Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.

In May 2022, the exhibition “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” will open to the Swedish public for a limited time at Malmömässan in Malmö.

Malmö is the only host city for the exhibition in Scandinavia and hundred thousand of visitors are expected to visit the collection during its stay, among them many school pupils. This follows its success in the Spanish capital Madrid and New York and Kansas City in the United States, where it has attracted record numbers of visitors.

The launch of “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” in Malmö is scheduled for May 2022. Its stay in the city has been made possible by the institutional collaboration of the city itself, the region of Skåne and the involvement of the Forum for Living History as educational partner. 

The exhibition was jointly produced by the Spanish company Musealia and the Auschwitz–Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland. In Sweden, it will be presented with the local partner Nordic Exhibitions.

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Premiere
May 2022

The collection brings together over 700 original objects for the first time, sourced mainly from the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum and over 20 other museums and institutions from around the world and many of which have never been on public display.

In May 2022, the exhibition “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” will open to the Swedish public for a limited time at Malmömässan in Malmö.

Malmö is the only host city for the exhibition in Scandinavia and hundred thousand of visitors are expected to visit the collection during its stay, among them many school pupils. This follows its success in the Spanish capital Madrid and New York and Kansas City in the United States, where it has attracted record numbers of visitors.

The launch of “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” in Malmö is scheduled for May 2022. Its stay in the city has been made possible by the institutional collaboration of the city itself, the region of Skåne and the involvement of the Forum for Living History as educational partner. 

The exhibition was jointly produced by the Spanish company Musealia and the Auschwitz–Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland. In Sweden, it will be presented with the local partner Nordic Exhibitions.

  • It is important to make history visible, both to remember and to shape the future. I am glad that the school children of Malmö and Skåne, and everyone else who wants to experience this exhibition, will have the opportunity to do so in Malmö. The exhibition is an important complement to the city's long-term work against anti-Semitism, said Mayor of Malmö Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh.

  • During the war Danish Jews fled across the Öresund to Malmö and survivors from the Holocaust came here with the white buses in 1945. For me as a Malmö resident, it is natural that we welcome and present this exhibition so that we can carry on and deepen our knowledge of the worst genocide in the history of mankind, said Roko Kursar, Deputy Mayor.

This morning, it was also announced that the exhibition’s creators will work with local museums in the region to incorporate special objects and stories with local connections to highlight the relevance of the story of Auschwitz to the people of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Iceland.

  • In Madrid, in New York, and in Kansas City, this exhibition has been visited by almost a million people. This is the power of authenticity, as this exhibition presents hundreds of authentic objects. But this also shows that people want to face the difficult and painful history of Auschwitz” said Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum’s director, Dr. Piotr Cywiński. “We cannot change the past, but we can search for the keys to build our present and common future in memory. We have not freed ourselves from the dangers posed by antisemitism, racism, or xenophobia. We need to know what can happen when human hatred gets out of control”, he added.

These items will complement the collection of over 700 original objects sourced from over 20 museums around the world, including Yad Vashem (Israel), the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). The majority come the Auschwitz–Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland, co-producer of the exhibition and which has loaned over 400 objects. 

  • The exhibition's stay in Sweden marks its return to Europe and its only stop in Scandinavia. The choice of Malmo was not accidental; the commitment of its authorities to bring this complex and traumatic part of our past closer to its fellow citizens has been decisive. We hope the exhibition becomes an educational opportunity for the entire community to learn and understand the history of Auschwitz, and the implications that it contains, for all of us, in the present, said Musealia CEO and Exhibition Director, Luis Ferreiro.

A wide-ranging cultural programme is also planned for the exhibition’s stay in Scandinavia. The activities will include lectures, talks and other events at which survivors and experts will share their perspectives on the history of the Auschwitz camp and the Holocaust to complement the contents of the exhibition and promote the engagement of the Swedish public. Thousands of school pupils are also invited to participate in the education programme, with free visits to the exhibition.

