North Sea Traffic Museum, Telavåg - War Museum

About

On 30 April 1942, the community of Telavåg was deleted from the map when the Germans discovered the village was trafficking men across the North Sea.

About

Up until 1942 Telavåg was a tiny and little known fishing community furthest out on the coast. The brave and resilient people and seafarers who lived here were used the sea. This made it the perfect place for the North Sea Traffic, the illegal boat traffic between Norway and Britain during World War II. But it was also to prove fateful for Telavåg. One April day in 1942 two agents came over from Britain, and were kept in hiding in Telavåg. An informer got wind of this and warned the Gestapo. When they came to Telavåg there was a gun-fight. One of the agents and two Gestapo officers were killed. A few days later the German occupation forces exacted a gruesome revenge. Every single house, outhouse and jetty was blown up. Women, children and the elderly were initially interned at Storetveit in Bergen, then later at Framnes in Hardanger,  All the men between 16 and 60 were sent to German concentration camps. Almost half of them never came back. 

The museum has a permanent exhibition of the Telavåg tragedy and the North Sea Traffic during World War II, along with temporary exhibitions focussing on  issues of war and peace. In addition you can see a film about the tragic events of 1942 and take a closer look into things in a digital library. The museum is also a memorial for the  all  the men who died.  With the aid of the mobile application “The Telavåg tragedy, a virtual tour” you can be guided around the historic spots in Telavåg. 

Facilities

The museum has an auditorium, meeting room, café and shop. It is thus eminently suited for conferences, seminars, meetings, concerts and so on.