After the end of the Second World War, 11,500 German war dead were buried on Norwegian soil.
The constant care of their graves scattered over 240 different localities represented an almost impossible task under the particularly difficult conditions in Norway, in terms of geology, climate and transport infrastructure (1,700 km as the crow flies separate the northernmost and southernmost German military graves).
In October 1953, the German side initiated negotiations with the Norwegian government, which soon led to an agreement that the German war dead in five German military cemeteries should be reburied together.
Only in this way could the perpetual right of rest granted to the war dead under international law be guaranteed. The necessary reburials were prepared and carried out with great care by the Norwegian side. After this, the Commission took over the development of the sites with financial support from the German government. The cemeteries were handed over to the public in 1960.
Their maintenance is ensured by the Norwegian government, with the Commission acting in an advisory capacity. The gravesites were marked by groups of crosses, and the graves themselves by natural stone name plates laid flush with the ground.