"Stories from Cold War Hotspots" is the latest exhibition by the Norwegian Aviation Museum.

The exhibition is based on the documentation project of the same name, where we asked 300 museum visitors in 5 European countries to share their thoughts and reflections on the Cold War and how it has affected us and the society around us, and continues to do so.

You can walk through the exhibition and listen to and watch interviews with young and old Europeans from both Eastern and Western Europe, talking about the fear of nuclear war, the hope and joy when the Iron Curtain disappeared, and concerns for the future. At the center stands the museum's nuclear missile as a physical reminder of what we have actually avoided. Perhaps you can share your thoughts with us too?

About the project:

Stories from Cold War Hotspots started in 2022 as a collaboration between the Norwegian Aviation Museum and Bodø2024. The project's goal is to explore what the Cold War means to ordinary people, how they reflect on the topic, and whether it is still relevant today.

Throughout 2023, we interviewed hundreds of people from across Europe and asked them for their stories and reflections, aiming to understand if this historical period remains relevant today. These interviews have served as important research material and also formed the basis for the exhibition in Bodø.

Multilateral Collaborative
Project Stories from Cold War Hotspots is a multilateral collaborative project between the Norwegian Aviation Museum and partner institutions in Estonia, Scotland, Germany, and Denmark. Together, we were interested in exploring similarities and differences in how the topic is reflected upon across European borders.

Hotspots
The name of the project comes from where we collected the material – so-called "hotspots". These are places that had particular significance during the Cold War. Bodø is one such place, as it was likely NATO's most important northern European airbase during the Cold War. The city is now in a transitional phase, from a Cold War hub to a cultural capital in Europe.

Project Partners:

• Norwegian Aviation Museum, Bodø

• Allied Museum, Berlin

• Estonian National Museum, Tartu

• Estonian Aviation Museum, Tartu

• National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

• Langelandsfortet, Langeland, Denmark

In collaboration with Bodø 2024

Stories from Cold War Hotspots started in 2022 as a collaboration between the Norwegian Aviation Museum and Bodø2024.