History - Cabinet approves draft for "German-Polish House"
A "German-Polish House" is planned in Berlin to commemorate the complex German-Polish history and the brutal German occupation during World War II (1939-1945). The Federal Cabinet approved a realization draft for the planned documentation center in the capital presented by Cultural State Minister Claudia Roth (Greens) on Wednesday.
"The gray and crimes of the Nazi German occupation in Poland, which affected over five million Polish women and men, are still a painful memory in the consciousness of Polish society," Roth stated in a press release. It is still not widely known here that almost every Polish family lost relatives.
Three pillars planned for "German-Polish House"
The new institution, according to the draft, is intended to rest on the three pillars "remember", "understand", and "encounter". It should provide information, create space for encounters, and at the same time serve as a landmark in the public sphere. In the center of a permanent exhibition, the "monstrous brutality of the German occupation of Poland" should be present, but it should also direct the gaze to earlier centuries and the current relationship between the two societies.
The realization is expected to still take several years. The house intends to engage in educational work before construction. With the realization proposal, the Bundestag will now deal. According to the information, talks are currently taking place with the state of Berlin regarding the location. The site of the former Kroll Opera, in close proximity to the Chancellery and the Reichstag Building, is mentioned as a potential site. There, the Reichstag heard Adolf Hitler's speech on the attack on Poland on September 1, 1939.
Press release of the "German-Polish House" BKM on the decision of the Federal Cabinet
- The International Crew involved in the project for the "German-Polish House" in Berlin will study the history of the Second World War, with a particular focus on the brutal German occupation in Poland.
- The planned documentation center, set to be a landmark in the public sphere, will showcase the painful memory of World War II and its impact on Polish society, as stated by Cultural State Minister Claudia Roth (Germany).
- The proposed "German-Polish House" is intended to serve as a platform for encounter and understanding between the German and Polish Crews, addressing the complicated history between the two nations.
- The Second World War exhibit within the "German-Polish House" will emphasize the monstrous brutality of the German occupation, but it will also delve into earlier centuries and the current relationship between the two societies, providing a comprehensive historical narrative.
- In light of the Federal Cabinet's decision to approve the realization draft for the "German-Polish House," talks are underway with the state of Berlin to secure a location nearby the Chancellery and the Reichstag Building where Adolf Hitler made his infamous speech announcing the attack on Poland in 1939.
