In true Indiana Jones style we went to Oslo to find a hidden treasure, an airplane wreck from the second world war.

In July 1942 a German airplane (Dornier DO17M1) crashed in Maridalen in Oslo. It’s been more than 75 years now, but the wreck and other clues from the dramatic event are still here today.

At Movatn train station we stepped out of the car and into knee-deep snow, equipped with both directions and coordinates of the wreck. We quickly realised that we had to rely on the coordinates, as directions are not of much help when all trails and markings are covered in snow.

Shortly after leaving the roads we also realised that the snow was deeper here, way deeper. Picking up on some moose tracks we found a path that was a bit easier to navigate. However, we did not take into consideration that moose don’t mind getting wet, but we were reminded of this quite quickly, as we stepped into a snow covered stream.

A short hour and a few streams later we are standing at the coordinates of one of the airplane engines. However, all we can see is snow. After a lengthy search we have to conclude that it is close to impossible to find the engine in winter. But what about the rest of the wreck?

Continuing onward we encounter some trees that appear to have been cut down 4-6 meters above ground. This is rather odd and it is right in between where the airplane wreck and the engine should be. We wonder if the trees were cut down by the crashing airplane, and in some strange way have remained like this for the last 75 years.

20 minutes later we arrive at a more level area and see something sticking out of the snow. The airplane!

At first glance it does not look very big, but at closer inspection and a fair amount of snow removal we discover a much larger wreck.

How to get there

We do plan on coming back in the summer to make proper directions, but in winter it is almost impossible. The easiest is therefore to plot the coordinates on the phone and rely on this.

A good starting point is Movatn stasjon. Trains go here from the city centre and there is a parking lot for cars (make sure to park within the marked parking space, otherwise you may get fined!).

From the train station go south along the road for about 500 metres to Rundmyrveien. Follow this road until it terminates after approximately 650 metres. Just before the road terminates there is one turnaround (at least in winter) with a “no parking” sign. From here a road leads downhill on the left another 70 meters to a second final turnaround. Right before this final turnaround a wide forest path goes to the left, identified by red markers. Follow this path for another 50-70 meters and then go right. In summer it should be possible to follow a small trail from here, but in winter time it is almost impossible to find. We found the trail on the way back from the airplane, but getting there we followed another trail (more or less). The most important is to follow the coordinates and find a walkable path in the right direction. Animal trails and streams are often good to follow as they usually go through more open areas with less snow. Just makes sure not to fall into the streams. The airplane wreck is on the left when arriving at the destination and approximately 3 km from Movatn.

The coordinates for the airplane are 60 02′ 39.33″, 10 47′ 33.16.

We could not locate the separate airplane engine, but according to this webpage the coordinates are 60 02′ 24.07, 10 47′ 33.39.