This morning in Gdansk we celebrated the 77th anniversary of the beginning of Second World War. In our city, on Westerplatte peninsula, on September 1, 1939 at 4:45 a.m., Nazi Germany attacked the Polish military outpost. This attack is considered the beginning of the war, which ended with a loss of 70 million lives worldwide.
Westerplatte on September 1, 2016. Photo: D. Paszlinski
A small group of soldiers on the Westerplatte peninsula defended heroically, despite the military superiority of the enemy. Unable to change the fate of the battle or war, they fought in the name of virtues so dear to us then and today. They fought for freedom and against the ideology of hatred, represented by fascism.
Remainings of barracks at Westerplatte. Photo: T. Sienicki, CC-BY, WikipediaBefore our eyes inevitably pass the last participants of the Second World War. Today it is our responsibility to determine the way in which the years of war and occupation will be remembered. Because the only chance of salvation is the memory of people and nations. Our response to this challenge is the Museum of the Second World War, which was founded in Gdansk and will open next year.
Our common projectI have been following the fate of the museum closely for years, from the very beginning. The City of Gdansk supported the construction with a substantial contribution by offering a plot in the city centre. However, recent months have brought disturbing news about the attempts to change the concept of the exhibition in the museum. These news alarmed not only us in Gdansk and Poland, but also the international scientific community and our Polish friends abroad, about which I wrote in the HP entry "World War II Museum in the Focus of International Attention"). Unfortunately, since the entry was published, signals appeared, indicating that the fate of the exhibition, whose concept had been developed in a broad social consensus, is threatened.
World War II Museum. Construction works are coming to an end. Photo: G. Mehring I am deeply convinced that the opening of the museum will be a great opportunity to present to Europe and the world Polish perception of the Second World War. And for our national community - a unique opportunity to recall the heritage that unites all Poles.
That is why today, during a ceremony at Westerplatte, I turned to the President of Poland Andrzej Duda with a proposal to organise next year in Gdansk a ceremony commemorating the end of World War II. The highlight of the celebration would be the official opening of the Museum of the Second World War.
I know that the issues related to the history of our country are close to the President. We count on President's understanding the matter of our common museum.
Scouts, as usual, were present at today's ceremony. I'm grateful to them for their assistance. Photo: D. Paszlinski