HSB’s history
From private collection to historical archive
The collection was founded by Palle Schmidt, who was himself active in the resistance. As early as March 1943, Palle Schmidt secretly began collecting illegal newspapers, because he wanted to ensure they would be preserved for posterity. He continued this collecting work after the war, when he became head of a teacher training college in Esbjerg, and gradually built up a large private collection.
In 1986, the Foundation: Historical Collection from the Occupation, 1940–45, was established. Palle Schmidt donated his collection to the foundation, and HSB operated as a self-governing, publicly accessible archival institution. Esbjerg Municipality provided premises and an annual operating grant. Upon Palle Schmidt’s death in 1991, HSB’s day-to-day management passed to the foundation’s board and a group of volunteer staff, until a professionally trained historian was appointed as head of HSB in 1993.
A story of research and public engagement
HSB has always emphasised providing services to schools and upper secondary education, as well as to associations and private individuals, in the form of lectures, teaching, guidance, and the provision of relevant archival material. Over time, some of this outreach has become digital. In addition, HSB and its staff have published books and taken part in research projects, etc., because alongside outreach and the continued collection of material about the Occupation, research has been a prioritised field of work.
In the years 2003–2013, HSB was based at SDU’s campus on Niels Bohrs Vej in Esbjerg and collaborated with the history programme at SDU.
In 2013, HSB ceased to be a self-governing institution and became part of Sydvestjyske Museer (later Museum Vest). Therefore, in the period 2013–2026, HSB was based at Esbjerg Museum. Here, HSB and Esbjerg Municipality’s schools service, Myrthue, established a close and fruitful collaboration on, among other things, the exhibition OCCUPIED – Esbjerg 1943 and Denmark’s first Holocaust education centre.
On 1 January 2026, HSB became part of Vardemuseerne, with a reading room and offices in connection with the Armour and Artillery Museum in Oksbøl. In its new surroundings, HSB will continue to make material available to interested parties and be an important research and outreach institution for the history of the Occupation.
