Six locations with personal stories.&nbsp; Each outdoor exhibition focuses on personal stories of residents of that location, told through images, text and historical sources. Visitors are taken into the dilemmas that residents faced during wartime and have the opportunity to reflect on the meaning of freedom and choices today.Opening on 10 April 2025 The official opening of Freedom of Choice will take place on 10 April 2025. All six locations will be opened that day, starting in Tiel. During this opening, speakers, relatives and those involved will put the stories of the time into perspective. After the opening, the exhibitions will remain open to the public free of charge for the next few yearsThe Freedom of Choice project is part of 80 Years of Freedom Gelderland, a broad programme of commemorations, activities and exhibitions that reflect on the liberation of the Netherlands and the lasting value of freedom. More information For more information about Choice Freedom, the exhibition locations and the programme of 80 Years of Freedom Gelderland, please visit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://wo2rivierengebied.nl">wo2rivierengebied.nl</a>. This portal can be visited after the outdoor exhibitions open, from 10 April 2025.

The Netherlands

Six outdoor exhibitions showing personal stories from the Second World War

This is the exhibition of opposites, contradictions, and contrasts.We can see pictures that bring us joy but also those from which we instinctively look away.What is more, we notice people suffering from separation from animals as well as those who kill them for pure pleasure. We manage to spot both animals treated as friends and those subjected to chemical or biological weapon testing. But what particularly captures our attention are the contradictions embodied in the same objects and individuals. We observe people kind to fellow humans who torment animals. We also witness animal lovers who ruthlessly kill their own kind.We take all these stories and place them in the exhibition. At the same time, we come to believe that reality resembles a “war of all against all”: people against people, animals against animals, and ultimately humans against animals. This is the image of the world briefly outlined in the exhibition “Fauna. Animals at War and Their People.” An image of a conflicted creation.Purpose of the exhibitionThe aim is to introduce the multi-dimensional motif of animals into the historical narrative. If the exhibition sensitizes museum visitors to the fate of our “smaller brothers,” if it promotes respect for nature, it will have fulfilled our intentions. But if it also encourages visitors to critically reflect on human (including their own) attitudes towards animals, it will not only achieve our goals but be considered an immeasurable success.Curators’ assumptionsAbove all our mission is to speak about the victims of war, to restore the memory of the unheroic heroes – especially the weakest, often voiceless. This pattern includes children, the mentally ill or disabled. And we place in it also – often overlooked – animals. We want to tell the stories of animals through the exhibition medium, reuniting various cultural texts. Examples of those connections include the combinations of Szybalsky with Zdzisław Beksiński or Curzio Malaparte with Wisława Szymborska.Exhibition contentThe exhibition focuses on exploring the complex relationships between humans and animals. It is also an attempt to understand humans through understanding animals – to look at them through their opposite. How a human treats fauna reveals their attitude towards themselves, their potential to do good and evil, and their vision of reality. The exhibition deals with various aspects: ethical (norms for the use of animals), ecological (human impact on the ecosystem), historical (look at the war through the subject), and aesthetic (everyday life objects are accompanied by works of art). Our narration centers on the period of World War II and the years immediately preceding it, though we also attempt to build a bridge to the present.Form of the exhibitionReality resembles a “war of all against all.” One manifestation of this conflict is how humans perceive animals. They have often been treated as mindless beings, incapable of feeling – as if they lacked the most important body part - the head. The head is considered a universal symbol. As the seat of thought and emotion, it has represented wisdom, power, agency, and individuality. The head is also a part of the body shared by both humans and animals. It is something that connects these beings and at the same time separates them. The central motif of the exhibition’s narrative is precisely the head. It is represented primarily by spatial objects: sculptures by Beksiński and Szybalsky, plaster models by Sasin, and the preserved head of the bull Geeltje’s Adema. The contemplative – and somewhat theatrical – space which is housing the sculptures by Szybalsky and Beksiński, forms the starting point for deeper exploration of the human-animal relationship. ***Think it through and consider whether, in speaking about animals, the exhibition is also speaking about you. If so, what does it has to say?

