Travel to Norway

Travel to Norway with Vesterheim Museum
WW II in Norway: The Occupation and Resistance
With Guide Knut Werner-Hagen
and Leader Jennifer Kovarik
June 29 – July 13, 2013
Day 1 Sat., June 29: CHICAGO-OSLO
Board Scandinavian Airlines for the transatlantic
flight from Chicago, Ill., to Oslo, Norway.
Day 2 Sun., June 30: OSLO (L/D)
Arrive mid-morning in Oslo to start this
exciting tour. After lunch at our hotel, visit the
Norwegian Defense Museum, followed by free
time to explore Oslo. “Welcome Dinner” and
overnight at Rica Victoria Hotel, Oslo.
Day 3 Mon., July 1: OSLO-OSCARSBORG-FAGERNES (B/L)
Take a short drive and boat ride to the
Oscarsborg Fortress Museum for a guided
tour. Oscarsborg became an icon of Norway’s
freedom because of the sinking of the German
cruiser Blücher. This courageous action was the
single most important reason the Royal Family
and government escaped the invading forces.
Following lunch at the Oscarsborg Hotel,
enjoy a beautiful boat ride back to Oslo, where
we will board the bus for Fagernes. Overnight
at Quality Hotel and Resort, Fagernes.
Day 4 Tues., July 2: FAGERNESS-OTTA (B/L/D)
Visit battlefields in Bagn before a guided tour
of the local museum, Bagn Bygdesamling.
After a matpakke, a traditional Norwegian
packed lunch, walk to the Bergatn Farm,
which has been untouched since the fighting
in 1940. Dinner is at Nordre Ekre Farm, home
to chefs Øyvind Johansen and Marit Ekre.
This farm has been in Marit’s family since the
18th century. Overnight at the Norlandia Otta
Hotel, Otta.
Day 5 Wed., July 3: OTTA-DOVRE-TRONDHEIM (B/L/D)
Continue traveling north to Trondheim with
a short stop at the Dovre battlefield, where
several ministers were nearly captured in 1940.
Lunch will be at Rockheim, followed by a
guided city tour of Trondheim that will include
tours of Nidaros Cathedral, the Archbishop’s
Palace, and the Stiftsgarden (Royal Residence).
Dinner at the Sverresborg’s Tavern. Overnight
stay at Rica Nidelven Hotel, Trondheim.
Day 6 Thurs., July 4:
TRONDHEIM-EKNE-STJØRDAL-TRONDHEIM (B/L)
Start your day with a visit to Falstad Center.
Falstad was an infamous prison for military
and political prisoners during the Occupation.
About 4,500 prisoners from 13 nations were
housed here. The
nearby Falstad woods
was the scene of many
executions and is now a
protected war memorial.
Lunch is at Ersgård, a
250-year-old riverside
farm. Then visit the
Hegra Fortress, famous
for the fighting that
took place there in
1940. Overnight stay
at the Rica Nioelven
Hotel, Trondheim.
Day 7 Fri., July 5: TRONDHEIM-NARVIK (B/D)
Have the morning to explore or relax before
heading to the airport for a flight to Narvik.
The port of Narvik proved to be strategically
valuable in the early years of WWII. The town
also became a focal point of the Norwegian
Campaign. Dinner and overnight at Quality
Hotel Grand Royal, Narvik.
Day 8 Sat., July 6: NARVIK AREA (B/L)
Start your day with an unforgettable visit
to the Narvik War Museum. Its exhibitions
show the daily life of the civilian population
and prison camps during the war. Next, drive
to the location of the 1940 Ofotenfjord sea
battles and the home of a German destroyer.
A visit to the Narvik War Cemetery will follow.
After a warm lunch buffet at the Lapphaugen
Tourist Station, visit the actual battlefields—
Lapphaugen, Gratangen, Bjerkvik—where the
fighting took place between April 9 and June
10, 1940. Overnight at Quality Hotel Grand
Royal, Narvik.
Day 9 Sun., July 7: NARVIK-HARSTAD (B/L/D)
After breakfast, visit places in the Narvik area
where Russian and Yugoslav prisoners were
forced to work for the Occupation forces
during the war. In route to Harstad, enjoy a
packed lunch and stop at some of the actual
WWII battlefields. Dinner and overnight at
Thon Hotel Harstad, Harstad.
For information contact Michelle Whitehill: 563-382-9681 ext. 240, or mwhitehill@vesterheim.org.
Day 11 Tues., July 9: HARSTAD-OSLO (B)
Breakfast at the hotel before the flight to Oslo.
