Launching the Home Front Museum at Rakkestad

Imagine: On one side you had the National Assembly officers stationed, including at Liensgården (the barracks) and Central Hotel (the officer's quarters.) The German soldiers, including those attached to the Knatterud-cannon and those at Gautestad station with techincal equipment, patrolled the streets and monitored all movement.

At the same time, in the same area, the resistance movement (Milorg) operated. They had their office secretly on the second floor of Sko-Hansen in Nydal, right next to the German canteen on the first floor and not far from the NS office - without being discovered.

This created an explosive mix where dramatic events unfolded:

• Exciting refugee traffic along Milorg's route to the border.
• Life-threatening shootouts, such as the one at Damholtet where Knut Mathiesen fought the border police and the Gestapo, and the episode near Gartneriet/Bussgarasjen where resistance fighters opened fire on German SIPO-men and informers.
• The arms depot at Høla, where local home front men collected vital equipment such as explosives and weapons under cover of night.
• An officer who blew up a number of bridges in Marker and Rakkestad shortly after the invasion in 1940, sometimes almost alone and at the risk of his own life - although an old wooden bridge was spared.
• The presence of the massive Knatterud-cannon, a 119-ton railway cannon with an enormous range.

All of this - resistance fighters and occupation forces, gunfights and secret offices, refugees and massive weapons - happened in Rakkestad. Our video captures these incredible stories.

Watch the video now and learn more about Rakkestad's fascinating and dramatic past! If you are in Rakkestad, stop by the Home Front Museum.

Information about the route game in Rakkestad city center is on the sign outside the Home Front Museum and is open 24 hours a day and free for everyone!