We attended commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of KL Stutthof concentration camp

The prisoners of the Stutthof concentration camp regained their freedom on 9 May 1945. There were only about a hundred of them, as almost all of those who had managed to survive the camp ordeal, by the end of January 1945, were forced to be evacuated. In total, about 110,000 citizens of countries such as Poland, the USSR, Hungary and Germany were transferred to KL Stutthof in the course of its existence. The majority of them died.

Our Museum Director, Dr. Violetta Rezler-Wasielewska, attended the ceremony commemorating the end of the camp's criminal activities. The event had two mottos: the call ‘Never again!’ and the imperative to remember the victims because, as the organisers pointed out, ‘this remembrance should be an important part of our identity and a warning for future generations’.

The main part of the ceremony took place on 9 May this year at the Monument to Struggle and Martyrdom located at the site of the Stutthof Museum in Sztutowo. In addition, from 6 to 11 May, several accompanying events were organised: the screening of the film entitled ‘A nad Stutthof deszczyk pada [It is drizzling in Stutthof]’ (directed by M. Basaj), the presentation of exhibitions: martyrological posters and the exhibition ‘Man - object - memory. Artefacts from archaeological excavations’, a meeting ‘Norwegian Prisoners in KL Stutthof’, a debate ’The Horizon of Evil. Remembrance in education as a foundation for making decisions in the future with the participation of representatives of Polish, Bosnian and Norwegian institutions of martyrdom and guardians of Remembrance’, as well as two sporting events: the 28th National Remembrance Run, and the 3rd Run and Death March of Remembrance, to honour the Victims of KL Stutthof.

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