Built originally as document archive for the regional government in 1935, the Arikivet building was immediately seized by German invasion forces after they came up from Kristiansand harbor on day of invasion. Building itself is located quite close to harbor. From January 1942 to May of 1945, the Arkivet functioned as Gestapo HQ, which sought to crack down on the resistance movement. Command office was located at top of building and the torture chamber was located in the basement. Norwegians who lived in Kristiansand were aware of what went on at Arkivet, and began to regard it as a house of horror.
3,547 people imprisoned at arkivet for four days or more.
308 intensely tortured mostly by beatings, burnings, and water torture. Torture instruments included whips, finger press, and a testicle compressor. In one method illustrated at the museum, the Gestapo forced the prisoner to lie down on floor and placed small heaters on either side of his head, then gradually moved them closer and closer together. At this HQ, one died directly as a result of the abuse. Located in central basement, the torture chamber had no walls on outside of building so that people outside could not hear screams of those being tortured. The Gestapo also used radio to cover the sounds of people being tortured. (I think is was for people who were being tortured in the office of the commander).
Kristiansand subjected to German bombing in April 1940 during invasion. Of the 40,000 who lived in Kristiansand in 1940, about 25,000 fled city during invasion, later returning.
Close to arkivet is the "casino," a house which functioned as brothel and bar--Germans would go from casino to work at the arkivet.
"In late January, Sipo/SD (Sicherheits-Dienst) takes over Arkivet and uses it as their regional headquarters. The take over is led by the head of the German Secret Police in Kristiansand, Rudolf Kerner." http://www.stiftelsen-arkivet.no/the_history
Kerner appears in the center here. A Norwegian collaborator also appears participated in the torture.
Arne Laudal, commander in Norwegian resistance, arrested, held in prison cell at HQ, and never speaks despite days of torture. In an effort to get Arne to talk, his fifteen and one half year-old son was beaten in his presence . While Arne Laudal did not survive the war, his son did, and to this day gives tours to students. For more on his story, see www.stiftelsen-arkivet.no/arne_laudals_story
About 8,000 Norwegians actively collaborated with Nazis. Others financially cooperated with Nazis, working for them. At end of war, women who collaborated with Nazis had their heads shaved and were paraded through the streets. The children of Norwegian women and German soldiers were vilified after the War.
Glomb--German stationed in K-sand: killed 37 Russian POWs.
1,300 Jews in Norway, 800 of which deported to concentration camps or died in concentration camps. Norwegian police assisted in this task.
Propaganda poster designed to recruit Norwegians into the Nazi party.
The alvarstider poster was published by Norwegian Department of Justice, which was controlled by Nazis.
Tek deg om--think about what they are saying to you.
Norwegians could listen to radio until end of 1941 in Norway, when the Nazis forced them to turn in their radios because they feared Allied radio broadcasts. Norwegian resistance relied heavily on radios to send data to Allies. By the end of war, Germans had gotten proficient at rapidly detecting radio transmissions from resistance radio sets, so resistance by that time could only use sets for a few hours. Norwegians transmitted information about German ship movements to Allies.
Memorial plaque downtown of swastika being smashed by hammer is a memorial to Norwegians who died on the transport Westphalen--they were being transported to mainland continent when was sunk by French submarine in 1944. One of the bodies floated back to Norway, near his summer home.
The End of the War and After
The Norwegian king, when he returned to Norway, was regaled as a hero because he had urged others to resist German occupation and did political work on behalf of resistance.
After the war, a Norwegian who actively helped the Gestapo was arrested and executed.
At end of war, Germans who held leadership positions at arkivet disguised themselves as ordinary military
personnel, and tried to return to Germany with the rest of the German servicemen. Allied occupation forces, however, had a screening process, with Norwegians who viewed the departing Germans, identifying those who were involved in war crimes. This was the way Germans who had played key roles at arkivet were identified--they were given trials and imprisoned. Then in the 1950s, the Norwegian parliament allowed them to return to Germany. Circa 1960 Norwegian reporter sought out one of the German commanders who had been allowed to go back to Germany. The Nazi war criminal in question fled before the reporter arrived, but his wife stayed and met the reporter. Wife complained of his imprisonment at hands of Norwegians but didn't talk about role husband had played in torturing Norwegians during the war.
Arkivet continued to function as regular archives after the war, then a new archives opened up in new location (in Presteheia), so old arkivet became a museum, which opened 8 May 2001, and a learning center about human rights.
Prisoners of War
130,000 Russian POWs stationed in Germany during the war. More Russians died in Norway during the war than Norwegians.
Near Bodø, people today say that for every distance of road, there is a dead Russian POW.
Russian prisoners helped build current airport in Kristiansand. Some Germans who guarded Russian POW's humane, turned their backs so Norwegians could supply food to Russian POWs.
Russian POW's made toys, artistic creations to thank Norwegians for their help.
Instrument--balalaika--made by Russian POW[s] during war, then taken back to Russia, then returned to Kristiansand again after the war.
On the 5th of May at 10:00 memorial to Russian POWs.
Current uses of building
Large tapestry done years after the war, funded by students who raised money for it.
This part of the tapestry includes the final words of Norwegian members of the resistance who were killed by the Nazis. The final words of Pål Eiken, a member of the Norwegian resistance, "Forgive them for they know not what they do."
The number of men and women arrested in Kristiansand by the Nazis for being members of the resistance
Memorial to members of the Norwegian resistance killed in Nazi concentration camps.
Currently, thousands of students from school tours visit the building each year; the guides impressed upon that their goal is to not just be a museum, but to help people learn from the past, so that they can make better decisions about human rights today.
They are expanding the building, adjacent to the building, to provide additional space.
At the end of the tour, he gave each of us a children's book about the wartime experience in Norway.
