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Hitlers norske drøm
I Hitlers visjon om Det tredje riket hadde Norge en sentral rolle. Her opp i nord levde menneskene fremdeles i pakt med naturen og den ariske rasen var fremdeles ren og lite utsatt for blanding fra mindreverdige folkeslag. Norge skulle bli framtidens utstillingsvindu for nazismen etter krigen. Og planleggingen var i full gang, Hitler satte sin beste mann på jobben, rustningsminister Albert Speer. Med utgangspunkt i sine studier av Det tredje rikes grandiose arkitektur tegner Stratigakos et skremmende bilde av framtidens nazistiske Norge. Hitlers norske drøm omfatter alle deler av samfunnslivet, fra soldatens rekreasjonsbehov og familienes boliger, til infrastruktur og næringsliv.
327 pages, Hardcover
First published August 18, 2020
47 people are currently reading
389 people want to read
About the author
Despina Stratigakos
7 books17 followersDespina Stratigakos is a Canadian-born architectural historian, professor, and writer. She taught at Harvard University and the University of Michigan before joining the School of Architecture and Planning at the University at Buffalo.
From 2018-22, Stratigakos served as the University at Buffalo's Vice Provost of Inclusive Excellence. She previously served as a Director of the Society of Architectural Historians, an Advisor of the International Archive of Women in Architecture at Virginia Tech, a Trustee of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, and Deputy Director of the Gender Institute at the University at Buffalo.
From 2018-22, Stratigakos served as the University at Buffalo's Vice Provost of Inclusive Excellence. She previously served as a Director of the Society of Architectural Historians, an Advisor of the International Archive of Women in Architecture at Virginia Tech, a Trustee of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, and Deputy Director of the Gender Institute at the University at Buffalo.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 19, 2021
Wow! To książka idealnie skrojona pod moje zainteresowania. Jest o architekturze, którą się pasjonuje, jest o Norwegii, do której pałam ogromną miłością i przede wszystkim sporo tu o wojnie. Świetna opowieść podparta wieloma zdjęciami o okupacji niemieckiej na terenie Norwegii i „zamiłowaniu” Hitlera do norweskiej krwi pochodzącej od wikingów.
October 22, 2020
DNF at 70%. Quite dry, but interesting to WWII specialists and those with an interest in Norwegian history. Theory-laden without being meaningless. Good account of Nazi ideas of the supposed racial purity of Norwegians and the extraordinary lengths they went to in Norway, in terms of public works and for German soldiers stationed there.
Fun fact: Norway was the only country the Germans put more resources into than they took out. Says a lot about how Nazi racial policy dictated war aims.
Fun fact: Norway was the only country the Germans put more resources into than they took out. Says a lot about how Nazi racial policy dictated war aims.
October 24, 2025
En noe annerledes og interessant bok fra andre verdenskrig i Norge. Boka handler som tittelen sier, om Hitlers drøm for Norge. Han hadde enorme drømmer for Norge som en del av et Stor-Tyskland. Boka tar for seg mye av infrastrukturen Hitler drømte om for Norge som ikke ble noe av, og bygg og veier som faktisk ble noe av.
Vi får også et innblikk i hvordan arbeidet med byggingen foregikk, blant annet ved hjelp av krigsfanger, og hvordan tyske arbeidere og soldater hadde det i landet de okkuperte.
En litt annen vinkling enn i andre bøker jeg har lest fra Norge under andre verdenskrig, og boka anbefales virkelig om du er interessert i historie
Vi får også et innblikk i hvordan arbeidet med byggingen foregikk, blant annet ved hjelp av krigsfanger, og hvordan tyske arbeidere og soldater hadde det i landet de okkuperte.
En litt annen vinkling enn i andre bøker jeg har lest fra Norge under andre verdenskrig, og boka anbefales virkelig om du er interessert i historie
Read
September 11, 2023DNF.
Przestałam się oszukiwać, że ją skończę. Temat super ciekawy, wykonanie takie, że można tę książkę czytać przy problemach ze snem. Zadziała lepiej niż prochy.
Przestałam się oszukiwać, że ją skończę. Temat super ciekawy, wykonanie takie, że można tę książkę czytać przy problemach ze snem. Zadziała lepiej niż prochy.
