Cemeteries and memorials to visit Norway

It stretches along the water's edge like a long ship of stretched canvas and steel. The Vardø memorial was inaugurated in 2011 in memory of the victims of the witch hunt. One enters a long dark corridor. On the walls, the names and history of each of the victims are inscribed, lit by a small flame. Next door, the second part of Louise Bourgeois' Flammehuset"burns" silently: a flaming chair symbolizing the witch hunt is placed in a rounded hall designed by Peter Zumthor. A gripping visit. Not to be missed.

In 1940, as a strategic air base, Bardufoss was the scene of a major battle between Norwegian and German forces. Operation Narvik was launched by the Norwegians in an attempt to regain control of the region. The Narvik 1940 Memorial Park was created to honor the Norwegian soldiers who took part in this conflict. It is located near the former Bardufoss airport airstrip, close to the Andselva River.

The Haraldshaugen Obelisk, 2 km from Haugesund, stands on the burial mound of the Viking king Harald Hårfagre (Harald with the beautiful hair) who unified Norway in 872. Erected in 1860 for the millennium of the reunification, this 17 m high granite obelisk, placed on a 5 m mound, is surrounded by 29 smaller obelisks, each of which represents one of the subjugated provinces: The Saga of the Norwegian Kings, written by the Icelandic scalde Snorre Sturlasson (1179-1241) tells all the deeds of the great Vikings. See Les Sagas Icelandaises, published by Payot.

At the end of the museum parking lot is a memorial to the many Yugoslav, Russian and Polish prisoners who died here between 1942 and 1945. Northern Norway was a strategic point for the Germans. The many ice-free harbours in the winter allowed them to hide their submarines and other warships. The Nazis built the railway to Bodø at great human cost.

In these harsh lands, especially in winter, there was little need for gas ovens to exterminate prisoners. In Saltdal, there were about fifteen camps with about 30 000 prisoners. The war memorial at the Arctic Circle is very moving, especially when you look at the railway tracks on the other side of the E6. Looking at this desolate landscape, one can only imagine the inhuman conditions under which the prisoners worked. The icy wind coming down from the black mountain opposite, passing by the two big rocks of the Lappish sacrifice at the bottom, is chilling, literally and figuratively.

An impressive number of these war memorials and "blood roads" mark the area. The Nazis practised scorched earth tactics at the end of the war, and almost all the houses in Northern Norway were wiped off the map. The monument is open air and free to visit at any time of the year. A recommended memorial stop.