Poland

Exhibition “FAUNA. Animals at War and Their People”

<ul><li>27 photographic projects from all over Europe in the 21st century</li><li>110 photographs and 6 video works exploring the diversity of our relationship with history</li><li>7 exhibition chapters showing how we invite the past into our present</li></ul>Why history? What is behind our need for history, and our use of the past? Europeans engage with the past in highly diverse ways, from commemorating historical events to participating in re-enactments, from taking tourist selfies to destroying monuments, from digging up forgotten pasts to keeping private collections.&nbsp;What are we searching for when we connect with history? Are we seeking an identity that goes beyond our own lives? Are we longing for social connection or political community? The exhibition is divided into seven sections exploring different types of engagement with the past and the various needs and motivations behind them.Guided tour of ‘Presence of the Past’An active focus on selected photographsThe guided tour is based on public participation using the “Visible Thinking Method”, which encourages observations of the photographs before going into a facilitated discussion based on what is seen, reflections, interpretations, facts about the documentary photographs and concepts of the exhibition.&nbsp;Duration: groups of 10 - 15 persons can book a 90-minutes guided tourLanguages: English, French, German or Dutch.Booking time: one month in advance.The tour is designed for the general audience, aged 16 years old and over. Book via the museum’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="ext" href="https://brussels-historia.booking.europarl.europa.eu/">online booking platform</a>. School groups may also book these tours. To prepare, teachers may request the catalogue of the exhibition in electronic format&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:%20Historia-learning@europarl.europa.eu">via email</a>.Find more information about the exhibition here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://historia.europa.eu/en/exhibitions-events/temporary-exhibitions/presence-past-european-album">https://historia.europa.eu/en/exhibitions-events/temporary-exhibitions/presence-past-european-album</a>

Belgium 

Exhibition: 'Presence of the Past. A European Album'

The exhibition covers the period from the mid-17th century, when a sandbank known as the Western Bank formed at the mouth of the Vistula River, to mid-1941, when the Westerplatte branch of the German Stutthof concentration camp for civilian prisoners was closed.The location of the exhibition is not coincidental – it is the historic former Power Plant building of the Polish Military Transit Depot, renovated and arranged for exhibition purposes. The exhibition features the archaeological discoveries related to the site, the everyday life of the depot, the difficult and responsible service of Polish soldiers in the face of growing hatred of the Germans towards Polish presence in the area of the Free City of Gdańsk, and the camp for Polish civilian prisoners set up by the Germans after the seven-day battle (1–7 September 1939). The curators aim to make visitors aware that Westerplatte is not only a peninsula heroically defended by a small unit of Polish soldiers, but also the site of German crimes against Polish civilians. The exhibition also intends to highlight the symbolic significance of Westerplatte as the place where the Second World War began.Start your visit at Westerplatte with the Visitor Centre [Centrum Obsługi Zwiedzających ‘Pole Bitwy Westerplatte’]. At the information desk, you will obtain information related to the history of Westerplatte. Assistance in planning the route, finding a guide and information will help discover the monuments in the area. The building overlooking the sea provides visitors with a rest stop. It is adapted for people with disabilities.

Exhibition ‘Memory buried beneath the surface. Archaeology of Westerplatte’