April 17, 2021
Hitler's Northern Utopia is a formidable book. The chapters are lenghty, the style is a bit dry and there are heaps of architectural terms and theory. The topic is really interesting though.
November 26, 2024
Hitler's Northern Utopia: Building the New Order In Occupied Norway is a good resource for readers wanting to learn about how Germany's plans unfolded in one of the regions in which they were able to get furthest along.
Given Norway's oftentimes isolated locations and-Operation Weserebung and the Narvik operations aside-frequently ancillary role as a World War Two theater, Nazi planners were able to advance fairly far in terms of architectural and infrastructural achievements.
Author Despina Stratigakos indicated that Germans (as much as they were capable) took it "easy" on Norwegians in occupied Norway given that they thought them a more racially pure peoples than the Russians, Poles, or even French. Their Aryanness seemed to earn them a weird form of credit in the Nazi imagination.
The Viking heritage many Norwegians carried in their blood, if the book's indications are accurate, also led to a strange form of respect from occupying German troops toward the Scandinavians under their charge.
Much of the German love seemed focused on Trondheim and not Oslo. The latter, the capital city of Norway, seemed to be sneered at as too Anglicized and bastardized of a cosmopolitan European city.
Trondheim even served as the location for one of the largest naval bases the Germans would possess during the Second World War. The amount of dredging and construction that went into this base's incarnation were delved into by Stratigakos.
The bulk of the Hitler's Northern Utopia: Building the New Order in Occupied Norway deals with several German and Norwegian planners/architects who sought to turn Norway into a model Nazi-occupied started. There was analysis of a planned Autobahn Two from Berlin to the Arctic north of Norway; talk of this planned superhighway ended up not getting beyond the planning stages thanks to a turn for the worst in Nazi wartime fortunes.
Albert Speer loomed large when it came to Nazi ideas for transforming the Nordic nation in a nightmarish version of urban planning. Wilhelm Kreis brought his passion for architecture up from Berlin; he appears frequently in the book designing and implementing plans to transform Norway away from the more democratic impulses of their last few decades' worth of buildings.
The Kreis line of thinking involved towns build with large public military marching spaces more in mind than the sort of individualistic, and, in German thinking, "degenerate" forms of architecture which had come to dominate cities like Oslo. While the ancient Nidaros Cathedral might have been kosher in that it brought to mind the many Viking kings of millennia past, Nazi planners like Speer and Kreis found little use for a lot that has spring up during Norway's recent social democratic trajectory.
The topic covered in this book is not one readers are likely to come across very often in the corpus of World War Two writing. Stratigakos clearly knew what she was writing about, and her understanding of architecture combined with knowledge of the ends the Germans wanted to put it to in Norway made this an outstanding nonfiction work.
The disparate ways the occupying Germans treated the Norwegians as opposed to the Poles or eastern European populations starkly stands out. Their willingness to co-opt Germans' own perceptions of Norway as a country close to their own form of an ideal racial state also came through.
But above all the detailed discussion of architectural development in the country-all done with a specific nationalist based approach in mind-is the most important element of the writing.
The manner in which Norway was viewed as an early testing ground of what the Nazis sought to do in areas they had conquered and, to a large degree, subdued, made this book a compelling look at a future that-fortunately-was not able to be fully fleshed out.
The skillful manner in which it was written, and the knowledgeable way the topic was handled by its author, make this book deserving of four stars and worth reading for a look into the psyche of a movement gone horribly off the rails of humanity.
-Andrew Canfield Denver, Colorado
Given Norway's oftentimes isolated locations and-Operation Weserebung and the Narvik operations aside-frequently ancillary role as a World War Two theater, Nazi planners were able to advance fairly far in terms of architectural and infrastructural achievements.
Author Despina Stratigakos indicated that Germans (as much as they were capable) took it "easy" on Norwegians in occupied Norway given that they thought them a more racially pure peoples than the Russians, Poles, or even French. Their Aryanness seemed to earn them a weird form of credit in the Nazi imagination.
The Viking heritage many Norwegians carried in their blood, if the book's indications are accurate, also led to a strange form of respect from occupying German troops toward the Scandinavians under their charge.
Much of the German love seemed focused on Trondheim and not Oslo. The latter, the capital city of Norway, seemed to be sneered at as too Anglicized and bastardized of a cosmopolitan European city.
