Espeland concentration camp
Espeland concentration camp was established at the village of Espeland in the borough of Arna in Bergen, Norway by the Nazi authorities of occupied Norway in the summer of 1943.
It was largely built by slave labor from the other concentration camp near Bergen, Ulven concentration camp. All prisoners from Ulven were transferred to this camp, which quickly became overcrowded. Some prisoners were then sent to the Grini concentration camp.
Prisoners were mistreated and often brutalized, and the camp had a separate section for chain gangs and prisoners who were kept in solitary confinement. The number of people killed in this camp is unknown. When liberated in 1945, there were 200 prisoners at Espeland. After the war the camp was used until 1952 for prisoners who had links with the Nazi regime. According to Kjell Fjørtoft, abuse occurred in the camp.
In 1952, the camp was transferred to Norwegian Civil Defence control. The facility was then in November 2014 declared a protected monument and in January 2015 given to the organisation Stiftelsen Espeland fangeleir as part of a preservation effort.
