Presentation of the Holocaust at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk

Lecture in English by Prof. Dr. Pawel Machcewicz, Warschau „Presentation of the Holocaust at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk“ aus der Vortragsreihe: »Holocaust in europäischen Museen«

Most museums dealing with the time of the Second World War focus either on the military history or exclusively on the extermination of Jews. The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk is one of the fi rst attempts to present the overall narrative of all crucial events of the war with the special emphasis on the genocide and terror suffered by civilians. The extermination of the Jews is presented there alongside the fate of other categories of victims. Such a perspective enables to grasp the evolution of the Nazi genocidal policy and to understand how its various elements infl uenced each other. The current Polish government has criticized the Museum for being »not Polish enough«, »too European« and focusing on the fate of civilians instead of the Polish military history. It also announced the intention to change the exhibition. Pawel Machcewicz was dismissed from his position as Museum’s director two weeks after its opening. Today he is professor at the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Ort: Campus Westend, Casino-Gebäude, Raum 1.801