Heistadmoen is a Norwegian military encampment in

Kongsberg Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. Kongsberg has been a centre of silver mining, arms production and fo ...

, in Buskerud county, Norway. Heistadmoen currently provides able quarters for the

Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...

and

Buskerud Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Innlandet, Vestland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardanger ...

Home Guard District (''Telemark og Buskerud Heimevernsdistrikt''). The camp is large and modern, most of the buildings have been recently refurbished. The camp is also used by other departments for training and shooting.

History

There were scattered activity on site dating from 1909 when the Telemark Infantry Regiment was based there. The earliest buildings were relocated from the Gråtenmoen area in

Skien Skien () is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsjø area and Bø. The administrative ...

. The principal function was to provide better protection for the Kongsberg Weapons Factory. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Telemark Infantry Regiment capitulated to the invading German Army without a fight on 13 April 1940 due to the threat of German bombing. A number of officers and crew took arms and continued the defense in Telemark. During the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

, the German Military built up most of the camp with labor provided by

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

prisoners of war. After the war ended in 1945, the camp housed German prisoners of war, guarded by U.S. and British soldiers. From 1946 to 1952 continued training of infantry battalions of the Tysklandsbrigaden, the Norwegian army's contribution to the Allied occupation force in Germany. In 1994, the new Battalion Telemark created Heistadmoen. The Battalion was moved to Camp Rena during August 2001. It was next occupied by His Majesty the King's Guard 6 Company, which later was also moved to Camp Rena. Telemark Regiment was laid down on 1 January 2003, and Heistadmoen camp was transferred to the Telemark and Buskerud Home Guard District The facilities are presently available for the use of all districts surrounding the Oslo Fjord. The Telemark Battalion, Krigsskolen Military Academy, National Guard and local police are the principal users. About half the camp is scheduled to be sold, when National Guard does not need buildings.''Velkommen til Krigsskolens Venner'' (Krigsskolens)
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References

Kongsberg Military installations in Buskerud {{Buskerud-geo-stub