Drive to the city center to visit the Norwegian
Resistance Museum, which is housed in an
old protected building in Akershus Castle.
Adjoining is a memorial placed at the spot
where Norwegian patriots were executed by
the Germans during the war. Overnight at the
Rica Victoria Hotel, Oslo.
Day 10 Mon., July 8: HARSTAD (B/L)
In the morning, take a guided tour of the
Trondesnes Fort, one of the 20 forts the Germans
used to protect the shipping of Swedish iron ore
from the city of Narvik to Germany. It is also the
home of the world’s largest land-based cannon,
the Adolf Gun, dating from WWII. Next, have
a guided tour of Trondenes Church, one of the
largest medieval stone churches in Norway. Lunch
will follow at the Røkenes Farm, an old trading
post and guesthouse dating from the 16th century.
Explore Harstad on your own before overnight at
Clarion Collection Hotel Arcticus.
Day 12 Wed, July 10: OSLO-RJUKAN (B/D)
Start the day at the site where Norwegian
resistance fighters were kept in prison and
executed during the war. Also, see the site
of the sinking of Donau, the boat that was
taking Jews to Germany in January 1945.
Next visit the Linge Club for members of the
Linge Company, the Norwegian independent
Company No. 1, which operated under
British command from 1941 to 1945 and was
part of Special Operations Executive (SOE).
The last stop will be at the old Academy
Building, which lies in Tollbugaten 10.
During the war, the Norwegian Nazi Party
moved in and in 1944 it was nearly destroyed
by the Resistance. Next head West to Rjukan
for dinner and overnight at Gaustabrikk
Høyfjellshotell, Rjukan.
Day 13 Thurs., July 11: RJUKAN (B/L/D)
Today visit and have lunch at the Norwegian
Industrial Workers Museum, which is located
in the old Vemork hydroelectric power station.
During WWII, Vemork became an Allied
target to block German research into atomic
fission by halting the production of heavy
water at Vemork. Also see Operation Sunshine
Headquarters, untouched since 1945. Dinner
and overnight at Gaustabrikk Høyfjellshotell,
Rjukan.
Day 14 Fri., July 12: RJUKAN-OSLO (B/D)
Following breakfast, drive to Oslo for a day of
shopping, sightseeing, or relaxing. “Farewell
Dinner” and overnight at the Clarion Hotel
Airport, Oslo.
Day 15 Sat., July 13: OSLO-CHICAGO (B)
Following breakfast, transfer to the airport for
the transatlantic flight to Chicago, Illinois.
Guide and Leader
Knut Werner-Hagen was
recommend to guide this tour by the
Norwegian Embassy. He has served
as an officer in the Norwegian Army
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has been lecturing on military history
at the Norwegian Military Academy
in Oslo. Knut holds a masters degree
in history from the University of
Oslo. As a historian, his main focus
has been on Norway and WWII. He
has written a number of articles and
books on this theme, some of them
in English. For the last 20 years, he has established and led a number of
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of Norway, including a tour for His Majesty King Harald the V and the Prime
Minister of Norway. He will bring unparalleled knowledge and experience
to this unforgettable tour.
Jennifer Kovarik is Vesterheim’s
Registrar and Youth Educator. She holds
a B.A. in history and English from Luther
College, Decorah, Iowa, and an M.A.T.
in elementary education from Hastings
College, Hastings, Nebraska. In addition
to researching and documenting the
collections, she oversees the museum’s
archives and library collections and
curates exhibitions. As an educator,
Kovarik creates, directs, and teaches
Vesterheim’s school-age programs.
During her 14 years at Vesterheim, she
has been involved with coordinating and facilitating events, classes, and
Elderhostels. As an undergraduate, Kovarik lived in England and in 2004 she
spent the summer at the International Summer School at the University of
Oslo. Her interest in the history of Norway during WWII was piqued by helping
with the exhibition Jewish Life and Culture in Norway: Wergeland’s Legacy.
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Price.............................................. $5,495
Single supplement ....................... $775
Land only..................................... $4,495
Minimum of 30 participants
Maximum of 35 participants
Please read “Tour Terms and Conditions”
Price Includes (as listed in this itinerary):
Airfare, taxes, and fuel surcharge
Accommodations for 13 nights
All land travel by first-class coach
Daily breakfast (B), nine lunches (L),
eight dinners (D)
Admission fees to all museums and attractions
Luggage handling (one piece)
Gratuity and tips
Comprehensive information kit
with brochures and map
Vesterheim travel gift and luggage tags
The tour operator reserves the right to make changes necessary in order to give travelers the best experience possible.