Espeland detention camp

After the invasion of Norway by Nazi Germany during World War II, the Nazi authorities and collaborationist Quisling regime established over 600 concentration camps throughout the country. These would be used to house POWs, political prisoners, groups considered undesirable by Nazi ideology, and ordinary criminals. In the summer of 1942, the Ulven detention camp near Bergen – at that time used by the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) and Sicherheitspolizei (SiPo) to hold political prisoners – was deemed to be at risk from British sea raids due to its proximity to the coast. A decision was made to transfer the camp to the Wehrmacht and repurpose it for military training. The prisoners would be relocated further inland to a new facility in Espeland, a few kilometres south of Indre Arna, a small village outside Bergen. == Design and construction ==

The Espeland detention camp was built to designs drawn and signed by SS-Untersturmführer Niebel. Prisoner barracks were divided into eight- and sixteen-person rooms, each with a total capacity of around 100 prisoners. The single-cell barracks were made up of rooms 1.2m x 4m in size. The maximum capacity of the camp was around 380. == Life in the camp ==

Inmates Between January 1943 and May 1945, Espeland held a total of 2026 prisoners. Although intended as a transit camp for political prisoners waiting to be sent to the Grini detention camp in Bærum, it was also used to hold those with short sentences for non-political crimes. Family members of wanted individuals (to be used as hostages) were also held. Most prisoners were released after a short stay but 627 of the inmates were ultimately transferred to Grini. At least 378 of these were sent further to Germany and a minimum of 27 lost their lives outside of Norway. At least five prisoners died while living in Espeland. == Liberation and post-war use by Norwegians ==

On 9 May 1945, the arrival of the Norwegian Red Cross and Norwegian Police led to the liberation of 209 remaining prisoners. The camp was adapted to hold Norwegians accused of treason and renamed Espeland tvangsarbeidsleir (Espeland Forced Labour Camp). It was overseen by police until 1 April 1946, when jurisdiction passed to the Norwegian Prison Board. Conditions improved gradually: single-cell barracks were converted into communal ones, leisure activities were provided, and a mess-hall was built. However, as punishment for treason, outdoor work now included the retrieval of corpses from Nazi mass graves. On 25 October 1948, the remaining inmates held for treason were transferred elsewhere and the prison was tasked with holding the 60 Germans serving sentences for war crimes in Norway. By 21 April 1952, many of these prisoners had all been pardoned or deported and the Espeland Forced Labour Camp was closed. Camp facilities were then passed on to the Norwegian Civil Defence, which used it for training purposes during the Cold War until 1997. == Espeland Prison Camp Foundation ==

As an eventual consequence of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the camp was declared redundant in June 1997. By this time, due to its continuous usage, it was the most intact Nazi concentration camp in Norway. An attempt was initiated by a group of private investors and mayor of Arna, Erling Mjelde, to have the camp reserved for educational and archival purposes. This movement was backed by Minister of Culture, Anne Enger Lahnstein, and the Stiftelsen Espeland fangeleir (Espeland Prison Camp Foundation) was formed in 2000. On 30 January 2015, the camp was officially handed over to the foundation by the Norwegian state. In 2020, the foundation was merged with the Norwegian Gestapo Museum to become Stiftelsen Lenken: Gestapohuset og Espeland fangeleir (Lenken Foundation: Gestapo House and Espeland Prison). The process is ongoing. ==See also==