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Bunker Hill

Writer's picture: InkaInka

snowy mountain top

At the beginning of June, just before leaving for my field works (I study insects), I decided to finally visit a German camp located on hills near Stordalen (Bunkershaugen, 560 m a.s.l.) and take some pictures of it for the Boyfriend. He refuses to go hiking on higher elevations to avoid being seen sweaty, tired, and covered with flies by girls from a local hiking club.


Sun was warming the world from early morning, so I put on light hiking shoes, packed some warmer clothes, thermos filled with my favourite hippie tea and homemade rhubarb rolls. To get there one needs first to reach Signaldalen, walk a bit southeast along Stordalen, cross a bridge called “Stordalsbrua” or “Tyskbrua” (a new one, built in 2008 in place for the original bridge built by German troops in the end of WW2), and finally take “Tyskveien”, going up to a camp which was located on a small plateau on circa 550 m a.s.l.


The way up is not technically difficult, but it was steep and slippery in few places so after less than 10 minutes of walk I was deeply regretting promising to the Dirty Digger that I will go there one day to check what is left from the camp.

As it is usually with mountain trips in my life, my morale was boosted when I reached the zone above tree line. Very nice view on the whole valley with spectacular Stordalselva river, and Markusfjellet and Barras mountains.

In a distance one can see also border areas of Finland and Sweden. I didn’t get there for enjoying views though, so I walked directly towards the plateau to check what is really left from the bunkers which were built there during the war.


I must say that the 4-5 (?) bunkers look much better on old photos than in reality. Currently they are falling apart and I was wondering if they haven’t been destroyed after the war by purpose?

Besides of stone walls, not much left from the roofs and other elements of the constructions, like e.g. door frames. The area look cleaned, with not too many visible items laying around. I found some parts from field ovens, buckets, basins, some nails, etc. Everything shown on photos below.

The bunkers are not far from each other, and some of them were flooded. There are also few smaller stone constructions on the plateau. I was walking around for one or two hours, taking photos and thinking that it wasn’t a fun to sit in these bunkers during winter time or in full summer when bloodsucking flies are emerging from nearby wetlands.

But for sure, it had to be more gruesome in prisoner camps, operating in Norddalen, circa 10 km north in straight line from were I was standing.


Happy with the well done job, on my way downhill I had more time to look at signs of summer slowly exploding in Northern Norway. Although on 500 meters nature was slow with new leaves and flowers, lower in the forest there was a lot of various plants which have just started flowering.

Among others I recognized globeflower Trollius europaeus, alpine yellow-violet Viola biflora, bunchberry Chamaepericlymenum suecicum, some geraniums Geranium sp. and forget-me-nots Myosotis sp. Not so good in botany any longer to name them all, unfortunately...


Going down was much more pleasure than the way up. It didn’t take long before I was on the bridge and start walking back to my car via the valley. Stordalen has his own history. The local road was built by the German pioneers and Russian prisoners of war, in winter 1944/1945.

There are remnants of German pioneer camps on both sides of it, not far from the bridge, and there is also an another camp on slopes of Barras. In the end of the war in Norway, the night from 8th to 9th of May 1945, nearly 60 soldiers from the German army deserted, killing two own officers. Most of them managed to escape to Sweden, but 11 were caught. Four of them were executed by Germans on 10th of May.



The Dirty Digger’s Girlfriend


young and small birch trees  view on mountain top and valley
View from the climb up.
stone path up a mountainside
Tons of equipment were carried up this trail by soldiers,POWs and mules.


large iron nail laying on the ground
Most of the metal littering the area today are stove parts and large nails.
view of stone bunker and valley edged by mountain tops
Patches of snow still scattered around. Quite refreshing after the walk up.
collapsed stone shelter

decaying timber

ruins of a stone bunker

bunker stove built into stone wall
Bunker wall with integrated oven.

flooded stone bunker
This bunker was flooded.
rusted nails in old timber


an old ski binding nailed to a log
An old ski binding.
a large ruined bunker
A large ruined bunker.


rings on old silver timber

rusted shovel and rock formation
A weathered shovel.
rusted and bullet holed stove tops
Stove tops, used for target shooting.
view into valley
After a while it was time to find the way back down.
forest pathway
I used a bit more than an hour going up, and less than an hour down.
small bridge over strong river
The original bridge collapsed in the 70`s, but in 2008 locals erected this new bridge, using old crane parts.
info sign











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