04 November 2017
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THe heavy water cellar discovered in Norway
The heavy water cellar at the Hydrogen Production Factory in Norway, that the Nazis were using to try to develop an atomic weapon, has been discovered.
The actual Factory was demolished in 1977 but the cellar, which was sabotaged by the Allies to thwart German progress, has been excavated and found to be in good condition and intact.
The Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum (NIA) began the excavation on 11 September and found the cellar on 5 October.
The photograph shows the east corner of the building, and the cellar can be seen through one of the windows in the front. The adjacent room is the heavy water cellar where the sabotage operation took place in the early morning hours of 28 February, 1943. The Museum team also spotted a number of interesting artefacts and details such as the tiles on the wall. The floor itself had not been inspected.
The archaeologists will now begin to dig out the door on the south wall. If they find that the wall is intact, they will fortify the building so that it can be entered safely. Once this has been achieved, the NIA will invite the media to join them in an inspection. After the excavation is completed, a new museum facility will be constructed to present the historic heavy water cellar in its actual original state.
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