Victims of Nazism - 39 fates
From May the 2nd the victims of the Nazi ideology will be commemorated at The Coastal Museum of Bangsbo Fort. “Victims of Nazism” is an exhibition which uses simple means to communicate the fates of 39 people who died as a consequence of the Nazi ideology.
At the exhibition you will learn about fishermen, resistance fighters, apprentices and many others. They all had in common that they lived in the municipality of Frederikshavn and that they became victims of the Nazi ideology. The exhibition has so far been shared between the Coastal Museums of Skagen, Bangsbo and Sæby. Now the exhibition will be assembled at Bangbo Fort with new items.
You will learn about Viggo Hansen from Skagen who was shot dead by a German officer because of schoolboy pranks. He was only 18 years old and the place where he was shot is now named “Viggo Hansens Plads”
You can also read about Arnold Christensen from Sæby who was a freedom fighter. Arnold had gone to Århus in connection with the Liberation Day on May the 5th, 1945. Here he took part in street fights at Bispetorvet. He was hit in his head by a bullet fired by a German soldier.
Stumbling on the past
The exhibitions “Victims of the Nazi Ideology” are parts of a big project about the victims of Nazism in the municipality of Frederikshavn sponsored by the Melsen Fund. The primary aim of the project is to place the so-called “Stolpersteine” (“Snublesten”) in various locations in the municipality of Frederikshavn. Stumbling blocks are small memorial stones the size of a cobble. They can be placed for everyone who died as a consequence of the Nazi ideology and Hitler’s Third Reich. The stones will be placed in the pavement at the victim’s home or workplace, the last place where the victims stayed voluntarily.
It was the German artist Gunter Demnig who came up with the idea of ”Stolpersteine”. There are more than 84,000 stones placed in more than 2,000 spots in Europe. These “Stolpersteine” or “Stumbling blocks” enables you to stumble on the past.
The last part of the project will be publishing a book. The book will be about the victims, their fates and their background and the time they lived in.
