Teillager 6, Sværholt: The Archaeology of a POW camp in Finnmark, Arctic Norway
Discover what archaeology can tell us about a WWII POW camp in Norway where Soviet prisoners were held from 1942-44.
Event details
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Teillager 6, Sværholt: The Archaeology of a POW camp in Finnmark, Arctic Norway
The first presentation in the AIA/SunWatch Winter 2017 Lecture Series: The Archaeology of Confinement presented by Archaeological Institute of America National Lecturer Dr. Christopher Witmore, Associate Professor in Archaeology and Classics at Texas Tech University.
This lecture presents the results of fieldwork undertaken over the last six summers at a World War II prisoner of war camp at Sværholt in northernmost Norway. The labor camp for Soviet prisoners was established in 1942 as part of the construction of the German coastal battery at Sværholt, a fortification within the Atlantic Wall. In late fall 1944 the camp, the coastal fort, and the local Norwegian hamlet were abandoned and destroyed in step with the massive and abrupt German retreat from this northern region. This paper describes the remains of the camp and the coastal fort, as still manifest in the barren landscape, and presents in detail the findings of excavations and associated investigations conducted in the camp area. Analyzing these findings, particular emphasis is placed on the question of what an archaeological approach can divulge concerning the camp, its construction and conditions, and the “trivial” details of everyday life often passed over by historical accounts. Ultimately, it suggests that the things found challenge our common assumptions about the relationship between prisoners, guards, and locals, and further discuss to what extent the forced encounter at Sværholt also may have included some measures of sympathy within the yet hostile context of war and occupation.
Thanks to the Archaeological Institute of America and the generosity of an anonymous donor, admission to the 2017 The Archaeology of Confinement presentation series is free and open to the public. Regular admission fees apply for guests who wish to visit the museum and village before or after each presentation. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Pastries will be provided; guests are welcome to bring a beverage.