Berg Trail
| Distance: | Duration: | Terrain: | Level: | Type: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 km | 1 hour | Path, Railway | Easy | Hikes |
The Berg Path (Bergstien) is a heritage trail around Berg Prison — former Berg Concentration Camp. There are many tourist information boards along the trail about the grotesque conditions at Berg during WW2. One hundred metres of the route goes along an abandoned part of the Vestfold Line.
Disused line. Photo: Erlend Garåsen
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Sent to Auschwitz
The trail continues northwards along the Vestfold Line. On the next information board you can read the dark history about the 600 Jewish prisoners who arrived Berg. 230 of them were transported from here to Oslo by train and further to Auschwitz by ship. Only seven survived. 70 Jewish prisoners remained at Berg since they were married to non-Jewish women.
The "welcome"
On the next boards you can read about the historic road to Berg and the white house of 1830, which was the head quarter of the camp. The route will then follow an abandoned part of the Vestfold Line as a rail trail. You will find another information board about the "welcome" at the platform, and this is where the Jewish prisoners disembarked the train. Any escape attempt would result in execution. Not only for the prisoner, but also for the rest of his family.
Abandoned track
The next hundred metres goes along the track, which was in used until the new double track opened in 2011. Then the trail continues uphill, and you will pass information boards about the flora and animal life in this area as well as 27 burial mounds. The oldest find is a stone axe from 2400—1100 BCE. Be careful when opening the gate, because it's electric!
Grotesque stories
The trail bends to the right and goes back where you started. You will get a great view of Jarlsberg when you reach the hilltop. Before you arrive the parking lot you will pass two more information boards. Here you can read about the grotesque conditions in the camp. One of the worst actions were performed by the commander Johan Kristoffer Hüttner. During the legal purge in Norway after WW2 he received the death penalty. Berg was the only camp solely run by the Norwegians, and it was also amongst the worst and most brutal.
How do I get there?
Take Vy regional train R11 (Eidsvoll–Skien) to Tønsberg and change to bus 02 from Tønsberg Bus Terminal to Berg søndre. If you arrive by car, the parking lot is signposted "Parkering Bergstien"