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“Martyrdom of the USSR nations during the Great Patriotic War in the years 1941-1945”

The so-called national exhibitions have been located on the grounds of the former Auschwitz I camp since 1960. Those exhibitions were prepared by some of the countries which had been occupied by German Nazis during World War II and whose citizens had been deported to Auschwitz.

In recent years new exhibitions have replaced the old ones, being mounted – among others – by Slovakia, Czech Republic, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. According to a standard procedure the national exhibitions are organized in cooperation between the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and the representative of a given state.

The first national exhibition of the then USSR was opened in the Museum in 1961. It was partially reorganized in 1977, and completely changed in 1985.

In 2003 the Russian party put a proposal to create a new exhibition and as a result the former exhibition was closed.

While developing the new exhibition in 2004 the Museum was given its scenario. At that time divergences arose concerning some matter-of-fact issues between the Russian party and the Museum, and to date the problem has remained unsolved.

The divergences concern the nomenclature used in relation to the population and territories, which – due to the USSR activities resulting from the Ribbentropp-Molotov pact – came under its control in the years 1939-1941. They included the Baltic States, eastern territories of the Republic of Poland and a part of Romania, whose population by no means can be viewed as USSR citizens as they did not renounce voluntarily their former citizenship and did not accept, as the result of an independent decision, the Soviet citizenship.

The position of the Museum is supported by the International Auschwitz Council headed by Prof. Władysław Bartoszewski. The Council comprises former prisoners of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp as well as historians and experts in the field from various countries.

Talks with the Russian party are in progress. They aim at finding a comprehensive solution taking into account various sensitivities of all involved parties which will make it possible to open the exhibition to visitors.

On January 27, 2006, during the 60th anniversary of the Auschwitz liberation, the uncompleted exhibition was visited by Wladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation. The President was informed that the exhibition had not been completed by that time and therefore remained closed to visitors.

Good Atmosphere in Talks with Diplomats on Russian Exhibition at Auschwitz Site

Oświęcim, April 14 (PAP-Polish Press Agency) – The Russian side is interested in preventing their country’s permanent exhibition at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum from being a source of conflict, according to Museum Director Piotr M.A. Cywiński, who had a meeting with Russian ambassador Vladimir Grinin on the issue.

Two weeks ago, Kommersant newspaper reported that “a new scandal is brewing in Russian-Polish relations” and that “the Russian exhibition had been closed” at the Auschwitz Museum. The Russian media picked up the story, accusing Warsaw of wanting “to force Moscow to acknowledge once again the occupation of Poland after September 17, 1939.”

The Auschwitz Museum issued a statement explaining that the exhibition had not been closed. Work on modifying it began in 2003. The Museum never approved its opening, because of reservations about the way that the exhibition treated the people of the Baltic states, eastern Poland, and part of Romania as citizens of the USSR.

Cywiński told PAP that the atmosphere in talks with Russian officials was far different from the tone of the press articles. “I know that they are also thinking along the lines of avoiding conflicts, because this place [Auschwitz] should not be a source of conflicts. It would not be in the interests of today’s Russia to have an exhibition here that would be controversial,” said Cywiński.

In Cywiński’s opinion, the attitude of Russian representatives in Poland “from the beginning has been conciliatory, rather searching for solutions, and oriented towards the future. . . . this is a basis on which we can build something positive that can serve education and the commemoration of victims, instead of politics.”

The head of the Auschwitz Museum added that he had used the discussions with the ambassador as an opportunity to present proposals for “creating a good exhibition that would be historically first-rate and would not upset anyone.” Russia is currently studying the proposals.

“The form is under discussion. However, the borders that we refuse to cross have been clearly defined. The Russian side will have to respond to this,” said Cywiński. “It is clear to me that an exhibition can take various forms, but it cannot definitively contradict basic historical facts or alter the identity of the victims. That is unacceptable to their families, to the remembrance of these people. Politicians or historians can argue over identity and define it in various ways,” he said, “but this exhibition cannot be the scene of such disputes. Auschwitz is not a place where quarrels and negative emotions can be tolerated.”

After his meeting with Ambassador Grinin, Cywiński added that “good contact has been established.” He felt that both parties agreed that such sensitive, important, and difficult questions cannot be discussed in the glare of an atmosphere of scandal.

The Museum director added that the date of the opening of the exhibition is not the most important issue at present. “Setting dates is like reading tea leaves. Haste is the last thing anyone needs in this case. The exhibition must be good, transparent, and non-controversial.”

He also indicated that, should it prove impossible to reach a consensus on some of the descriptions in the exhibition, it will be necessary to reconsider the form of the exhibition. “There are many exhibitions, and each of them is different. On the Russian question, it is also possible to find a solution that will be good, without causing disputes or controversies.”

Cywiński also commented on unofficial reports in the Polish press that Moscow expects to have a Russian member nominated to the International Auschwitz Council in exchange for agreeing to a resolution of the exhibition issue. He said that the Council is made up of specialists, and not representatives of given countries.

The so-called national exhibitions have been a feature of the Auschwitz I site since 1960. They are prepared by countries that were occupied by the Nazis during the Second World War, whose citizens were deported to Auschwitz. The first exhibition by the former Soviet Union opened in 1961. It was partially updated in 1977, and totally revised in 1985. In 2003, Russia submitted a proposal for creating a new exhibition. The old one was dismantled. Since that time, the building housing the exhibition has been closed to visitors. The Russians installed a new exhibition, but controversies arose over its subject matter. (PAP)

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Delegation of Russian Museum Experts to Visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum

Moscow, April 19 (PAP-Polish Press Agency) – A delegation of museum specialists from Russia will travel to Poland next week to resolve the situation concerning the Russian national exhibition at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.

The visit was announced on Thursday by Mikhail Shvidkoy, head of the Russian Federal Agency for Culture and Cinema (Roskultura), which is overseeing the Russian exhibition at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Shvidkoy did not rule out the re-opening within a few months of the Russian exhibition at the Naxi death camp site.

“I think that we can reach a compromise that will be reasonable and fully civilized,” Shvidkoy told journalists in Moscow. “I think that we will be able to accomplish this over the summer, so that the exhibition can open before autumn.”

Shvidkoy revealed that the Russian delegation, including specialists from the Armed Forces Museum and the Historical Museum in Moscow, will leave for Poland on April 25. “This working group will assess the situation. After studying their report, we will call in the historians,” he said.

Earlier, Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum director Piotr Cywiński revealed that Russia had signaled a willingness to compromise and resolve the issue. The Russians are interested in preventing their permanent exhibition at the Auschwitz Museum from being a source of conflict, Cywiński said after a meeting with the Russian ambassador in Poland, Vladimir Grinin.

Komersant wrote on April 3 that the Russian exhibition at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum had been closed down and the Museum was prepared to re-open it only if the Russians admitted to the occupation of Polish territory by the USSR.

Later that same day, the Russian foreign ministry accused the Museum and the International Auschwitz Council of keeping the Russian exhibition off limits to visitors for over two years because of these demands.

The Museum rejected the charges and explained that the old exhibition was closed at the request of the Russians three years ago, and the new one could not be opened because Russia insisted that victims originating in Polish territory annexed to the USSR after 1939 be regarded as Soviet citizens. Citizens of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, as well as people from the part of Romania annexed by the USSR under the terms of the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact, were in the same situation.

The International Auschwitz Council unanimously backed the Museum’s position.

Jerzy Malczyk mal/ ap/ gma/