World history: Exhibition “Soviet prisoners of war in Norway. 1941-1945” in Saint-Petersburg

From 8 to 27 October 2013 at the State Museum of Political History of Russia (Saint-Petersburg) as part of the Nordic Week is held the exhibition “Soviet prisoners of war in Norway” dedicated to the tragic pages in the history of relations between the two countries.

The traveling exhibition “The Soviet prisoners of war in Norway. 1941-1945” includes plates with text in Russian and Norwegian languages, historical photographs and a CD with excerpts of historical videos and interviews in recent years, with the survivors of former prisoners of war.

In the preface to the exhibition catalog, published in 2010, the Ministers of Culture and Foreign Affairs emphasized: “Life of Soviet prisoners of war in Norway during the war - is part of the history of Norway, which is woven into many personal stories. These stories tell of the sorrow, hard labor, sorrow, and back-breaking labor. They speak of brotherhood between the prisoners and their contact with the Norwegians on the other side of the barbed wire… The history of the war - is a significant part of the total experience of Norway and Russia. The experience, which is part of the foundations of coexistence of the two neighboring nations”.

Little-known pages of World War II open to the Russians two Norwegian military museums: Falstad Center and Fort Grensvik. The exhibition of the Center Falstad was first introduced to the public in 2010 at the Museum of Defence in Oslo and was timed to the visit of President Medvedev to Norway. Later, it was displayed in Petrozavodsk during the Russian-Norwegian Cultural Forum. The exhibition of Fort Grensvik is prepared specially for the exhibition in Saint-Petersburg.