Kvam is a small village in Gudbrandsdalen with a population of just over 750 people. Most visitors drive straight through without stopping. But this quiet place has witnessed two of the most dramatic military events in Norwegian history, separated by over 300 years.
The first was in 1612. A force of around 300 Scottish mercenaries had landed in Romsdal and were marching through Norway to join the Swedish army. Norwegian farmers from all over Gudbrandsdalen gathered to stop them. On 26 August, they ambushed the Scots at a narrow point in the valley called Kringen, just north of here. George Sinclair, wearing a plumed helmet and riding at the head of his men, was shot first. Within an hour and a half, over half the Scots were dead. The survivors were taken prisoner, and most were executed here at Kvam the following day. Only 14 to 18 survived. Sinclair was buried just outside the churchyard, a deliberate insult at the time. His grave is still marked today.
The second event came in April 1940. On the 25th and 26th, Kvam became the site of the fiercest battle in southern Norway during the German invasion. British soldiers from the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, together with Norwegian forces, tried to hold back the German advance up the valley. The fighting lasted two days. 54 British soldiers were killed, along with three Norwegian soldiers and three Norwegian civilians. Around 70 buildings burned down, including the church.
The Gudbrandsdal War Museum, housed in an old barn in the centre of Kvam, tells both stories. It's bigger than it looks from outside, and has some remarkable items, including the only surviving physical evidence of the Neubaufahrzeug, an experimental German tank. Only five were ever produced, and one was destroyed here at Kvam by a British anti-tank gun. The staff are knowledgeable and can guide you through with stories you won't find elsewhere.
Next to the museum is the Peace Park with a memorial to those who died. The churchyard opposite contains 54 Commonwealth war graves. A wooden building behind the church still has bullet holes from the 1940 battle.
If you're coming from Vinstra via the Peer Gynt Seterveg mountain road, you'll descend into Kvam from the mountains. It's a scenic route that connects the two places.