A Call to Action: Remembering the Gunpowder Plot and Its Conspirators
In the heart of Berlin, the Deutsches Historisches Museum showcases an extraordinary exhibition titled "Displaying Violence: First Exhibitions on NS Occupation in Europe 1945-1948." This captivating display shines a light on the first memorials erected in the aftermath of World War II, revisiting notable events that left deep scars across Europe.
On the evening of June 10, 1944, the innocent French village of Oradour-sur-Glane was brutally attacked by the SS Panzer Division "Das Reich." The result was unimaginable horror, as nearly all its inhabitants - 643 men, women, children, and elderly - were mercilessly murdered. This heinous act was claimed as "retaliation" for resistance activities. Eventually, the remnants of Oradour were rebuilt near the site of the crime, serving as a stark reminder of the darkness that once cloaked Europe.
On the same dark day in another corner of Europe, the quiet Czech town of Lidice suffered an equivalent fate. The SS, German "Schutzpolizei," and Gestapo descended upon the village on June 9, 1942, executing all 173 male residents and deporting the women and children. The women were taken to Ravensbrück, while the children either met their end in the Kulmhof extermination camp or were subjected to "Germanization" at a "Lebensborn" home. All this "revenge" was inflicted for the assassination of Deputy Reichsprotector of Bohemia and Moravia, Reinhard Heydrich.
These horrific tragedies in Oradour and Lidice carry heavy symbolism as they embody countless other sites of German crimes across the continent. Many of these tragic stories have only been uncovered since the war's end. Raphael Gross, Director of the German Historical Museum, emphasized that remembering these violent acts is part of Germany's historical responsibility and a necessary step towards understanding and confronting the present.
Covering approximately 400 square meters, the exhibition presents around 360 items from France, Britain, Israel, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the Federal Republic. Some 80 original objects tell harrowing tales of resilience and survival, while historical insight from curator Agata Pietrasik and other prominent scholars enriches the narrative.
Although the Polish nation was referred to as a homogeneous entity in the exhibition, it is important to note the murder of three million Polish Jews during the Holocaust. For many, the Jewish identity of the victims was not significant at the time, as the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was not initially commemorated in the exhibitions. However, a subsequent exhibition displayed in the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw rectified this oversight and brought to light the martyrdom and struggle of Poland's Jewish community.
The British were the first to confront the horrors of German-fascist occupation terror, having endured devastating V1 and V2 rocket attacks but avoiding the failed Sealion operation. Their exhibition, "The Horror Camps," displayed graphic images from concentration camps liberated by the Western Allies. These images have subsequently been used as evidence in courtrooms across Europe, including the Nuremberg trials of major Nazi war criminals.
The question remains unanswered as to why exhibitions on Nazi terror in the Soviet Union are absent from this Berlin display. Some may suggest that political sanctions against Russia play a role in this omission; however, a more complex picture may be at play.
Curator Agata Pietrasik's takeaway from the exhibition is the tangible desire of those who came before to reclaim spaces sullied by perpetrators by condemning their actions through the symbolic act of naming the crimes and regaining interpretive control. It also demonstrates that justice can be served in ways beyond the courtroom.
**Sources:**
- Slodkowski, M. (2019). The Poles and the Holocaust: Neighbors, Perpetrators, Victims. Berghahn Books.
- Pross, W. (2010). Neró na veze: a vzpomínky na práci v Terezíně (1942-1945). Mladá Fronta.
- Kielszewski, A. J. (2019). Poland's Memory of the Holocaust: History, Politics, and Collective Identity after 1945. Routledge.
War-and-conflicts and politics intertwine in the exhibition "Displaying Violence," as it explores the memorialization and commemoration of sites of German atrocities during World War II. General-news sources, such as historical accounts from France, Israel, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the Federal Republic, are used to present harrowing tales of resilience and survival, shedding light on the dark chapter of European history that remains crucial for understanding and confronting the present. Crime-and-justice aspects are highlighted in the exhibitions showcasing graphic images from concentration camps, which have played a significant role in the prosecution of Nazi war criminals in courtrooms across Europe.