  • Unfortunately, we see anti-Semitism increasing throughout Europe, not least in Sweden and Malmö. I am very happy that Region Skåne has managed to get this extremely important exhibition, and to Malmö in particular. It addresses problems we see locally - but is also a natural continuation of the commitment Sweden is taking on in conjunction with the large Holocaust conference that is taking place in Malmö, says Carl Johan Sonesson (m), First Governor of Region Skåne.

“Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” provides a moving and meticulously researched window onto one of the darkest chapters in the history of humanity. It has the clear objective of allowing people to see first-hand how such a place could come to exist, serving as a universal warning against the dangers of hatred and intolerance. Visitors will experience an unforgettable reflection on the complex reality of the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp, the Holocaust and human nature itself.

We look forward to being a part of this project and how we can contribute in the best possible way. It is a great opportunity for young people in Sweden to get a chance to take part in a very well-thought-of exhibition about the Holocaust. The Living History Forum has extensive experience in developing educational resources for young people who want to learn more about the Holocaust, so we have a lot to contribute, says Caroline Källner, temporary superintendent at The Living History Forum.


AN UNPRECEDENTED COLLABORATION

The exhibition was conceived and designed by the Spanish company Musealia and a panel of experts led by the historian Dr. Robert Jan van Pelt, together with historians and curators from the Auschwitz Museum Research Center led by Dr. Piotr Setkiewicz as well as conservation experts and archivists from the institution, which is charged with the custody and management of the remains of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The exhibition has also benefited from the expertise of the US historian Michael Berembaum and the British educator and Holocaust expert Paul Salmons.

The large number of objects loaned by the Auschwitz–Birkenau Memorial and Museum and the fact that this is a travelling exhibition with an international scope make it an unprecedented collaboration. Covering a surface of 2,000 square metres, the collection comprises over 700 original objects from over 20 institutions, museums, and private collectors from around the world, in addition to previously unseen audiovisual material.


THE COLLECTION

This is the first time that the collection “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” will be on public display in Scandinavia.

The objects include a fragment of the original barracks from Auschwitz III-Monowitz (one of the parts of the Auschwitz camp complex established by the IG Farbeindustrie factory construction site)). There is an original wagon of the German railway company Deutsche Reichsbahn (the model used during the Second World War to transfer soldiers, prisoners of war and deported Jews to ghettos and extermination camps). It also includes structural elements from the camp itself, such as posts from Auschwitz fence, and many moving, small personal artefacts from the camp’s victims. Objects such as the desk of the first camp commandant Rudolf Höss show the world of the perpetrators, capturing the reality of the members of the SS, the elite Nazi corps that established and ran the camp.

These exceptional objects tell the story of Auschwitz in its entirety and represent the different groups of victims, including Jews who were deported for extermination, Poles, Sinti and Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and others.

The exhibition launch date will be announced soon at www.auschwitz.net and tickets will be available on the website in the coming months.


MUSEALIA

Musealia is an independent Spanish company that creates and manages travelling exhibitions that explore powerful stories from our past to illuminate the present and inspire new ways of thinking about our future. With more than 20 years of international experience, our exhibitions are characterised by their strong narrative character, their historical detail, educational value and emotional impact.

Our exhibitions have been hosted by more than 70 museums and institutions in countries such as the United States, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal, Estonia, Poland and Spain.

www.musealia.net


AUSCHWITZ–BIRKENAU MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM (POLAND)

Auschwitz is not only a memorial site. It is also a landmark for our civilisation. The word Auschwitz has become a distinctive cultural symbol, synonymous with the greatest fall of the values of humanity. Its importance has grown as the final witnesses of the Holocaust leave our world.

Located on the premises of the former German Nazi camp, the memorial and museum was created in 1947 as a result of the efforts of survivors. Its goal is to preserve the remains of the former camp, commemorate the victims and promote scientific and educational activities. The site occupies almost 200 hectares and comprises over 150 buildings and around 300 ruins, including remains of the gas chambers and crematoria, which the Nazi regime sought to destroy at the end of the war. It also includes collections, archives and the world’s most extensive collection of artworks on Auschwitz, numbering around 6,000 items.

The camp and its exhibitions are visited by over two million people a year.

www.auschwitz.org