship ''Tirpitz'', a World War II-era Bismarck-class battleship named after the admiral * Tirpitz (pig), a pig rescued from the sinking of SMS ''Dresden'' and ...

'', and a case believed to have belonged to Eva Braun. Furthermore, the museum exhibits curiosities and rare items from everyday life during the war, including cigarette packages and condoms, and even Christmas decorations adorned with Nazi swastikas. In 2008, Hakvaag acquired a painting that may have been created by

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

, with the frame concealing four sketches of Disney cartoon characters signed "A. H." The museum also has a library of books, printed materials, and photographs from the war. File:German, Norwegian, British WW2 uniforms-weapons-equipment, NSU SS bike, Gestapo, Polarfront 1940-45, civil, mil. items, rare objects, etc. Lofoten Krigminnemuseum, Norway (War Memorial Museum) Distorted panorama 2019-05-08 IMG 8486.jpg, The Lofoten War Memorial Museum exhibits militaria and civilian artifacts related to German-occupied Norway 1940–1945. The small museum has the country's largest exhibition of WWII uniforms, mostly from Third Reich era Germany.
Photo: 2019

References

External links

{{Commons category, Lofoten Krigsminnemuseum
Museum homepage
Museums in Nordland World War II museums in Norway Museums established in 1996 Vågan