Trondheim even served as the location for one of the largest naval bases the Germans would possess during the Second World War. The amount of dredging and construction that went into this base's incarnation were delved into by Stratigakos.
The bulk of the Hitler's Northern Utopia: Building the New Order in Occupied Norway deals with several German and Norwegian planners/architects who sought to turn Norway into a model Nazi-occupied started. There was analysis of a planned Autobahn Two from Berlin to the Arctic north of Norway; talk of this planned superhighway ended up not getting beyond the planning stages thanks to a turn for the worst in Nazi wartime fortunes.
Albert Speer loomed large when it came to Nazi ideas for transforming the Nordic nation in a nightmarish version of urban planning. Wilhelm Kreis brought his passion for architecture up from Berlin; he appears frequently in the book designing and implementing plans to transform Norway away from the more democratic impulses of their last few decades' worth of buildings.
The Kreis line of thinking involved towns build with large public military marching spaces more in mind than the sort of individualistic, and, in German thinking, "degenerate" forms of architecture which had come to dominate cities like Oslo. While the ancient Nidaros Cathedral might have been kosher in that it brought to mind the many Viking kings of millennia past, Nazi planners like Speer and Kreis found little use for a lot that has spring up during Norway's recent social democratic trajectory.
The topic covered in this book is not one readers are likely to come across very often in the corpus of World War Two writing. Stratigakos clearly knew what she was writing about, and her understanding of architecture combined with knowledge of the ends the Germans wanted to put it to in Norway made this an outstanding nonfiction work.
The disparate ways the occupying Germans treated the Norwegians as opposed to the Poles or eastern European populations starkly stands out. Their willingness to co-opt Germans' own perceptions of Norway as a country close to their own form of an ideal racial state also came through.
But above all the detailed discussion of architectural development in the country-all done with a specific nationalist based approach in mind-is the most important element of the writing.
The manner in which Norway was viewed as an early testing ground of what the Nazis sought to do in areas they had conquered and, to a large degree, subdued, made this book a compelling look at a future that-fortunately-was not able to be fully fleshed out.
The skillful manner in which it was written, and the knowledgeable way the topic was handled by its author, make this book deserving of four stars and worth reading for a look into the psyche of a movement gone horribly off the rails of humanity.
-Andrew Canfield Denver, Colorado
November 18, 2021
Only read this book if you have a strong investment in Norway during WWII or are a serious reader of WWII history who enjoys minute details. I will start with the reasons I liked this book. This book shows the megalomania of Hitler and his regime as to how Europe would look and be governed for a thousand years. Just as Speer was creating Germania, a new city in place of Berlin, Hitler wanted to recreate the towns and cities in the image of Nazi rule - regimented, with offices of the "rulers" prominent in the center with parade grounds for reviews of marching ala the Nuremberg rally. Here this goal was to seize land from Norwegians to build within a town or city. In the east the goal was to raze the towns and cities, export or murder the Untermenschen ( Slavs, Jews, Gypsies.... ) wiping out the evidence that a community ever existed. Trondheim was to be created in an entirely different setting with the largest Naval base in the world. The Nazis began with infrastructure, first for easy military transport ( at one time there were more than 450,000 soldiers in the country ) later to be part of a rail and autobahn system that would link all of Europe with Germania. It is difficult to find a benefit from Nazis ( seems like an oxymoron to me ), but the roads and rail systems that remained after the war in Norway not only replaced old, poorly constructed infrastructure but extended into the Arctic Circle where transportation was poor or non-existent. I was not surprised that the Nazis wanted to turn all of Europe into a German empire but the extent and designs for their plans as illustrated by the Northern Utopia. Of course the Lebensborn system was established since no one was more Nordic / Aryan than the Scandinavians, so soldiers were encouraged to produce tiny Nazis for the Reich. Except for his blue eyes, does Hitler optimize the Nordic image?? NOT Yet even the Norwegians were inferior to the Germans, however, and would either be brought into the party line or forever ruled.... The only reason that I did not thoroughly enjoy the book was the minute details of committees, meetings, squabbles, plans, architectural designs, maps, and more..... Some portions of the book are heavy going. I am still glad that I read this book for a new insight into the future Europe / the world might have faced except for two acts of hubris: Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia, and the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. Kristi & Abby Tabby
January 13, 2021
An interesting book on a fairly quiet front in World War II in a unique subject area: German art, culture, and architecture in Norway. Hitler's Germany viewed Norway, with its Viking heritage, to be among the most racially "valuable" occupied territory. As such the Reich, instead of denuding the country of its art and industry, actually invested money, material, and personnel to the building of a ersatz Norwegian Germany in the north. The author goes so far as to claim that Germany may have actually expended more money on Norway than it extracted from its natural resources and local industry.
