The Museum of Memory of the Victims of the Volhynia Massacre in Chełma will be completed with the aid of the Ministry of National Defence. The letter of intent on this substance was signed present by representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the city authorities. “This is an component of our memory policy,” said Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamish. The facility is due to open its doors next year.
“The Museum is not only to commemorate, but to teach and observe specified tragedies never again,” said Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz after signing a letter of intent on cooperation in the creation of the Museum of the Memorial of the Volynska Rzeci in Chełma. The establishment, which had been established for 4 years, could not be completed due to financial problems. The funds granted by the government in 2023 were withdrawn after the parliamentary elections, and the city itself was incapable to cope with specified a large investment. – The erstwhile concept was not implemented, so we were looking for an effective solution. The consequence is the decision to establish the facility as a branch of the Polish Army Museum – said Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz today.
The creation of thematic branches in MWP structures is not a novelty. The museum already has 2 akin branches – Katyń Museum in Warsaw and Museum of the Warsaw conflict of 1920 in Ossów. The 3rd – the Museum of conflict of Raclavice – is in the construction phase.
Film: MON
Thanks to cooperation with the Ministry of Defence, the Chełmska facility will besides gain access to unique archival resources of the MWP, and its specialists from the Military Historical Office will supply substantive support in preparing the exhibition. It is worth noting that prof. hab. Grzegorz Motyka, 1 of the most prominent experts in Polish-Ukrainian relations in the 20th century.
– We are doing this to make the wounds heal, not to scratch the wounds," said the head of the MON. The wound to heal must be cleaned and developed. Only then does he have a chance to heal," he added. According to Kosiniak-Kamish, the process of cleaning and developing the Volyn wound consists of exhumation and investigation at the scene, the memory of Poles about tragic events from 1943 to 1945 and the creation of a place of remembrance of genocide in Volyn. – To respect the existence of Poles who gave their lives in Volyn. For historical and contemporary memory, we request to make an investment that gives us a sense of fact and justice. And just for this, for the truth, we want this investment to be created as shortly as possible – noted Stanisław Wzątek, Undersecretary of State in MON.
The word “Volyńska slaughter” covers all activities aimed at the Polish population of Volynnia and east Galicia from 1943 to 1945. Politically inspired troops of the Ukrainian Insurgency Army and militants of the local Ukrainian population then conducted cultural cleansing on the Polish population. The nonsubjective of genocide was to make a unified nationality in the area, which would increase the chances of establishing a independent Ukrainian state after planet War II. The culmination of the crime was "Blood Sunday" On 11 July 1943, about 100 Polish towns were attacked in a coordinated action. In the operation of Ukrainian nationalists over 2 years, about 100,000 Poles died. Accurate estimates are unknown due to the problems that historians have encountered for years who want to conduct research.
