The Second World War began on 1 September 1939 with the German attack on Poland. It ended on 8 May 1945 in Europe and on 2 September 1945 in Asia. Never before did a war cause the death of more people and more destruction. This is especially true for the war of conquest and annihilation led by the German Reich against the Soviet Union starting on 22 June 1941. The permanent exhibition documents this war from the perspective of both parties, German and Soviet. The territory occupied by the Wehrmacht was where the murder of European Jews began. But German warfare and occupation rule was also responsible for other crimes, like the mass death of Soviet prisoners of war in German custody or the planned starvation of millions of civilians. The consequences of World War II are also explored in the exhibition. They continue to the present day.

A catalogue has been published for the permanent exhibition. You can find more information here.