Tromso Gestapo HQ

At Bankgata 13 in Tromso, in July 1940, the German Security Police (SIPO), Secret Service (SD) and Secret State Police (Gestapo) set up their headquarters. In the basement of the building prison cells were built for prisoners who suspected of anti-german activities. The prisoners were interrogated by the Gestapo and torture was a well known method to force out confessions and consessions. The most famous incident was when the Norwegian resistance member, Karl Rasmussen, from Alta committed suicide in June 1944. Rasmussen, together with other resistance members/informers, had spied on the German battleship Tirpitz when she was at anchor in Kåfjord. Afraid of breaking down under torture and exposing other people, Rasmussen chose to kill himself by jumping out of the window from the top floor.