Wars

The Wars room tells the story of the existence of societies and economic issues during the two world wars of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. The dramatic wartime events are presented through the prism of financial losses and the war damage as well as from the perspective of human experience. The historical artefacts displayed in this room, including ID documents, labour books (Arbeitbusch) and food coupons, illustrate the German occupiers’ policy of exploitation and give us some sense of the hardships of everyday life of the times.

Historical documents, archival photos and means of payment, issued in occupied Polish territories during World War I and World War II, are on view in the room’s showcases. Some of them are unique, including, for example, an internal occupation currency issued by the Germans in the Łódź ghetto in 1940.

The suggestive and unsettling scenography alludes to the historical context, and visiting this section of the exhibition is like walking through a war-damaged town.