Museums in Western Europe

[iframe src=”https://www.google.com/fusiontables/embedviz?q=select+col2+from+1dXt_rccUADIgPIo4qKKqdR27rEkSsjgEcOxeIrLc&viz=MAP&h=false&lat=50.45833474787679&lng=9.667917149999994&t=1&z=5&l=col2&y=2&tmplt=2&hml=TWO_COL_LAT_LNG”]

Resistance and Deportation History Centre, Lyon, France

Centre d’Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation (CHRD)

 

“The Resistance and Deportation History Centre…is a powerfully symbolic place in the service of history and remembrance.” – CHRD Lyon

! Museum French Picture 2

According the museum website, the Resistance and Deportation History Centre aims to bring attention to acts of resistance in Lyon, France during World War II.  One of the most important aspects of the museum is information related to the trial of Klaus Barbie, who was head of the Gestapo in Lyon, for crimes against humanity. The website states history and remembrance as the museum’s main goals.  There is also a focus on education, as educational services for teachers and students are advertised as well.  The collections of the museums are comprised of“collections of posters, contemporary song sheets and materials coming from the great figures of the Resistance” as well as hundreds of video interviews with these people.  The museum has both a permanent and temporary exhibits.
! Museum French Picture 1
” Tchétchènes hors-sol (Chechen Above Ground)”, a 2009 CHRD Exhibition
One major issue with this museum’s website is that it is all in French, save for two pages: one in English and one in German.  Both of these pages attempt to communicate general information about the museum in a condensed format, but with limited results.  Visitors who do not understand French are able to click through the information in the different tabs across the top of the website and look at the images, but will not be able to learn any new information from the accompanying French text.  The limited information in English also prevents both relatively uninformed website viewers and people with more advanced knowledge about the Holocaust from learning much about the Holocaust from this website.  What educational information is available on the English page concerns only the French experience in World War II and the Holocaust, which could be a source of bias.  Furthermore, there is no general overview of the Holocaust or even a definition of the what the Holocaust is, which can lead to confusion for visitors who are not very familiar with this event.  Since the website is almost totally in French, it is also difficult to tell if it is well-organized or not.

Jewish Museum Berlin 

Jüdisches Museum Berlin

Arial View of Holocaust Museum

About the Museum

The Jewish Museum Berlin opened in September 2001 and the Academy opened in 2012. There are three different sections in the museum: the permanent exhibition, the temporary exhibitions, and the Academy. The permanent exhibition “chooses an unusual perspective on the history of Germany and German-speaking territories” in order to tell the story and experiences of the Jewish people during the Holocaust.

Exhibitions and Collections

The permanent exhibition which “chooses an unusual perspective on the history of Germany and German-speaking territories” memorializes the Holocaust partially on its website.  In addition to the many documents, artifacts, and photos which are posted on the site within their permanent exhibition, there are also special temporary exhibitions which have partial information and artifacts available.

Jewish Flag 1935

The Academy of the Jewish Museum Berlin

According to the Jewish Museum Berlin’s website, “[t]he Academy of the Jewish Museum Berlin is a place for research, discussion, and the exchange of ideas on Jewish history and culture as well as on questions of diversity in society. The The Academy enriches the Museum’s wide spectrum of activities with Academy programs on Migration and Diversity and a Jewish-Islamic Forum both of which provide a platform for discussing highly relevant sociopolitical themes.”

Jewish Museum Berlin

Publications

The website provides catalogs which “supplement and illustrate special exhibitions with academic, essayistic or anecdotal contributions from relevant authors.” In addition, the website is a series comprised of “firstly the new studies of the Jewish Museum Berlin, and secondly historical documents which illuminate different aspects and eras of Jewish life as well as material for schools.” Lastly, a bilingual JMB Journal that comes out twice a year “looks at current themes, analyzing, discussing and shaping topical debates on politics and culture.”

