The Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies hosts a permanent exhibition on the Holocaust and the fate of the Norwegian Jews during the Second World War. The center also shows temporary exhibitions and has an underground from 1942 which it is possible to visit together with a guide.
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Historic bunker
Villa Grande hides a historical bunker built for Vidkun Quisling, the leader of the Norwegian Nazi party National Unity, who lived in the villa during the war with his wife Maria.
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In/Visible: Everyday racism in Norway
This exhibition focuses on everyday racism and rests on the premise that we need to see and understand everyday racism for what it actually is in order to combat it.
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Memorial Room
In the Memorial Room, all Jews and Romani people from Norway who were killed during the Holocaust are commemorated. Each one is mentioned by name, date of birth, and presumed date of death. The Memorial Room was updated with the names of the Romani people in 2021, and is a part of the center's Holocaust exhibition.
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The Holocaust exhibition
Visit the center's main exhibition, on the Holocaust and the fate of the Norwegian Jews during the Second World War. Images, sounds, objects and text document the genocide on the European Jews, as well as the mass murder and persecution of other groups and minorities during the era of National Socialism.
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Unfinished lives
They were all talented artists, but their lives got cut short. The exhibition “Unfinished lives” introduces 15 artists from all across Europe who were murdered during the Holocaust.
Art experiences at the Norwegian Holocaust Center
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Art in the exhibitions
In the exhibition In/Visible - everyday racism in Norway, you can experience a work of art by Alejandra Aguilar Caballeros.
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Innocent Questions
The light installation Innocent Questions by Arnold Dreyblatt presents seemingly innocent questions in the form of a punch card, which was previously used for storing personal data. This type of personal data was used as a basis for mass exterminations, including during the Holocaust and the genocide in Rwanda. The installation hangs at the entrance of The Norwegian Holocaust Center.
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Sound installation and Reflection pool
Between the old part of Villa Grande and the MINO extension, you will find a sound installation by Camille Norment, which interacts with a reflection pool outside the building. You can sit on a bench and listen to the sound of the ship's bell from DS Donau, the cargo ship that was used in the largest deportation of Jews from Norway to the Nazi death camps. At times, the bench vibrates and there are ripples in the reflection pool outside, which can evoke associations of being aboard a boat.
