The LRE Foundation is happy to announce the addition of the Museum of Gdańsk, Poland, to its network of members. A key institution in a city that is symbolic of the start of WWII, the Museum of Gdańsk is in charge of preserving some key WWII-related sites like Westerplatte.
The Museum of Gdańsk documents the history of the city from the Middle Ages to contemporary times. It manages several historical sites within the city, two of which are related to the outbreak of the Second World War – the Guardhouse n.1 at Westerplatte and the Polish Post Museum.
Both these locations were attacked by Nazi German troops on 1 September 1939, therefore they were among the first sites to be involved in the Second World War. While Guardhouse nr. 1 was the most important stronghold in defence of the Westerplatte peninsula, the Polish Post and Telegraph Office was a key building to be seized by the German troops. It is now a museum presenting the story of the Polish community in the Free City of Danzig (Gdańsk) (1920-1939). Soon, a new, expanded exhibition will cover the basement of the building, where Polish defenders made their last stand.
Entering an international network like the LRE Foundation will allow improved visibility of the remembrance sites in Gdańsk at a European level and work together with international parties and organisations.
“Poles living in the former Free City of Danzig, regardless of their occupation and of their citizenship, were the first to fight and the first to suffer during the outbreak of the Second World War. By joining the Liberation Route we commemorate their bravery and sacrifices made in those dark times. – tells Waldemar Ossowski, the director of the Museum of Gdańsk. – Although our Museum preserves objects and stories from a distant past, we consider sharing knowledge about the Second World War as our special responsibility. This is why we research the past, publish books, organize exhibitions and events open to the public either in the Museum of the Polish Post Office, Guardhouse no 1 at Westerplatte, while developing the Brunon Zwarra Remembrance Centre for the Poles of the Free City of Danzig.”
Rémi Praud, Managing Director of the LRE Foundation: “We are glad to welcome the Museum of Gdańsk to our network. We look forward to working together to promote the war heritage of the city of Gdańsk, and we hope that the Museum of Gdańsk will pave the way for other Polish WWII remembrance institutions to join us.”