Stratigakos covers a fairly broad range of topics, especially in the first few chapters around how Germany attempted to influence the Norwegian people to accept their place in the new Greater German Reich through a combination of subtle (for WWII Germany) propaganda recalling their shared Nordic culture. Hitler also drove a number of major projects in Norway such as the construction of autobahnen and lengthening polar railways. However, the Norwegian people, by and large, were not terribly interested in integration and, in practice the German occupational forces held the Norwegian population very much at arms length. In the early war German groups like Organization Todt constructed German "Soldier's Homes" to reinforce the occupational force's 'German-ness'.
Perhaps most interesting is the final chapter on an entirely artificial city in the north near Trondheim. This city of 300,000 would have been larger than Norway's largest city of Oslo and would have been home for Hitler's massive Force Z fleet including massive underground bunkers, shipbuilding facilities, so large, in fact, that a third of the inhabitants of "Greater Trondheim" would have been employed or involved with the naval base.
Admittedly, this book has a fairly boutique audience. Its focus on culture and architecture is fairly general, but much of the narrative is through the eyes of a small group from the Organization Todt and Albert Speer, which generally require the reader to have a fairly detailed understanding of the inner workings of Nazi Germany. However, the number of photographic plates and pictures in the printed text provide an incredibly interesting and eye-opening perspective on Germany's non-military activities in Norway throughout WWII.
Stratigakos covers a fairly broad range of topics, especially in the first few chapters around how Germany attempted to influence the Norwegian people to accept their place in the new Greater German Reich through a combination of subtle (for WWII Germany) propaganda recalling their shared Nordic culture. Hitler also drove a number of major projects in Norway such as the construction of autobahnen and lengthening polar railways. However, the Norwegian people, by and large, were not terribly interested in integration and, in practice the German occupational forces held the Norwegian population very much at arms length. In the early war German groups like Organization Todt constructed German "Soldier's Homes" to reinforce the occupational force's 'German-ness'.
Perhaps most interesting is the final chapter on an entirely artificial city in the north near Trondheim. This city of 300,000 would have been larger than Norway's largest city of Oslo and would have been home for Hitler's massive Force Z fleet including massive underground bunkers, shipbuilding facilities, so large, in fact, that a third of the inhabitants of "Greater Trondheim" would have been employed or involved with the naval base.
Admittedly, this book has a fairly boutique audience. Its focus on culture and architecture is fairly general, but much of the narrative is through the eyes of a small group from the Organization Todt and Albert Speer, which generally require the reader to have a fairly detailed understanding of the inner workings of Nazi Germany. However, the number of photographic plates and pictures in the printed text provide an incredibly interesting and eye-opening perspective on Germany's non-military activities in Norway throughout WWII.
November 11, 2020
I found this book fascinating.
I've always had the impression that the Norway campaign was short and relatively bloodless. Unlike much of occupied Europe and Russia, it wasn't the site of a campaign of liberation. So my poorly formed opinion is that Norway was relatively unscathed. It was "relatively" unscathed, but that doesn't mean that entire cities weren't destroyed. I also was unaware of how Norwegians fit into Nazi racist theory. Perhaps it should have been obvious to me, but Nazis thought of the Norwegians as racially superior.
Norway was the only occupied territory that was on the receiving end of Nazi investment. All the other victim nations were stripped of labor and resources. But Norway wasn't stripped bare and, in fact, the Nazis spent a lot of time and effort making plans for Norway to become an integral piece of the Greater German Reich. That's what this book is about.
Major topics covered include infrastructure development (roads and rail); maternity facilities for Norwegian women bearing German children and orphanages for those children; recreational facilities for German troops; redevelopment plans for towns and cities destroyed in battle; and the plans for a German city and port/shipyard called New Trondheim.
