Norwegian Resistance Museum

The five years of occupation were a complex period of collaboration, passive resistance, active resistance, and fear. The Quisling government (established under Vidkun Quisling with German backing) attempted to run a functioning Norwegian state under occupation, while the German administration controlled the military and police functions directly. Ordinary Norwegians responded in a spectrum of ways: some collaborated actively, many complied passively, a significant minority engaged in forms of quiet resistance (hiding Jews, producing underground newspapers, ignoring Nazi cultural ordinances), and a smaller but heroic group carried out active sabotage.

The museum's permanent exhibition moves chronologically through the occupation, presenting each year with primary documents, photographs, resistance materials, and personal stories. The underground press — more than 400 different illegal newspapers were produced during the occupation — is particularly well documented, with original copies displayed alongside the extraordinary printing arrangements and distribution networks that sustained them under constant Gestapo pressure.

The sabotage operations section covers the most dramatic acts of resistance: the Norsk Hydro heavy water sabotage at Vemork (the subject of the 2015 Norwegian TV series Kampen om tungtvannet and the 1965 film Heroes of Telemark), the railway sabotage that slowed German troop movements, and the maritime rescue operations that brought Norwegian servicemen to Britain to continue fighting.

The museum is located within Akershus Fortress; admission is separate from the fortress grounds. The Oslo Pass covers entry. Allow 90 minutes to 2 hours. Combine with a walk around the fortress ramparts and a visit to the Armed Forces Museum.