The National Heritage Board is protecting Bagnsbergene gard in Sør-Aurdal in Valdres, which is an exceptionally well-preserved war memorial with traces of fighting during World War II.
Bagnsbergene gard is one of the places in southern Norway where the German invasion army met the strongest resistance in 1940. This is an important symbolic cultural monument for the campaign in southern Norway.
With the German campaign, the Norwegian forces faced a superior force. The Bagnsbergene farm, together with the nearby forest area Gråbeinhølet, is inextricably linked to the fighting during the German advance into eastern Norway in April 1940 and the resistance it faced. There were fierce skirmishes between Norwegian and German soldiers, with deaths and injuries on both sides. The civilian population was also affected.
- Bagnsbergene gard is a war memorial of national value, and stands to this day as a strong reminder of the civilian lives war always affects. Together with the battle site in the forest, the farm has great source value, and the area is an important war history communication arena," says Hanna Geiran, National Heritage Officer.
Refuge in the valley side
The Bagnsbergene farm is located on the valley side, high above the narrow gorges, which is typical for this part of Valdres. Some of the fiercest fighting during the Second World War in Valdres took place here. Civilians often sought out the high-altitude farms in the area to avoid the fighting.
In April 1940, several civilians had sought refuge at the Bagnsbergene farm, but they were still caught in the crossfire between Norwegian and German soldiers. Between April 20 and 21, 19 people lost their lives here, in a dramatic battle of which the buildings still bear clear traces. Among them were a civilian conscript, 13 German and five Norwegian soldiers.
A day in April
The fighting went on for several days in 1940. On April 18, two German infantry battalions with around 1,000 soldiers reached Bagn. In an attempt to get behind the Norwegian defensive positions, they joined forces with a Norwegian company in Gråbeinhølet, below Bagnsbergene gard, on April 20. Fierce fighting ensued throughout the day, with casualties on both sides. Eventually, the Germans withdrew to the farm with their wounded and fallen, where the civilians were taken hostage.
The next evening, a Norwegian company attacked the farm. The Norwegian forces were unaware that civilians were being held hostage there, so shots were fired through windows, walls and ceilings. After several German soldiers fell, the German force surrendered and the surviving civilians were eventually released.
Bagnsbergene gard has remained virtually untouched since the war, and there are few war memorials in the country where we can see the physical traces of the dramatic events as clearly.
- "Thanks to the owner, who has allowed the farm to be used as a communication arena, and volunteer enthusiasts, we have this painful and important cultural monument today. It's a good example of what voluntary efforts can mean for safeguarding and communicating cultural heritage and war history," says Hanna Geiran, National Heritage Officer.
The purpose of conservation
The conservation aims to preserve Bagnsbergene gard as the scene of the war actions that took place at the site in April 1940, where civilians were also severely affected. The preservation is intended to ensure the lasting protection of a farmstead that clearly bears the mark of the war, and is still relatively unchanged. The National Heritage Board is therefore protecting both the six buildings as they stand in the courtyard and parts of the interior, with bullet holes in the walls and furniture as strong testimony to what the farm people were exposed to during the shelling. Innlandet County Council has prepared the preservation case.
