Footsteps of WWII · Norway
Norway's Resistance Museum, Akershus Fortress
Museum · Apr 1940 – May 1945
The story
Norway's Resistance Museum (Norges Hjemmefrontmuseum) stands inside Akershus Fortress in Oslo, which the Germans used during the occupation. It tells the story from the invasion of 9 April 1940 to the liberation in May 1945: the fighting of 1940, the government in exile in London, Quisling's collaborationist regime, civil resistance by teachers, clergy and sportsmen, the underground press, the Milorg military resistance and sabotage operations such as Vemork. It also covers the deportation of Norway's Jews in 1942. Resistance members were executed by the Germans at the fortress, and a memorial stands near the museum.
What to look for
A chronological walk through the occupation using dioramas, documents, weapons, radios and underground newspapers. Outside, the fortress walls and the memorial to executed Norwegian patriots. The fortress grounds give views over Oslo harbour.
Plan your visit
Inside Akershus Fortress, a short walk from Oslo city centre; the fortress grounds are free. Since 2025 the museum is part of the Norwegian Armed Forces museums (Forsvarets museer): check their website for opening hours and prices before you go.
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Footsteps of WWII: Europe 1939–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The whole Second World War in Europe, from the first shots at Westerplatte on 1 September 1939 to the German surrender in May 1945: Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Normandy, Arnhem, Bastogne, Stalingrad, Berlin and the camps, in 15 areas from Britain to Russia.
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