Memorials to visit Norway

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.