Hegra Fortress
About fifty kilometres east of Trondheim lies Hegra Fortress. The fortress was built between 1908 and 1910 as a defense against Sweden. From the Norwegian side, they wanted to prepared in case Sweden would breach the union dissolution agreement from 1905. The fortress was closed in 1926 when a Swedish attack no longer considered likely. During the Second World War, the fortress was reactivated when the Germans invaded Norway in april 1940. Barely 300 Norwegian soldiers (including one woman) ensconced the fortress and held out until May 5 when commandant, Hans Reidar Holtermann, was forced to surrender to an overpowering enemy. Six Norwegian soldiers were killed and 14 wounded. In connection with the capitulation, the last Norwegian resistance in southern Norway had ceased. In northern Norway, the resistance continued for another month.
Current status: Preserved with musuem (2017).
Location: 63° 27'03 N, 11° 09' 44 E
Get there: Car.
Follow up in books: Greene, Jack, Massignani, Alessandro: Hitler Strikes North: The Nazi Invasion of Norway & Denmark, April 9, 1940 (2013).
The fortress is located on a hill with a beautiful view toward Sweden. I was pleasantly surprised that there was so much to see and that it was well prepared for visitors. Beside the fortress exterior, there is also a lot to see inside the fortress, built in to the mountain.