Traces in the earth

A number of prisoners were executed in the woods outside Falstad concentration camp in Levanger from 1942–1944, during the years of the German occupation. After the war, the prisoners bodies were dug up again (photo), and until recently it was believed that the Nazis killed a total of about 220 prisoners. But it is believable that even more prisoners might be found in unmarked graves around the forest. The area also contains traces of buildings and installations.

Geophysicists, geologists and archaeologists at NTNU are helping in the search for all of this – both as a part of the war memorial project called Painful Heritage and as part of a large-scale development programme for new and advanced exploration and excavation techniques.