Experiences of Polish prisoners at the Buchenwald concentration camp

Research, development and preparation for memorial-site educational activities and exhibitions

Dokumente zum Konzentrationslager Buchenwald im Archiv der Gedenkstätte. Foto: Claus Bach, Sammlung Gedenkstätte Buchenwald

The crimes committed at the National Socialistic concentration camps play an important role in the commemorative cultures of practically every European country today. They are also a significant factor in cultural discourse and influence perspectives in contemporary politics. However, the origins of such formative experiences often remain unknown. The various reports and experiences of Polish prisoners during their incarceration at the Buchenwald concentration camp provide a wealth of material for such reflection. The Polish prisoners were the first foreigners to be detained at the camp in 1939. The racially motivated methods applied by the SS were radicalized against them. The first mass killing at Buchenwald was committed against Polish Jews and resistance fighters. One of the goals of the Buchenwald memorial site is to illuminate this chapter of history and make it tangible to younger generations. A Polish historian will be invited as a fellow to Weimar to develop exhibition modules which promote mutual awareness of the differences in how this history is presented in Western and Eastern Europe. Selective research in Polish archives and interviews with contemporary witnesses will be used to identify suitable areas of investigation and develop new methods for educational activities.

The International Museum Fellowship programme

With this funding programme, the Federal Cultural Foundation enables guest curators and researchers from abroad to work at museums or public collections in Germany for a duration of 18 months.

International Museum Fellowship (external link, opens in a new window)

Dr. Piotr Filipkowski, Fellow at Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation

Dr. Piotr Filipkowski received his PhD in sociology from the Polish Academy of Sciences in 2008. In addition, he contributed to various interdisciplinary research projects, e.g. to the Mauthausen Survivors Research Project at the University of Vienna. As a post-doctoral researcher Dr. Filipkowski participates amongst other research projects in a cooperation between the University of Łódź and the University of Magdeburg. In 2012 he was a Fellow at the Imre Kertész Kolleg at the University of Jena. He is the author of numerous scientific publications. His dissertation was published within the prestigious Polish Seria Humanistyczna in 2010.

Contact

Stiftung Gedenkstätten Buchenwald und Mittelbau-Dora

99427 Weimar-Buchenwald

www.buchenwald.de (external link, opens in a new window)