One of the core themes explored is that of architecture as a tool of ideology.
Albert Speer gets quite a few mentions. I read his memoirs a long time ago and didn't recall much in there about Norway, so I went and had a look. My memory in this case was correct. Speer mentions working with Hitler's governor of Norway, Josef Terboven, only once. Clearly, Norway wasn't a topic close to his heart. The other mention of Norway came when Speer says that he prevented the Nazis from enacting their scorched earth policy upon their retreat. Speer, as Stratigakos says, was "unfettered by modesty." He overstates his role, as the Nazis did, in fact, leave much of northern Norway in flames.
Many helpful photographs are included, both as black and white images in the text and as color plates in the middle. Includes an extensive bibliography, thorough notes, and an index.
I've always had the impression that the Norway campaign was short and relatively bloodless. Unlike much of occupied Europe and Russia, it wasn't the site of a campaign of liberation. So my poorly formed opinion is that Norway was relatively unscathed. It was "relatively" unscathed, but that doesn't mean that entire cities weren't destroyed. I also was unaware of how Norwegians fit into Nazi racist theory. Perhaps it should have been obvious to me, but Nazis thought of the Norwegians as racially superior.
Norway was the only occupied territory that was on the receiving end of Nazi investment. All the other victim nations were stripped of labor and resources. But Norway wasn't stripped bare and, in fact, the Nazis spent a lot of time and effort making plans for Norway to become an integral piece of the Greater German Reich. That's what this book is about.
Major topics covered include infrastructure development (roads and rail); maternity facilities for Norwegian women bearing German children and orphanages for those children; recreational facilities for German troops; redevelopment plans for towns and cities destroyed in battle; and the plans for a German city and port/shipyard called New Trondheim.
One of the core themes explored is that of architecture as a tool of ideology.
Albert Speer gets quite a few mentions. I read his memoirs a long time ago and didn't recall much in there about Norway, so I went and had a look. My memory in this case was correct. Speer mentions working with Hitler's governor of Norway, Josef Terboven, only once. Clearly, Norway wasn't a topic close to his heart. The other mention of Norway came when Speer says that he prevented the Nazis from enacting their scorched earth policy upon their retreat. Speer, as Stratigakos says, was "unfettered by modesty." He overstates his role, as the Nazis did, in fact, leave much of northern Norway in flames.
Many helpful photographs are included, both as black and white images in the text and as color plates in the middle. Includes an extensive bibliography, thorough notes, and an index.
January 11, 2022
Kiedyś bardzo mocno zaczytywałam się w dosłownie każdej książce jaką znalazłam w bibliotece na temat II Wojny Światowej. Od Hitlera, po łodzie podwodne, bomby, sztolnie. Fascynowało mnie to ogromnie i trafiałam, tak szczerze mówiąc, na same perełki. Dlatego, gdy zobaczyłam w ofercie wydawnictwa Wielka Litera "Północną utopię Hitlera" ponownie zapragnęłam wrócić do tego typu lektur. Czy było warto?
Akurat ta konkretna książka jest nieco inna, bo akcja dzieje się w Norwegii więc odchodzimy nieco od wojennych, bliskich rejonów. Niemcy wymyślili sobie, że na północy stworzą miasto idealne i Norwegia została zamieniona w ten sposób w jeden wielki plac budowy. To kolejna utopijna myśl przewodnia ludzi, którzy chcieli aby świat był, według nich, wspaniały i idealny, bez mankamentów. I jak się pewnie domyślacie i wiedząc jakie Hitler ma zapędy, miało to pomóc w zbudowaniu czystości rasowej. W końcu to do tego właśnie dążył.
Nie jeden i nie dwa filmy czy seriale już się pojawiły obrazujące nam wyobrażenie tego, co by się wydarzyło, gdybyśmy w tej chwili patrzyli na nazistowskie swastyki na co dzień. Autor tej książki również postanowił właśnie taki obraz czytelnikom przedstawić i powiem Wam, że wyszło mu to bardzo dobrze.
Podczas czytania człowiek gdzieś tam ucieka od wojny i przychodzi ciekawość tego, jak ci ludzie myśleli, co nimi kierowało i jak teraz by mogło to wszystko zupełnie inaczej wyglądać. Czy świat byłby na sposób hitlerowski... utopijny?
