Kristiansand Cannon Museum

The Kristiansand Cannon Museum is located on the site of the Mvik Fort in Norway, which was built by the Germans during their occupation of Norway and Denmark during WWII. Today, the site serves as a museum and houses one of the world's largest land-based weapons.

The construction of this fortified fortress began in 1941, and the entire complex took several years to finish. It was erected in a strategic location with the goal of blocking the Skagerrak strait and the seaways of Eastern Norway, thus cutting off the Allies' supply lines.

These coastal defenses, known to the Germans as Batterie Vara, originally housed four enormous cannons, but only one survives today at the Kristiansand Cannon Museum. The barrel of the gun is over 20 meters long and weighs 110 tons. Mvik Fort had sixteen lesser cannons, as well as bunkers, defended tunnels, and a military barracks, in addition to the larger batteries.

The station was handled by the Norwegians after the war until 1959, when it was closed and much of the equipment, including the three additional weapons, was sold for scrap. The fort was reopened as the Kristiansand Cannon Museum in 1993 after restoration work in the 1990s.

Visitors may now tour the entire complex, go through bunkers and tunnels, and, of course, see the main gun, which is still in its original casement. The 'Fortress Trail' leads visitors around the complex and contains a number of exhibits that describe the stronghold's history and operation.

Location: 4624 Kristiansand S, Norway