Memorial to Executed Resistance Fighters, Sønderborg
A modest memorial stone in Sønderborg that quietly honours executed Danish resistance fighters and anchors the town’s powerful, human-scale story of 1945.
Set on the island of Als in Sønderborg, the Memorial to Executed Resistance Fighters stands as a quiet, powerful reminder of Denmark’s struggle against Nazi occupation. The stone commemorates Danish resistance members who were executed in May 1945 and once buried at the nearby Skydestranden shooting range. Today this small green space, close to Christianskirken and Østre Kirkegård, invites reflection on the human cost of occupation, courage and reprisal in the final days of the Second World War.
A brief summary to Gedenkstein für hingerichtete Widerstandskämpfer
- Sønderborg, 6400, DK
- Duration: 0.5 to 1 hours
- Free
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Outdoor
- Mobile reception: 5 out of 5
Local tips
- Pair a visit to the memorial with a walk to Christianskirken and Østre Kirkegård to see related gravestones and gain a fuller picture of Sønderborg’s wartime history.
- Allow a few calm, undisturbed minutes to read the inscription and dates; this is a reflective site where low voices and discreet photography are most appropriate.
- Bring a light jacket outside summer months; the exposed coastal setting on Als can feel chilly even on bright days, especially when you linger in one place.
For the on-the-go comforts that matter to you
- Restrooms
- Drink Options
- Drinking Water
- Food Options
- Seating Areas
- Trash Bins
- Information Boards
Getting There
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On foot from central Sønderborg
From the central shopping streets and harbourfront of Sønderborg, allow around 10–20 minutes to walk to the memorial area on the island of Als. The route is mostly flat, along pavements and quiet streets, and suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. Weather can change quickly by the water, so bring rain protection outside summer.
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Local bus within Sønderborg
Several city bus lines connect central Sønderborg with stops near Christianskirken and Østre Kirkegård on Als, typically taking 10–20 minutes depending on route and traffic. A single adult ticket within the local zone usually costs in the range of 20–30 DKK and can be bought from the driver or via regional transport apps. Services run more frequently on weekdays and daytime; evening and weekend schedules are reduced.
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Car or taxi from Sønderborg surroundings
If you are staying elsewhere on Als or in the countryside around Sønderborg, driving into town and over to the memorial area takes roughly 10–25 minutes, depending on distance. Street parking in nearby residential areas is generally available but may have time limits, so always check local signs. Taxis operate across the town; a short ride from the railway station or harbour to the memorial typically costs around 80–140 DKK, varying with traffic and time of day.
Gedenkstein für hingerichtete Widerstandskämpfer location weather suitability
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Any Weather
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Mild Temperatures
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A quiet corner of Sønderborg’s wartime story
In a modest green setting on the island of Als, the Memorial to Executed Resistance Fighters marks one of Sønderborg’s most somber chapters. During the German occupation of Denmark in the Second World War, this coastal town became a strategic hub, and with it came clandestine resistance activity – and brutal reprisals. The stone recalls a small group of Danish patriots who paid with their lives for their involvement in sabotage and intelligence work. The memorial is associated with the former shooting range at Skydestranden, where five resistance fighters were secretly buried after their executions in May 1945. For days after liberation, British soldiers and local Danes searched the restricted military zone and uncovered shallow graves. The discovery sparked an early wave of commemoration that would eventually lead to reburial and formal memorials elsewhere in town, but this stone holds the essential story of those shootings in one stark, simple gesture.Names, dates and stories carved in stone
Although visually restrained, the memorial connects directly to individuals whose fates are documented in Sønderborg’s archives and at nearby sites. Among those executed and later commemorated here and at Christianskirken’s Østre Kirkegård are figures such as Anker Hansen and Karl Marius Laursen, killed in a firefight near Kollund, and Svend Aage Hansen, shot during an action at Sønderborg harbour. Others, like Svend Holm, succumbed to injuries and torture after interrogation. Their names appear across several stones in town – at the harbour, at the shooting range and in the memorial grove by Christianskirken – forming a small network of remembrance. Standing at this particular stone you are essentially at the narrative hinge: the place where secret executions in a fenced-off military area passed into public memory, with names, dates and circumstances no longer hidden.Landscape of remembrance on Als
The memorial belongs to a broader memorial landscape that stretches from Skydestranden’s peaceful waterfront to the churchyard around Christianskirken. Within a short walk you can find gravestones for four resistance fighters moved here in 1945, as well as a shared stone for four Danish border gendarmes who died in German concentration camps. Together these markers show how the war touched different branches of Danish society – saboteurs, officers, conscripts and civilians. Unlike the dramatic battlefields of nearby Dybbøl, this is a small, human-scale site. There are no grand statues or sweeping vistas, just grass, trees, and a single stone with an inscription about executions carried out in the final hours of the occupation. That understatement is part of its power: the ordinary surroundings highlight how quickly a familiar landscape can be turned into a place of fear, and later, reflection.Reflecting on occupation, justice and grief
Spending time here is less about sightseeing and more about quiet engagement with history. The memorial invites questions about resistance and collaboration, about the risks taken by young men and women who joined underground groups, and about the harsh justice practiced by an occupying power in retreat. It also speaks to the way communities respond once the guns fall silent: through exhumation, identification, reburial and the creation of enduring markers. Many visitors combine a stop at this stone with a walk past other nearby plaques and memorials from the same period, building a fuller picture of Sønderborg’s wartime experience. Even a short visit can be intense; this is a place where a few lines of carved text stand in for entire lives, and where the contrast between today’s calm and the events of 1945 is impossible to ignore.Practical visit and respectful behaviour
The memorial area is open at all hours and there is no entrance fee. It is essentially an extension of the surrounding urban fabric, accessible on foot from central Sønderborg and often visited as a brief stop on a longer walk along the waterfront or between churches and cemeteries. There are no formal facilities on the spot, but amenities such as restrooms, cafés and seating can be found within a short radius in town. Because this is effectively a graveside in all but name, quiet behaviour is expected. Photography is usually acceptable if done discreetly, but the atmosphere is closer to that of a churchyard than a conventional tourist attraction. A few minutes spent reading the inscription and reflecting on the dates – clustered in the spring of 1945 – is often enough to give this simple stone lasting resonance in your memory of Sønderborg.Iconic landmarks you can’t miss
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Essential places to dine
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Markets, malls and hidden boutiques
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Nightclubs & after hour spots
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For the vibe & atmosphere seeker
- Tranquil
- Scenic
- Unique
For the architecture buff
- Historic
- Landmarks
For the social media creator & influencer
- Photo Spots
- Architectural Shots
For the eco-conscious traveler
- Low Impact
- Public-Transport Accessible
For the kind of experience you’re after
- Cultural Heritage
- Photowalk
- Day Trip
- Roadtrip Stop
- Mindfulness
For how adventurous you want the journey to be
- Easy Access
Location Audience
- Family Friendly
- Senior Friendly
- Teen Friendly
- Solo Friendly
- Couple Friendly
- Solo Female Friendly
