Celebrating the liberation of Denmark – Silkeborg museum

Discussion in 'Others' started by Jakob Kjaersgaard, May 11, 2009.

  1. Jakob Kjaersgaard

    Jakob Kjaersgaard Senior Member

    Saturday night I visited the city of Silkeborg and the bunker museum located there, which had opened its park to the public as a late celebration of the liberation of Denmark. It was a nice evening where one could see various military vehicles, vehicles in general primarily from the period of the occupation, re-enactors dressed up as Germans (some all the way from Holland), British, Americans and the Danish resistance. They had also managed to dig out a new bunker, which had remained hidden until recently. The highlights of my evening was crawling inside a Willy’s Jeep, seeing a Garand M1 and a Sten up close for the first time.


    Here’s a bit of info about Silkeborg and the role of the city during the war:


    “The bunkers at Silkeborg Spa were built by the Germans during World War II. At this time Denmark was occupied and the Germans had their headquarters at Nyboder School in Copenhagen. They were looking for an alternative location and so they built this facility.


    Silkeborg Spa became headquarters of the 416th Infantry Division's General Staff, headed by Lieutenant general Pliger. Altogether an area of 40ha was requisitioned and barracks and bunkers were built. 40 concrete buildings were erected, of which twelve were bunkers with two metre thick walls. The Germans were afraid of an allied invasion in Jütland and so Hitler ordered full alert for the German occupational force in Denmark in November 1943. The headquarters moved to Silkeborg Spa two days later, and Silkeborg became field headquarters for the German head of command in Denmark, General der Infanterie Herman von Hanneken.


    But the facility was not liquidated at the end of the war. On the 05-MAY-1945, the British ordered, that the headquarters should be used to organize the withdrawal of the German troops in Denmark. 350 German soldiers were left at Silkeborg Spa until 06-JUN-1945, when they were disarmed and repatriated. Now the barracks became refugee camp for German refugees and it was necessary to build additional barracks. The refugees called the older German buildings Altstadt (old town) and the new barracks Neustadt (new town). The facility was used as refugee camp until summer 1947, when the last refugees left.


    The Silkeborg Bunker Museum is located in one of the twelve German troop bunkers and shows photos and documents of the time of German occupation during World War II, and the time of the refugee camp after the war. It is maintained by a private interest group.”



    Jakob
     

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