Grini detention camp
Grini detention camp | |
---|---|
Concentration camp | |
Coordinates | 59°57′12″N 10°34′57″E / 59.9534°N 10.5825°E |
Other names | German: Polizeihäftlingslager Grini, Norwegian: Grini fangeleir |
Location | Bærum, Akershus, Norway |
Built by | Norway |
Operated by | Nazi Germany |
Original use | Constructed as a women's prison |
First built | 1938–1940 |
Operational | 14 June 1941 – 7 May 1945 |
Liberated by | Harry Söderman |
Notable inmates | List of Grini prisoners |
Grini prison camp (
History
Grini was originally built as a women's prison, near an old
At first inmates were detained on the premises of the original prison, but in 1942 an extra barracks had to be built to enlarge capacity. In August 1942, the Veidal Prison Camp was created as a subunit of the camp.[7] Grini was used primarily for Norwegian political prisoners, but the detention of more regular criminals followed. Many were held at Grini before being shipped to camps in Germany;[2] 3,402 people in total passed through the camp en route to camps in Germany itself.[8] Similarly, many teachers who took part in the civil disobedience of 1942 were held at Grini for one day before being taken to Kirkenes via Jørstadmoen.[9] A small number of foreign citizens were also held there. Altogether, 19,247 prisoners passed through Grini,[8] and at most (in February 1945) there were 6,208.[3]
Among these were the survivors of Operation Checkmate, a 1943 British commando raid, including their leader, John Godwin, RN. They were subsequently sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp where they were executed in February 1945.
The total number killed at Grini is unknown, though the Gestapo and police often used the area for purposes of
Camps in other parts of Norway, including
Prison life
Other than guards, the German occupiers devoted few personnel to the camp. Since many politicians, academics and cultural personalities were detained at Grini, a certain level of internal organization was established. Prisoners worked in manufacturing, agriculture and other manual labor.[2] Much of this manual labor took place outside the camp.[3] Some detainees maintained their pre-war specialties, such as literary historian Francis Bull who secretly held several lectures, and managed to publish three books with material written during his three-year stay at Grini.[11]
The diet at Grini was poor. After the war, it caused a certain stir in the populace when it was perceived that Nazi prisoners of the liberated Norway were treated better than prisoners of the Nazi regime; among other things the diet in Norwegian prisons was much better.[9] On the other hand, Grini was more hospitable to resistance prisoners than the similar camps in Germany.[1]
Liberation
On 7 May 1945 Harry Söderman, who was in charge of the education of the Norwegian police troops in Sweden, arrived in the camp and ordered commander Zeidler to arrange an assembly, first for the 5,000 male prisoners, and then for the 500 females. The women were released immediately, while the male detainees were asked to stay in the camp for a few days until transport could be arranged, and leadership of the camp was handed over to the prisoners' representatives. Prisoners from Møllergata 19 and Victoria Terrasse were transferred to Grini the same day.[12][13][14][15][16]
After the war
After the liberation of Norway in May 1945, the prison was used for Norwegians tried or convicted of treason or collaboration, as a part of the
It was closed in 1951 but reopened in the same year under the name Ila as a "landsfengsel og sikringsanstalt" (national prison and security institution), a prison for criminals serving long-term sentences.[1]
Much of the camp, including the barracks, has been torn down. One preserved barracks building today stands at Kadettangen.[3] There is also a museum, the Grini Museum, near today's Ila prison.[6] The preserved barracks was moved back in 2010.
Printed documentation
Architect Odd Nansen managed to preserve most of his diaries from Grini and Sachsenhausen, and selections from these were issued in 1946 as the three-volume book Fra dag til dag (From Day to Day).[20] Volume one covers the period from January 1942 to August 1942,[21] volume two covers August 1942 to August 1943,[22] and volume three covers Nansen's stay in Sachsenhausen.[23] In 1946 and 1947 the two-volume book Griniboken (The Grini Book) was issued, edited by August Lange and Johan Schreiner, with contributions from several of the detainees.[24] The first volume describes daily life at Grini as it developed over the years, including separate articles on the women's department, on the "Haft" departments (for men and women), and on "Fallskjermen", the department for those who were sentenced to death and awaiting execution.[25] The second volume covers the internal organisation, such as the labor, farm work, and healthcare regimes, in more detail, and also discusses cultural and religious life. The external locations (Kvænangen, Kongsvinger, Bardufoss, and others) are described. There are also chapters on the undercover resistance at Grini, such as the news service, espionage, and the secret finger-signing language which was developed.[26] Børre R. Giertsen's 1946 book Norsk fangeleksikon. Grinifangene (Norwegian Prisoner Encyclopedia: the Grini Prisoners) contains an overview of the German staff at Grini,[27] as well as a chronologically ordered list of the prisoners, starting with the Solvær hostages incarcerated at Åneby 15 March 1941.[28]
See also
- List of Nazi-German concentration camps
References
From Day to Day by Odd Nansen was reprinted in 2016, in English translation; this edition covers the three books published in 1949.
