During the Second World War, Telavåg was a key link in the illegal boat traffic between occupied Norway and Britain. Fishermen from this small coastal village risked their lives smuggling agents, weapons, and refugees across the North Sea.
On April 26, 1942, two German officers were shot during a raid on a safe house here. The German reprisal was devastating: every house in the village was burned to the ground, all adult men were sent to concentration camps in Germany, and the women and children were interned at Framnes in Hardanger. Thirty-one of the men never came home.
The museum tells the story of the North Sea traffic and the Telavåg tragedy through personal accounts, artefacts, and a 25-minute documentary film. The village was rebuilt after the war, but the story of what happened here remains one of the most brutal examples of collective punishment in occupied Norway.
On April 26, 1942, two German officers were shot during a raid on a safe house here. The German reprisal was devastating: every house in the village was burned to the ground, all adult men were sent to concentration camps in Germany, and the women and children were interned at Framnes in Hardanger. Thirty-one of the men never came home.
The museum tells the story of the North Sea traffic and the Telavåg tragedy through personal accounts, artefacts, and a 25-minute documentary film. The village was rebuilt after the war, but the story of what happened here remains one of the most brutal examples of collective punishment in occupied Norway.