 

Anne Frank Museum, Netherlands 

Het Anne Frank Huis: Een Museum met een Verhaal

Anne Frank Website Title Page

About the Museum

This museum website describes itself as “a museum with a story”. This website is offered partially in over thirty languages and completely in Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. The website is not just about the museum itself, but also about educating people about the life of Anne Frank and how it fits into the historical significance of the Holocaust and World War II.

Museum Site View

Exhibitions and Collections

This part of the website is broken down into sections which explain practical information, collections, exhibitions, education, news, and other resources. The Collections and Exhibitions sections are not as extensive as the entirety of the museum. Instead, they have photos of mostly the house where Anne hid and wrote her diary. These sections highly suggest visiting or contacting the museum if more information is wanted.

For ten years the Anne Frank House has been searching for new facts about the Frank family. In the lead-up to the 85th anniversary of Anne’s birth, in June, a more complete history of her life is being published in a series in Het Parool.
For ten years the Anne Frank House has been searching for new facts about the Frank family. In the lead-up to the 85th anniversary of Anne’s birth, in June, a more complete history of her life is being published in a series in Het Parool.

The Anne Frank Story

This section gives a brief breakdown of life in Germany, specifically for Anne Frank and her family, between the years of 1925 and 1947. This part of the website is extremely valuable. especially for those who have little to no experience with WWII or the Holocaust. This is the section which provides the most online information in relation to the collections and exhibitions section.

“Our little room looked very bare at first with nothing on the walls; but thanks to Daddy who had brought my film-star collection and picture postcards on beforehand, and with the aid of a paste pot and brush, I have transformed the walls into one gigantic picture. This makes it look much more cheerful…” (The Diary of Anne Frank, July 11, 1942)

Mauthausen Memorial Museum 

KZ-Gedenkstatte Mauthausen 

It was erected on the basis of plans by the SS to establish a special Austrian concentration camp for men and to create greater detention capacities in preparation for the impending war.
Mauthausen concentration camp was erected on the basis of plans by the SS, who wished to establish a special Austrian concentration camp for men and to create greater detention capacities in preparation for the impending war.

About the Museum’s Website

Although this museum website is available in German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Spanish, and Czech, it is not very user-friendly if you are interested in seeing artifacts, photos, or other primary sources on the site itself. Instead, the site provides contact information within each subsection (see example below). The majority of the online commemoration of the Holocaust through the Mauthausen Memorial Museum is done by events held by the MKÖ (see examples below).

Archive

Commemoration of the Liberation of Mauthausen by the MKÖ in 2006

Commemoration Ceremony

“Around 12,000 visitors took part on 7 May 2006 in the 61st commemoration of the liberation of Mauthausen concentration camp. This year’s commemoration was devoted to “Women and girls as inmates in Mauthausen concentration camp”.”

Commemoration of the Liberation of Mauthausen by the MKÖ in 2008

Commemoration Ceremony

“Around 7,000 guests from all over the world took part in a commemoration on Sunday, 18 May 2008 to mark the 63rd anniversary of the liberation of Mauthausen concentration camp. The theme of the commemoration this year was European resistance to Nazism. The commemoration commenced as usual with a service at the Jewish monument at the Memorial, followed by an ecumenical service in the chapel and the traditional international youth march. Guests were welcomed by Federal Minister Erwin Buchinger.”

Exhibitions and Collections

The museum’s collections are extensive.  It has both permanent and temporary exhibitions as well as a room of names, which consists of crime scene information, eye-witness stories, and photos of the concentration camp itself. Their online collection, however, is limited to large texts and very few photos.

Inside of the Mauthausen Museum

The Room of Names

“Currently more than 81,000 people who died at Mauthausen and its satellite camps between 1938 and 1945 are known by name. An effort was made to use the original spelling wherever possible. This Room of Names aims to show the scale of the mass murder of people from more than 40 countries and to create a dignified memorial for all victims that does not form hierarchies on the basis of victim groups.” -Mauthausen Memorial Museum

Student analysis of websites about the Holocaust