Fate of Polish WWII museum unclear amid battle over history
Aside from its global approach, the creators of the state museum say it is different from most other war museums in that it puts civilian suffering — not military campaigns — at the heart of the narrative.
[...] the political climate in Poland has changed dramatically since then, with a nationalist and populist government in charge that deeply objects to its approach and wants to take control over the institution to change its content.
Museum visitors learn that Wnuk's younger brother, Jakub, a pharmacist and army officer, became the victim of Poland's other wartime occupier, the Soviet Union.
There is huge pride at the fierce resistance put up by the Polish army to the German invasion of 1939 that launched the war and the years of underground resistance.
A key spokesman for this idea, historian Jan Zaryn, who is also a senator for the ruling party, complains that the multinational approach taken by the museum makes it more difficult for the visitor to see "our exceptionality."
[...] the museum's creators and supporters insist that the very act of placing Poland's history in the broader context is what will help foreign visitors understand and appreciate the specificity of Poland's tragedy.