Westerplatte is primarily discussed in the context of its seven-day defense. The aim of the new exhibition is to highlight the peninsula's lesser-known history, that of the Polish prisoners of the Stutthof camp, who were imprisoned there from September 1939 to June 1941. The exhibition explores their experiences of labour, hunger, humiliation, and death at the hands of German overseers. The story of the victims and perpetrators was constructed from the perspective of an interdisciplinary research team – archaeologists, historians, anthropologists, and criminologists. &nbsp;A Hidden Crime&nbsp; In 2024, archaeologists from the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk discovered the site of a field gun used during the defense of the Military Transit Depot in 1939 at Westerplatte. Human skeletons were found in the remains of two of its bunkers. Preserved fragments of clothing and small personal items made in Poland confirmed the archaeologists' suspicions – these were the remains of civilian prisoners. The position of the bodies, characteristic bone damage, German ammunition casings, and the presence of fired bullets indicate that the bunkers were also the site of the crime.&nbsp;As exhibition co-curator Agnieszka Bacławska-Kornacka emphasizes, Westerplatte is a part of the city where World War II remains strongly present, a space still marked by suffering.&nbsp;"During their research, archaeologists from the Museum of the Second World War continue to discover and recover the bodies of war victims. In addition to the defenders, these included civilian prisoners who cleaned up the battlefield. [...] Archaeologists' work demonstrates that nothing is "expired" on earth. Sharing this knowledge is an important step on the path to a sense of justice and regaining balance after the crisis." "War casts a long shadow over the next few generations, and the trauma associated with it blocks the personal and social development of those affected,"&nbsp;says Agnieszka Bacławska-Kornacka of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk.&nbsp;The exhibition consists of a historical and archaeological section. It presents over thirty original personal items from excavations. Due to the images of atrocities it contains, it is intended for people over 16 years of age. For the comfort of visitors, the location of sensitive content, including artifacts belonging to victims, has been presented on a map (in front of/after the guide), which allows you to adjust the intensity of the content to your personal sensitivity.&nbsp;&nbsp;During the visit, it is also important to observe one's emotions and, after viewing the exhibition, to rest. To this end, the Museum of the Second World War has provided visitors with a biophilic respite zone, located on level -2 of the building.&nbsp;Find more information about the exhibition here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://muzeum1939.pl/en/earth-does-not-lose-civilian-prisoners-war-westerplatte-19391941/7771.html">https://muzeum1939.pl/en/earth-does-not-lose-civilian-prisoners-war-westerplatte-19391941/7771.html</a>&nbsp;Photo: ©&nbsp;Budzik Studio&nbsp;Museum of the Second World War&nbsp; pl. W. Bartoszewskiego 1, 80-862 Gdańsk&nbsp;&nbsp; phone:&nbsp;+48 58 760 09 60&nbsp;&nbsp; <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:info@muzeum1939.pl">info@muzeum1939.pl</a>&nbsp;

Exhibition: "The earth does not lose. Civilian prisoners of war at Westerplatte (1939–1941)" 

First exposed to a camera by working in front of it, Miller was one of the most sought-after models of the late 1920s. She quickly stepped behind the lens, becoming a leading figure in the avant-garde scenes in New York, Paris, London and Cairo.The exhibition will showcase Miller’s extraordinary career, from her participation in French surrealism to her fashion and war photography. Exploring her artistic collaborations, the exhibition will also shed light on lesser-known sides of her practice, such as her remarkable images of the Egyptian landscape in the 1930s.With around 250 vintage and modern prints, including those never previously displayed, the exhibition reveals Miller's poetic vision and fearless spirit.Determined to forge her own path, she later commented, ‘It was a matter of getting out on a damn limb and sawing it off behind you.’Lee Miller is supported by the Lee Miller Exhibition Supporters Circle, Tate International Council, Tate Patrons, Tate Photography Acquisitions Committee, Tate Americas Foundation and Tate Members.Lee Miller is organised by Tate Britain in collaboration with the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Six outdoor exhibitions showing personal stories from the Second World War

L’exposition Faune. Les animaux en guerre et leurs habitants.

Passé composé. Un album européen

Mémoire écrite dans le sol, L’archéologie de Westerplatte

Exhibition: "The earth does not lose. Civilian prisoners of war at Westerplatte (1939–1941)"

Lee Miller - Tate Britain Exhibition

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Six outdoor exhibitions showing personal stories from the Second World War

L’exposition Faune. Les animaux en guerre et leurs habitants.

Passé composé. Un album européen

Mémoire écrite dans le sol, L’archéologie de Westerplatte

Exhibition: "The earth does not lose. Civilian prisoners of war at Westerplatte (1939–1941)"

Lee Miller - Tate Britain Exhibition

Inscrivez votre événement sur Europe Remembers