Grini detention camp

Grini detention camp was a German police camp in Bærum, just outside Oslo, and between 1941 and 1945 it was the main place of confinement for Norwegian political prisoners under the occupation. Today it is remembered as a World War II site, and the former main building serves as a prison.

What was Grini?

The large building on the Ila hill was begun in 1938 as a women's prison. After Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940, the unfinished complex was taken over by the occupiers. At first Norwegian officers and soldiers were held here; once they were released in June 1940, the building housed Wehrmacht troops.

In June 1941 the German security police set up Polizeihäftlingslager Grini. The first 150 men, arrested for anti-German activity, arrived by truck on 14 June 1941. Officially it was a police detention camp rather than a concentration camp, although many prisoners lived through harsh treatment and constant uncertainty about their fate.

How many people were held here?

As arrests multiplied, the main building became overcrowded. Barracks were added and the camp grew. In total almost 20,000 people passed through Grini, most of them Norwegians held for political reasons. More than 3,400 were sent on to concentration camps in Germany. Close to 800 Grini prisoners died, most after deportation to camps in Germany or German-held territories, while some were executed in the Trandumskogen forest.

Liberation and what came next

News of the end of the war reached the prisoners on 7 May 1945. The next day, 8 May, the same walls began to hold people suspected or convicted of treason and collaboration. The site was renamed Ilebu prison.

What can you see today?

The former camp building stands in the Ila district and is now a high-security prison, so it cannot be visited like an ordinary attraction. The story of the camp is kept alive by the Grini Museum (Grinimuseet), which tells about the prisoners and the Norwegian resistance.

Frequently asked questions

Was Grini a concentration camp? Not strictly. The Germans classed it as a police detention camp, but part of its prisoners were shipped to concentration camps in Germany.

When did the camp operate? From June 1941 until May 1945.

Can visitors enter the former camp? The old main building is an active prison and is closed to tourists. The museum is the best place to learn about the history.

Where is Grini? In Bærum municipality next to Oslo, in the Ila area.