The Blood Road

The Blood Road is a stretch of road northeast of Rognan in Saltdal in Nordland that was built by prisoners of war.

The Blood Road is a nine-kilometer stretch of road between Langset and Saltnes. It was begun in 1940 by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and accelerated by the German occupation forces. Now the road was to be built with the help of Yugoslav prisoners. The Public Roads Administration set up a barracks camp for them. On the 25th. July In 1942, the first 463 Yugoslav partisans and resistance fighters arrived in Botn.

The stretch of road soon became known as the Blood Road. During 1942 and 1943, 344 Yugoslav prisoners were killed. They died as a result of shooting, hanging, mistreatment or total exhaustion. Mass executions also occurred. For the first year, the camp was under the control of the SS. The camp commander Fritz Kiefer was known for his brutality. But Norwegian guards also participated in the mistreatment.

The blood cross in a rock wall along the road is a strong symbol of the suffering. On the 14th. July In 1943, Milos Banjac was shot. His brother drew a cross on the nearby rock face with the dead man's blood. Since then, this cross has been painted over regularly.