Bodø: Destroyed and Rebuilt

Travelling to Bodø today, in an airplane or cruise ship, makes the region seem a little less remote than even fifty years ago. The fjords and mountains still give a feeling or remoteness; knowing that you are in the Arctic, with the unique features of sunlight, shadows and weather, gives an other-worldliness impression to the traveler. Since this remains true today, the role the northern region of Norway played in the Second World War is all the more interesting. I have found references to the concern over continuous daylight and how that would affect the conduct of the war.

While the southern part of Norway capitulated after a short, but spirited, fight during the war, fighting went on in north for a longer time. The King, Haakon VII, and the government were able to escaped Oslo because of the sinking of the German cruiser Blücher. The badly outnumbered and outgunned Norwegian forces fought on despite the odds. King Haakon earned the respect of many Norwegians because of his determination to resist occupation (in 1905 he became the King after the dissolution of the union with Sweden). After the decisive battle at Narvik, a German victory seemed inevitable. By mid-June 1940, the King and cabinet escaped to London.

But while in the midst of the resistance, Bodø played a significant role. Its radio station, which was 

A picture of a picture in the Nordland Museum

founded in 1931, became a voice of resistance and carrying the news of a free Norway. Although bombed once with minor damage, the main attack on the city came on 27 May 1940. The German Luftwaffe dropped approximately 200 bombs, including many incendiaries, on Bodø. Because most of the houses and buildings were made of wood, damage was particularly devastating as reported in the New York Times:

The town is described as a mass of smoking ruins, houses, shops, hospitals and churches all having been razed. All the houses were built of wood and fire spread rapidly among them when incendiary bombs exploded in their midst. Water mains burst and the fire services were put out of action. (James MacDonald, New York Times, 30 May 1940)

The Nordland Museum, one of the oldest buildings
in the city, built 1903

Of the 6,000 or so residents, it is amazing that only fifteen people died in the attack, and two of those killed were British soldiers. Virtually every building in the town was damaged and 400 of the town’s 600 buildings were destroyed. It is why today there are very few buildings that predate 1940. One of the oldest buildings in the town, built in 1903, now houses Nordlandsmuseet (The Nordland Museum). In the wake of the attack, the Swedish government helped to build apartments for many of those left homeless in preparation for the winter of 1941.

King Haakon VII would become a heroic figure in Norway. His stay in exile was marked by weekly broadcasts, via the BBC, to his homeland. Two days before the attack on Bodø the New York Times published an editorial about the King:

Statue of Haakon VII in Central Bodø

Most Norwegians now live under the hobnail boot of the conqueror, their liberties gone, their property confiscated, their leading citizens subject to arbitrary arrest and execution from day to day. But King Haakon still insists that we will not leave his Arctic capital as long as one inch of his country remains Norwegian. At this rate his memory may yet outlast and outshine those of his Viking namesakes of long ago. (New York Times, 25 May 1940)

He returned home from exile in 1945, a much admired person. There is a statue of him in central Bodø as well.

The rebuilding of Bodø would continue until 1959. Many complain that the architecture of the city is drab and does not inspire enthusiasm. This is perhaps true; however, when there are upwards of 5,000 homeless people to take care of before grueling winters aesthetics are not the priority. It is true that the churches and public buildings suffer from the same malady. Yet, given the circumstances and the time period when reconstruction occurred, the architecture makes sense. To the skeptic I urge an examination beyond the public buildings. Many of the homes in and around Bodø are fashionable and practical. The only shame is that the prewar Bodø was so thoroughly devastated.