Kristiansand World War II History Tour

We will first take a short sightseeing tour of Kristiansand before heading over to the Kristiansand Cannon Museum. Originally built as a German fort in World War II, Batterie Vara features the world’s second-largest cannon ever mounted on land.

In addition to the impressive cannon itself, the bunker beneath the cannon displays interesting artifacts from the era. The nearby communication bunker focuses on the human toll of the war, telling stories of people connected to Batterie Vara during World War II.

The tour continues to The Arkivet Peace and Human Rights Center. This building served as a Gestapo regional HQ during World War II and the basement functioned as a detention and interrogation center. The prison cells and torture chambers from 1942–1945 have been reconstructed, and installations illustrate the grim events that took place in the basement. During the guided tour, learn about the lives of both the prisoners and prison guards at a place that came to be known as ‘The House of Horror’.