Kristian Welhaven facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kristian Welhaven
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Kristian Welhaven, ca. 1930–40
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| Born | 11 October 1883 |
| Died | 27 July 1975 (aged 91) |
| Occupation | Chief of Police Jurist |
| Known for | Chief of Police in Oslo for 27 years |
| Spouse(s) |
Margit Aagaard
(m. 1917) |
| Relatives | Johan Sebastian Welhaven (uncle) Maren Sars (aunt) Elisabeth Welhaven (aunt) Hjalmar Welhaven (cousin) Ernst Sars (cousin) Georg Ossian Sars (cousin) Eva Nansen (cousin) |
| Awards |  Commander ofthe Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav  Commander ofthe Order of Dannebrog  Order of Vasa Order of the Polar Star |
Kristian Welhaven (born 11 October 1883 – died 27 July 1975) was an important Norwegian police officer. He served as the Chief of Police in Oslo, Norway's capital, for 27 years. This was from 1927 until 1954.
Welhaven was key in setting up Norway's first organized intelligence service before World War II. He also helped rebuild it after the war ended. During the war, he was arrested by the Germans. He was held in prisons in both Norway and Germany. Later, he was kept as a civilian internee (meaning he was held without being a soldier) in Bavaria, Germany.
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Early Life and Family
Kristian Welhaven was born in Kristiania, which is what Oslo was called back then. His father was Johan Andreas Welhaven, a parish priest. His mother was Gerda Kathinka Elisabeth Hansen.
In 1917, he married Margit Aagaard in Kristiania. He had several famous relatives. His uncle was the poet Johan Sebastian Welhaven. His aunt was the writer Elisabeth Welhaven. Another aunt was Maren Sars, who was married to Michael Sars. Maren Sars was the mother of Georg Ossian Sars, Ernst Sars, and Eva Nansen. Kristian Welhaven was a cousin to these three, and also to Hjalmar Welhaven. He passed away in Oslo in 1975.
Becoming a Police Chief
Kristian Welhaven finished his high school education in 1901 at the Oslo Cathedral School. He then studied at the Norwegian Military Academy for a year. After that, he studied law at the Royal Frederick University, finishing in 1907.
He worked in different places like Tana Municipality and Tromsø Municipality. In 1916, he became the Chief of Police in Rjukan. Then, in 1927, he was appointed Chief of Police for Oslo. He held this important job until 1954, except for the years during World War II.
From 1936 to 1940, he was also the chairman of Statens Idrettsråd, which was a national sports council.
Welhaven was very interested in gathering information and intelligence. He played a big part in creating a special department within the Oslo police force for this purpose before the war. This department helped keep track of potential threats to Norway.
Role During World War II
The German Invasion
When World War II began, Welhaven was put in charge of a group planning to evacuate Oslo's people if war came. On 9 April 1940, when Germany invaded Norway (called Operation Weserübung), there was a lot of confusion. The evacuation plans didn't work as hoped. Welhaven eventually called off the evacuation efforts.
German troops entered Oslo after taking Fornebu Airport. Welhaven had been told by the Minister of Justice to prepare Oslo for war. He was responsible for helping civilians if there were bombings. He was also told to take over civilian power if the government had to leave Oslo.
Later that day, Welhaven was ordered to surrender the city to the Germans. He also helped arrange a meeting between the German envoy and King Haakon VII. This meeting was to discuss peace, but it did not lead to an agreement. Welhaven also helped local Oslo officials talk with the Germans. He provided police support for Bishop Eivind Berggrav when he went to encourage Norwegian fighters to stop.
Welhaven and other officials signed radio announcements on 12 April. These announcements reminded people about the rules of war. They warned that civilians fighting without being part of the official army could face serious punishment. Welhaven was concerned that Norwegians might not know these rules. One important action Welhaven took was to order the destruction of the Norwegian intelligence archives by burning them. This was to prevent them from falling into German hands.
Life Under German Occupation
During the German occupation, Welhaven refused to work with the German forces or Norwegian Nazi collaborators. He, along with other important figures, tried to get the Nazi-backed government removed. This led to a temporary change in leadership in Oslo.
However, Welhaven was removed from his position by the Germans on 23 September 1940. A Nazi-loyal officer took his place. On 12 September 1941, the Germans arrested Welhaven. He was held at the Grini concentration camp in Norway until January 1943.
He was then moved to Germany. He was held in a Gestapo prison in Berlin. Later, he was interned (held as a civilian prisoner) in Landsberg am Lech, Bavaria. His wife, Margit, and daughter, Gerda, were also interned with him. In March 1945, the family was moved closer to Berlin. In April, they were taken to Sweden as part of the White Buses operation, which rescued many prisoners.
After the War
After World War II, Kristian Welhaven returned to Oslo. He worked hard to rebuild the city's police force. He remained its leader until he retired in 1954. Welhaven used his influence to make sure that the process of removing Nazi sympathizers from the police force was done fairly and gently.
Beyond his regular police duties, he was very important in setting up a national intelligence organization for Norway. In the first years after the war, some intelligence work was done by individuals or foreign services. Welhaven, working with chief of surveillance Asbjørn Bryhn, built a national organization. It was based around the Oslo police service and led by Welhaven himself.
For his service, he received several honors. In 1947, he was made a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in Norway. He also received awards from Denmark (the Order of Dannebrog) and Sweden (the Order of Vasa and Order of the Polar Star).
