Krigsgraver.no - Soviet war graves data base

A new data base, Krigsgraver.no, surveying Soviet prisoners of war buried in Norway will be presented at the premises of Fritt Ord (Freedom of Expression Foundation) in Oslo on Wednesday 23 March 2011. The Minister of Government Administration, Reform and Church affairs, Rigmor Aasrud, will be in attendance, together with among others the last surviving Soviet prisoner of war in Norway, Aleksej D. Perminow.

Krigsfanger.no is a part of the project "Krigsgraver søker navn" ("War graves seek names") administered by Falstadsenteret (The Falstad Centre). The center, which according to its website aims to provide education, documentation and communication concerning the history of imprisonment during WW2 and human rights, has now identified more names of the around 13.000 Soviet prisoners of war who were buried in Norway during and after WW2. About 100.000 Soviet soldiers were prisoners in Norway during the war. Later also information about other foreign war graves will be included in the database.

The War graves project is according to yesterday's press release financially supported by the Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs. The ministry is responsible for The War Graves Service (website updated as of September 2007).

The Falstad Centre located in Levanger, county of Nord-Trøndelag is, by the way, situated in the building that, in the period 1941–45, served as a SS Stafgefangenenlager.

See also the program for the data base presentation (pdf) on Wednesday 23 March 2011.

Updated on Wednesday 23 March 2011 at 14.30 (links and subject title corrected, article slightly expanded).