• Gilleleje Museum
It was from Gilleleje that fishermen and boat owners smuggled Jewish refugees in fishing cutters and coastal shipping boats to safety in Sweden at the beginning of October 1943.
Today, an exhibition at the Museum in Gilleleje commemorates both the adventurous escape and the fate of the Danish Jews.
Image: Denmark, 1945, Escape boat, Dansk Jødisk Museum
Denmark, 1945, Escape boat, Dansk Jødisk Museum

Image: Gilleleje, 2007, The Gilleleje Museum, Mogens Wulff
Gilleleje, 2007, The Gilleleje Museum, Mogens Wulff
Between April 9, 1940 and May 5, 1945, Denmark was occupied by the German Wehrmacht. The Danish government felt compelled to cooperate with the occupiers, and at first, this policy meant safety for the Danish Jews.
The government, however, was forced to resign after this policy failed due to the growing resistance within Danish society and the harsh demands of the Germans. At the end of September 1943, all Danish Jews were to be deported to German concentration camps.
Information about the approaching wave of arrests was leaked and thanks to this over 7,000 Jews were able to flee via the Öresund sound and Kattegat bay to safety in Sweden at the beginning of October 1943. Danish fishermen played a central role in organising this escape operation.
One of the most important ports through which the escape was organised was Gilleleje in the northernmost part of Seeland Island. There were only two German Wehrmacht soldiers stationed there. Almost a fifth of the Jewish refugees were sent out from Denmark via the Gilleleje port. A committee of locals began the rescue action even before the arrival of representatives of aid organisations from Copenhagen. Many individuals were needed in order to organise sufficient hiding places and provisions.
In the night of October 6/7, 1943, the Gestapo found one of the hiding places in the attic of the village church. Around 80 Jews were waiting here for their escape boat to Sweden. They were arrested and most of them deported to Theresienstadt.
Image: Denmark, 1945, Escape boat, Dansk Jødisk Museum
Denmark, 1945, Escape boat, Dansk Jødisk Museum

Image: Gilleleje, 2007, The Gilleleje Museum, Mogens Wulff
Gilleleje, 2007, The Gilleleje Museum, Mogens Wulff
In Gilleleje the Gestapo found 80 Jews hiding in the attic of the village church, waiting to board a boat for their escape to Sweden. Almost all of them were deported to Theresienstadt. In all, the German occupiers deported 481 Danish Jews. 116 of them perished.
Image: Gilleleje, 2007, Fishing boat on the museum premises with a recreated hiding place, Mogens Wulff
Gilleleje, 2007, Fishing boat on the museum premises with a recreated hiding place, Mogens Wulff

Image: Gilleleje, 2000, Exhibit at the museum: escape routes to Sweden in 1943, Mogens Wulff
Gilleleje, 2000, Exhibit at the museum: escape routes to Sweden in 1943, Mogens Wulff
On May 4, 1997, the sculpture »Teka Bashofar Gadol« (Hebrew for: »Let the mighty Shofar proclaim«) was unveiled on the lawn area outside the Cultural Centre Gilleleje. The six-metre-high statue is a gift to the community of Gilleleje from Yuli Ofer, an Israeli ship owner. It is meant as a reminder of the rescue of Danish Jews from the National Socialists, and of the victims arrested in the night of October 6/7, 1943.
The Gilleleje Museum primarily deals with the history of the town. The fate of Danish Jews and their flight across the sea are part of the exhibition. Moreover, a recreated escape boat is displayed on the museum premises.
Image: Gilleleje, 2007, Fishing boat on the museum premises, Mogens Wulff
Gilleleje, 2007, Fishing boat on the museum premises, Mogens Wulff

Image: Gilleleje, 2007, »Teka Bashofar Gadol« sculpture, Mogens Wulff
Gilleleje, 2007, »Teka Bashofar Gadol« sculpture, Mogens Wulff
Name
Gilleleje Museum
Address
Vesterbrogade 56
3250 Græsted-Gilleleje
Phone
+45(0) 483 016 31
Web
http://www.hhkc.dk/index.php/museer/gilleleje-museum
E-Mail
museum@hhkc.dk
Open
January to June
Wednesday to Friday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
June to September
Wednesday to Friday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
September to December 18
Wednesday to Friday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Possibilities
Exhibition, guided tours are available upon request.