Ja jestem zachwycona, mimo że czytanie tej książki zajęło mi dość dużo czasu, bo jest przepięknie wydana, oprawę ma grubą, solidną, ale przy tym jest zwyczajnie dość ciężka. Ale warto ją przeczytać i przypomnieć sobie jak dobrze być wolnym człowiekiem, a jak tragicznie mogłoby być gdyby ktoś z nas był nieidealny dla Hitlera.
Recenzja powstała we współpracy z Wydawnictwem Wielka Litera.
Akurat ta konkretna książka jest nieco inna, bo akcja dzieje się w Norwegii więc odchodzimy nieco od wojennych, bliskich rejonów. Niemcy wymyślili sobie, że na północy stworzą miasto idealne i Norwegia została zamieniona w ten sposób w jeden wielki plac budowy. To kolejna utopijna myśl przewodnia ludzi, którzy chcieli aby świat był, według nich, wspaniały i idealny, bez mankamentów. I jak się pewnie domyślacie i wiedząc jakie Hitler ma zapędy, miało to pomóc w zbudowaniu czystości rasowej. W końcu to do tego właśnie dążył.
Nie jeden i nie dwa filmy czy seriale już się pojawiły obrazujące nam wyobrażenie tego, co by się wydarzyło, gdybyśmy w tej chwili patrzyli na nazistowskie swastyki na co dzień. Autor tej książki również postanowił właśnie taki obraz czytelnikom przedstawić i powiem Wam, że wyszło mu to bardzo dobrze.
Podczas czytania człowiek gdzieś tam ucieka od wojny i przychodzi ciekawość tego, jak ci ludzie myśleli, co nimi kierowało i jak teraz by mogło to wszystko zupełnie inaczej wyglądać. Czy świat byłby na sposób hitlerowski... utopijny?
Ja jestem zachwycona, mimo że czytanie tej książki zajęło mi dość dużo czasu, bo jest przepięknie wydana, oprawę ma grubą, solidną, ale przy tym jest zwyczajnie dość ciężka. Ale warto ją przeczytać i przypomnieć sobie jak dobrze być wolnym człowiekiem, a jak tragicznie mogłoby być gdyby ktoś z nas był nieidealny dla Hitlera.
Recenzja powstała we współpracy z Wydawnictwem Wielka Litera.
April 29, 2021
This is a difficult book for me to review. At the outset I had just about zero knowledge of the Nazi occupation of Norway and now I have more, so that's a good thing. Maybe I'm looking for a level of certainly, regarding intentions, where none can exist but I'm left with the impression that the text, largely, chronicles a five year long circle jerk amongst Hitler, Speer, Stephan and many other occasional participants, given the scale of planning vs. scale of achievement. For me, ultimately, the credibility of all the planning is coloured by the lack of context in overall wartime footing of The Third Reich. I only remember one figure for personnel related to the occupation, 400,000, and I don't remember this being clarified as military personnel, military + civilian, military + civilian + forced labour. This number would represent a very different level of commitment in 1940/41 to that in 1943/44. Even this number is not referenced against the total number of people that were committed to the Nazi war effort, let alone data regarding other resources committed to Norway. Maybe the author's intention was simply to view National Socialist group think through the lens of architecture, social engineering and infrastructure planning in a specific occupied territory but if so it seems to have merely confirmed a well understood capacity for self delusion.
As I said at the beginning, I find this a difficult book to review and that could well be because I'm looking for insights that were never intended to be present? What was there was interesting just not engrossing. More context, even if it confirmed a lack of commitment to the extensive planning, would have helped me take more away from this book.
As I said at the beginning, I find this a difficult book to review and that could well be because I'm looking for insights that were never intended to be present? What was there was interesting just not engrossing. More context, even if it confirmed a lack of commitment to the extensive planning, would have helped me take more away from this book.
September 2, 2021
Perhaps I esteem this book just a little too much but, at this stage of my reading career, It's hard for anyone to tell me something new about the Hitlerian regime from basically any angle, but Prof. Stratigakos did so. The particular stroke of imagination here is how Stratigakos manages to illuminate the Nazi mindset and policy through the building types that were particular to their endeavor. These range from the outfitting of the "Lebensborn" natalist centers, through official buildings, to the rebuilding of Norway's damaged cities, up to what would have been the crowning effort of the German colonization (there is no other appropriate word), the construction of a whole new German city to go with the planned naval base to be located at Trondheim.
