The non-partisan museum officially opened on June 15, 1996, after a lengthy period of collection and planning by William Hakvaag (born 1948).

The small museum has a diverse collection of military uniforms and equipment as well as smaller objects from World War II.

In addition, the museum showcases peaked caps belonging to General Carl Gustav Fleischer and Birger Eriksen, Reichkommissar Josef Terboven's letter file, lanterns and a compass from Leif Larsen's boats, a lamp from the German battleship Tirpitz, and a case believed to have belonged to Eva Braun.

Furthermore, the museum exhibits curiosities and rare items from everyday life during the war, including cigarette packages and condoms, and even Christmas decorations adorned with Nazi swastikas.

In 2008, Hakvaag acquired a painting that may have been created by Adolf Hitler, with the frame concealing four sketches of Disney cartoon characters signed "A. H."[7] The museum also has a library of books, printed materials, and photographs from the war.