Trondheim is the third largest city in Norway. It is located at the mouth of the river Nidelva in the province of Trøndelag. The German war cemetery Trondheim-Havstein is located near the Havstein church on the Havsteinbakken road and was dedicated on August 25, 1960.
Cemetery description
The Trondheim-Havstein cemetery was established by the German Wehrmacht in 1943. At that time it was called "Trondheim-Byasen military cemetery". Between 1954 and 1955, the Norwegian government had around 2,000 German war dead who had lost their lives in south-western Norway reburied here. Visitors can access the cemetery via a small terrace. Through a hall-like gate with a narrow door made of heavy sheet copper, the path leads to an open hall supported by two round pillars, which offers a view of the entire cemetery. The names of those buried at the war cemetery are documented in a list kept in a bronze shrine in the hall. The cemetery is overgrown with grass. Slabs set into the ground mark the graves. Each slab immortalizes the names of two dead. Six large stone slabs on either side of the central path of the cemetery are inscribed with the names of the places where the war dead who were reburied here were previously buried. Dedicated on August 25, 1960, 2,992 German soldiers who lost their lives in the Second World War rest here today. The sponsor of this cemetery is the Hesse regional association of the Volksbund.
History
The Wehrmacht's attack on Norway began on April 9, 1940, and the subsequent occupation of the country lasted until May 8, 1945, the day of the Wehrmacht's unconditional surrender. During the Second World War, more than 21,000 German soldiers died in Norway and Denmark and 2,375 are considered missing, mostly at sea. At the end of the war, 11,500 German war dead were buried in Norway. Their graves were spread across more than 240 villages. Maintaining the graves was a major problem due to the great distances and the geological, climatic and traffic conditions in Norway.
Negotiations with the Norwegian government began in October 1953. The result was that the German war dead were to be buried together in five military cemeteries. This guaranteed the eternal rest to which the dead were entitled under international law. The reburials were carried out by the Norwegian side. With financial support from the German government, the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V. (German War Graves Commission) then took over the development of the facilities.
All the cemeteries were opened to the public in 1960. The Norwegian government is responsible for their maintenance and the Volksbund is involved in an advisory capacity.
Special feature
At all five German war cemeteries in Norway, groups of crosses mark the burial plots. The graves themselves are marked by natural stone name plates laid flush with the ground.