The author also deals with the flip side of the coin, in examining what the experience of occupation meant for Norway, such as the various flavors of collaboration, what Himmler's coveting of Norway's precious genetic heritage meant in practice, the post-war acts of retribution, and the continuing impact of the occupation on Norway's towns and infrastructure.
I can't recommend this book enough, though it is probably not the first book you want to start with relating to Nazi occupation and social policy.
The author also deals with the flip side of the coin, in examining what the experience of occupation meant for Norway, such as the various flavors of collaboration, what Himmler's coveting of Norway's precious genetic heritage meant in practice, the post-war acts of retribution, and the continuing impact of the occupation on Norway's towns and infrastructure.
I can't recommend this book enough, though it is probably not the first book you want to start with relating to Nazi occupation and social policy.
February 23, 2021
Hitler's Northern Utopia gives an overview of planned Nazi projects in Norway of varying in scale and stages of completion. Projects include a northern railway, an autobahn, soldiers homes for occupying forces, city reconstruction plans, Lebensborne homes and a German twin city near Trondheim. The book is organized tightly into chapters discussing each project, and are detailed yet easy to read. While this may fall into the academic writing category, armchair historians interested in the northern theater of WWII will find much to learn. The book falls short by skimming over the latter stages of the war that saw Nazi plans fall apart. Analysis gets bogged down in the planning stages of 1941, with little discussed beyond 1942. The conclusion touches upon this, but a large gap remains. What did the Germans do between 1942-45? What were soldiers told when the projects stopped? How did the Norwegian puppet government react? Overall, this is a well researched title that provides a frightening glimpse into what might have been.
January 2, 2025
Wedle autorki Norwegia była jedynym okupowanym przez III Rzeszę krajem, w który więcej inwestowano niż czerpano korzyści. Stratigakos skupia się na architektonicznej stronie okupacji - nazyfikacja miast, a co za tym idzie społeczeństwa poprzez budowę dróg, domów żołnierza, program Lebensbornu, projektowanie miast. Architektura i inżynieria w służbie ideologii, która ma stworzyć idealne społeczeństwo, kraj zgodny z ideami rasowej utopii.
Z jednej strony widać tu zupełnie inny sposób okupacji niż na ziemiach polskich czy w Europie Środkowo - Wschodniej, z drugiej poczucie podrzędności wobec nordyckiego narodu i aspiracji, by zachodnie wybrzeża Półwyspu skandynawskiego stały się nie tylko wzorcowym miejscem aryjskiego imperium, ale i by wykorzystać tamtejszą ludność do poprawy czystości rasowej.
Ciekawe spojrzenie na NIemcy hitlerowskie, bardziej skupiające się na tym, jaką mieli wizję świata po zwycięsko dla siebie zakończonej wojnie. We fragmentach analizujących aspekty architektoniczne może być nużąca. Warta zainteresowania przez miłośników historii i architektury.
Z jednej strony widać tu zupełnie inny sposób okupacji niż na ziemiach polskich czy w Europie Środkowo - Wschodniej, z drugiej poczucie podrzędności wobec nordyckiego narodu i aspiracji, by zachodnie wybrzeża Półwyspu skandynawskiego stały się nie tylko wzorcowym miejscem aryjskiego imperium, ale i by wykorzystać tamtejszą ludność do poprawy czystości rasowej.
Ciekawe spojrzenie na NIemcy hitlerowskie, bardziej skupiające się na tym, jaką mieli wizję świata po zwycięsko dla siebie zakończonej wojnie. We fragmentach analizujących aspekty architektoniczne może być nużąca. Warta zainteresowania przez miłośników historii i architektury.
April 13, 2021
Very interesting. Well organized and easy to follow. Lots of illustrations that are very helpful. Insight into a small portion of the larger WWII picture and German occupation. We hear a lot about the occupation of France but not so much about Norway; this glimpse of the Nazi plan for the Norwegian gene pool and strategic position was quite enlightening. It was all very straight forward; just the facts without editorializing. There was no need; the facts themselves were damning enough. Obvious from the mulitude of notes and other sources, thoroughly and well researched. Highly recommend.
