The Tjøtta memorial site

The large mass grave at Tjøtta churchyard has a sevenmetre high memorial stone, on which these words are inscribed: «In grateful memory of Soviet soldiers who lost their lives in northern Norway during the war 1941-1945 and who are buried here». It stands as a symbol of the grave of the unknown soldier.

Alongside the memorial stone, 826 of the 7551 Soviet victims have been named with separate name plates written in Norwegian and Cyrillic. After having been removed from the mass grave for a period of time, these name plates are now back in place, and the names of other victims will be added to the memorial site when they are identified.

The name plates are an important element of the Tjøtta memorial site. They present a forgotten history on Norwegian soil, giving history a unique presence. They are also very important for survivors of the victims who are looking for information about relatives who ended their lives in German imprisonment in Norway.