Footnotes
- ^ ISBN 82-91649-10-3.
- ^ Store norske leksikon(in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f Espeland 2002: p. 110
- Norsk krigsleksikon 1940-45. Oslo: Cappelen. Archived from the originalon 4 January 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- ^ Giertsen 1946: pp. 9-11
- ^ ISBN 978-82-573-1534-4.
- ^ Happe, Katja, & Maja Peers. 2015. West- und Nordeuropa Juni 1942–1945. Berlin: De Gruyter Oldenbourg, p. 188.
- ^ a b c "Eitinger-rapporten – del 1". NOU 1998: 12. Alta bataljon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Government of Norway. 2001. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
- ^ a b c Christensen 1995
- ^ Espeland, 2002: p. 110
- ^ Helle, Knut (ed.). "Francis Bull". Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- ^ Hydle 1946: pp. 308–312
- ^ Madsen 1946: pp. 389–392
- ^ Voksø 1984: p. 525
- ^ Eriksen; Halvorsen 1987: pp. 161–164
- ^ Söderman 1946: pp. 194–215
- ^ Fjørtoft 1987: p. 63
- ^ Fjørtoft, 1997: pp. 76–77
- ^ Fjørtoft, 1997: pp. 130–132
- ^ Baalsrud, Gaute. "Odd Nansen". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
- ^ Nansen 1946, volume 1
- ^ Nansen 1946, volume 2
- ^ Nansen 1946, volume 3
- ^ Skodvin, Magne. "August Lange". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
- ^ Lange; Schreiner 1946: pp. 1–446
- ^ Lange; Schreiner 1947: pp. 1–605
- ^ Giertsen 1946: pp. xx–xxx
- ^ Giertsen 1946: pp. 1–786
Bibliography
- Christensen, Trygve (1995). Bærum og krigen 1940–1945 (in Norwegian). Bekkestua: Bærum Public Library. ISBN 82-991713-5-0.
- Eriksen, Knut Einar; Halvorsen, Terje (1987). Frigjøring. Norge i krig (in Norwegian). Vol. 8. Oslo: Aschehoug.
- Espeland, Gard (2002). Neste stopp... Eiksmarka! Eiksmarka vel 1950–2000 (in Norwegian). Eiksmarka: Eiksmarka vel. ISBN 82-996193-0-0.
- ISBN 82-05-24493-6.
- Giertsen, Børre, ed. (1946). "Grinis organisasjon og leirens tyske tjenestemenn". Norsk fangeleksikon. Grinifangene (in Norwegian). Oslo: Cappelen. pp. xx–xxx.
- Giertsen, Børre R., ed. (1946). "Fangeregister i nummerorden". Norsk fangeleksikon. Grinifangene (in Norwegian). Oslo: Cappelen. pp. 1–786.
- Hydle, Halvdan (1946). "Siste året". In Lange, August; Schreiner, Johan (eds.). Griniboken (in Norwegian). Vol. 1. Oslo: Gyldendal.
- Lange, August; Schreiner, Johan, eds. (1946). Griniboken (in Norwegian). Vol. 1. Oslo: Gyldendal. pp. 1–446.
- Lange, August; Schreiner, Johan, eds. (1947). Griniboken (in Norwegian). Vol. 2. Oslo: Gyldendal. pp. 1–605.
- Madsen, Ruth (1946). "De to siste årene på kvinneavdelingen". In Lange, August; Schreiner, Johan (eds.). Griniboken (in Norwegian). Vol. 1. Oslo: Gyldendal.
- Nansen, Odd (1946). Fra dag til dag. Fra 13 januar til 4. august 1942 (in Norwegian). Vol. 1. Oslo: Dreyer. pp. 1–285.
- Nansen, Odd (1946). Fra dag til dag. Fra 5. august 1942 til 21 august 1943 (in Norwegian). Vol. 2. Oslo: Dreyer. pp. 1–390.
- Nansen, Odd (1946). Fra dag til dag. Fra 22. august 1943 til 28 april 1945 (in Norwegian). Vol. 3. Oslo: Dreyer. pp. 1–302.
- Söderman, Harry (1946). Polititroppene i Sverige (in Norwegian). Oslo: Gyldendal.
- ISBN 82-7010-166-4.
External links
Media related to Grini fangeleir at Wikimedia Commons