The visit of MGW Director Albert Stankowski to Madrid received widespread coverage in the Spanish media. We present selected quotes from interviews published in the Spanish press in which Albert Stankowski discusses his work on the museum's permanent exhibition.
The director of the Warsaw Historical Museum presented the concept for the permanent exhibition in an interview with the EFE news agency . He noted that one gallery will be devoted to the history of the Jewish community in Warsaw from the late 19th century to 1939, while the others will present the history of the Warsaw Ghetto and the genesis of the Jewish resistance movement. He added that one gallery "will tell the story of genocides around the world." "Totalitarianism always begins with restrictions on civil rights, which gradually become more restrictive," he emphasized, adding that civil society plays a crucial role in stopping totalitarianism.
In an interview with a journalist from the El Debate portal , Albert Stankowski explained why the Museum will only open its doors to visitors in 2026:
"It's worth mentioning that the building at 60 Sienna Street in Warsaw housed a hospital until 2016. Furthermore, the former Berohnów and Baumanów Hospital, built in 1878, requires a thorough modernization – for example, it's currently not adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. This is a very expensive undertaking. Initially, they wanted to demolish the building and build a skyscraper on its site. The location – in the center of Warsaw, near the Old Town and the train station – is very attractive to developers. Fortunately, the city refused to allow this. The building was quickly added to the register of historical monuments, and from that moment on, companies lost interest in it. It began to deteriorate, so the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage decided to purchase it. The problem was that part of the land was privately owned, so it took some time."
When asked where the Museum's exhibits come from, he replied:
"From purchases, loans, and donations. For example, I spent five years searching for an anti-aircraft gun used in the uprising. I had a photo that appears in the film 'The Pianist .' I finally found it in a private collection in Switzerland. The exhibits come from all over the world. Sometimes it's very difficult to convince institutions to donate or loan an item. For example, it was difficult to loan the Stroop Report , which will be one of the Museum's most important exhibits. It was similar with the cart used to transport the bodies of the deceased from the ghetto—only one copy remains."
He added that the museum will focus on physical exhibits: "Interactivity is in vogue, but real objects have much greater power." He also emphasized the importance of survivors' testimonies: "It's hard to imagine how several million people could be murdered in such a short time. One generation knew about it, but the next finds it hard to believe. That's why it's so important to use the oral histories of Holocaust witnesses."
The media, including the Spanish version of the daily The Diplomat , also mentioned the MGW photography exhibition "City of the Living / City of the Dead" , the opening of which was attended by, among others, the Polish Ambassador to Spain, Anna Sroka , and the Israeli Ambassador to Spain , Rodica Radian-Gordon , who said: "The Holocaust has always served as a warning sign against the dangers of hatred, intolerance, racism and prejudice."
Albert Stankowski stayed in Spain at the invitation of the director of the Polish Institute in Madrid , Gabriela Słowińska.
The exhibition "City of the Living/City of the Dead" will run in the Spanish capital until May 25.
