Thought provoking exhibition at the Falstad Centrel

During the war years 1940-45, Falstad was a prison camp for political prisoners. Today, it serves as a memorial and a centre for human rights.

The Falstad Centre is located in the scenic surroundings of Ekne, in Levanger Municipality, Innherred, about an hour north of Trondheim.

The Falstad building was originally constructed between 1921 and 1924 as a reform school for "neglected boys". In 1941, the site was transformed into "SS Strafgefangenenlager Falstad", the second-largest prison camp in Norway. Approximately 4,500 people from 16 countries were held at the camp between 1941 and 1945. The majority were Norwegian political prisoners, while foreign inmates mainly came from the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Poland, and Denmark. For many, Falstad was a transit point on the way to Grini or concentration camps in Germany.

Today, the Falstad Centre functions as a national education and documentation centre. Its core activities include research, dissemination, and education on the history of wartime prisoners and human rights. The Falstad Centre is also a suitable venue for courses and conferences.

“Face to Face”
The permanent exhibition "Face to Face" at the Falstad Centre offers a moving and comprehensive portrayal of Falstad prison camp (SS Strafgefangenenlager Falstad) during the Second World War. The exhibition sheds light on the rise of Nazism, the camp's role in the German camp system in Norway, and the horrific fates of both Norwegian Jews and Eastern European prisoners.

Through a powerful combination of photographs, texts, interviews, historical artefacts, and video clips, the exhibition conveys the history of the camp’s prisoners and the systematic genocides during the Holocaust. It also provides insight into how the Second World War shaped the post-war world, particularly through the founding of the United Nations and the development of modern human rights.

"Face to Face" encourages deep reflection on the past and how this history has shaped contemporary society.

Temporary Exhibitions
The first floor hosts several temporary exhibitions each year, including loaned and in-house exhibitions, art exhibitions, and historical displays. These exhibitions are thematically linked to Falstad and the centre's areas of expertise: the history of wartime prisoners, memory culture, and human rights.

Falstad Forest
Falstad Forest, the execution site located one kilometre south of the Falstad building, is now a national memorial site and war cemetery.