On 29 April 1940, as German bombers systematically destroyed the town of Molde, King Haakon VII took shelter beneath a birch tree on the hillside above the burning city. A photographer captured the moment: the elderly king standing alone under the tree, watching his country's destruction below. The image became one of the most iconic photographs of the Norwegian wartime experience, a symbol of a king who refused to surrender and chose exile over collaboration.
Haakon had fled Oslo after rejecting the German ultimatum to accept a Nazi puppet government. He moved northward through Norway for two months, staying one step ahead of the Luftwaffe, before eventually being evacuated to Britain. Molde was one of several stops on that journey, and the town paid a heavy price for hosting the royal party: German bombers levelled much of the centre over several days.
The original birch tree eventually died and was replaced. Around it, the Fredslunden (Peace Grove) was established after the war. World leaders visiting Norway have planted trees here, creating a small grove that connects wartime defiance with post-war reconciliation. The site sits in a quiet park area in Molde with views over the Romsdalsfjorden.
Haakon had fled Oslo after rejecting the German ultimatum to accept a Nazi puppet government. He moved northward through Norway for two months, staying one step ahead of the Luftwaffe, before eventually being evacuated to Britain. Molde was one of several stops on that journey, and the town paid a heavy price for hosting the royal party: German bombers levelled much of the centre over several days.
The original birch tree eventually died and was replaced. Around it, the Fredslunden (Peace Grove) was established after the war. World leaders visiting Norway have planted trees here, creating a small grove that connects wartime defiance with post-war reconciliation. The site sits in a quiet park area in Molde with views over the Romsdalsfjorden.