March 25, 2023
A very interesting topic, I enjoyed the insight. However I found the book badly structured: 5/6 chapters only and no breaks in the chapters apart from the paragraphs. It was hard to keep track of the "flow" of information and subject covered at any one time. In addition the author went into too much detail on some subjects, but not others, which would have been more interesting. I can understand that the content of the book is based on the sparse information available to the author, but the excessive amount of nitty gritty details at times made the read really dull.
March 12, 2025
Not many books on Nazi occupied Norway available in English, but this was a really good one. It has a main focus on building projects and the transformed environment of Norway under German occupation, but it also covers some other areas such as Lebensborn. Really interesting section on Soviet war memorials and graves at the end. It's just disappointing that there is a lack of discussion on how Sámi were affected by all this considering that most operations were focused in Northern Norway. Otherwise it's a good read.
June 13, 2021
Fascinating and chilling study of the plans Hitler had for Norway as part of his Germanic Empire and ultimately his world plan for domination. In addition his romantic belief in what comprises the ideal German male seemed to be rooted in pure Viking blood as seen in those Norwegians living outside major cities and unsullied by Jewish and American ideas or cultural influences. These ideas made his vast plans for military and infrastructure improvements key elements in his invasion of Norway.
July 26, 2025
Absolutely amazing, it gets into the nitty-gritty details of Germany's occupation of Norway and how the rebuilding effort they oversaw. It compares and contrasts the German treatment of Norwegians with their occupations and invasions into Eastern Europe, mind-blowing with its uniqueness to focusing on urban planning and architecture. I highly recommend readers of surface-level history to give this a try.
May 2, 2021
A fascinating and comprehensive look at infrastructure and urban plans for Norway. The book focuses on planned and partially competed projects in Norway. There are briefer mentions of completed projects, like airstrips and submarine bunkers, but the bibliography seems to have some good sources for more info on those projects.
June 9, 2021
I found this book fascinating as I learned more about the far-reaching Nazi plan to promote a superior race by invading Norway, attempting to establish close ties with Norway's "Nordic" people whom they regarded as "pure" ( blond hair, blue eyes, sturdy build, good-looking) and promoting a new generation of people of Germanic/Nordic people to be inculcated in "Germanic" ways ( and of course subjugated to the Nazi regime). I highly recommend this interesting book!
March 25, 2022
This is an incredibly well-researched look into Hitler's big plans to make Norway a cultural and economic extension of Germany. While most of the planning was a lot of "hot air," the author presents the process and politics within Hitler's circles that got it as far as it did before the war turned against Germany.
I will definitely re-read it again before planning my next trip to Norway.
I will definitely re-read it again before planning my next trip to Norway.
June 7, 2023
Hitler basically thought of Norway as his personal pinterest board, chaos ensued. Less overwhelming to digest then most WWII history, but still just illustrates the shear narcissism of the individuals involved. I read this as research for a book I’m working on.
January 14, 2021
A very academically written yet interesting book. I'd recommend if you interested in the topic!
January 31, 2021
Some interesting insights into the plans Nazi leaders had for Norway. I liked the book, did not love it. The book was very well produced, with a large number of color and black-and-white photos.
August 19, 2021
Intriguing and well researched. Very disturbing to read about nazi ideology and Hitler's plans for Norway. Important analysis for our time too - lest we forget.
April 24, 2023
Interesting look at German ambition for how to use Norway as part of the designed empire, including for military and artistic purposes.
December 22, 2024
A very interesting and well-written book by a Canadian architectural historian. Her approach to the subject is something I haven't seen before, and it's fascinating to read about the Norway that could have existed if Hitler and the Nazis had carried out their plans for Norwegian cities. As a resident of Trondheim, it's particularly compelling to read about the plans for "New Trondheim." This is the first time I've encountered such a thorough and comprehensive presentation, including maps and the little that's known about the plans. The only downside in the Norwegian edition I read is that the black-and-white images are so dark and blurry that they're almost unreadable.
November 26, 2020
i read this book because i am norwegian and and an interest in hitler. i liked learning how hitler used propaganda to use people and further his cause. hitlers plans for norway was interesting. the book was a short book which was good because the details for rebuilding norway was got to be a little boring.
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