Children of the war: New exhibition on forgotten fates in St. Pölten

Children of the war: New exhibition on forgotten fates in St. Pölten

On April 24, 2025, the new special exhibition "Children of War - Growing up between 1938 and 1955" will open in the Haus der History of the Lower Austria Museum in St. Pölten. This exhibition is the result of a collaboration with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for War Consequences Research and illuminates the moving life stories of contemporary witnesses that grew up during the Second World War and in the subsequent post -war period. The official opening will take place on Saturday, April 26th and offers a deep insight into the memories of a generation that had to grow up under incredible conditions, and that often share traumatic experiences.

As part of the exhibition, the stories of a total of 24 people of different origins are presented. It is interesting that many of them publicly tell their experiences for the first time. The topics range from the last few months of the shower dictatorship and the "connection" in 1938 to the beginning of the war 1939, the warlike at the end of 1945 and the occupation until 1955. The exhibits consist of personal memorabilia that bring the living environments of this time closer and impressively show how children suffered from the effects of bomb war, flight and the loss of relatives.

memories of a painful childhood

The exhibition also addresses the effects of the Nazi regime on childhood, including indoctrination in schools, the Hitler Youth and the Federation of German Girls. Many fathers were absent, either on the front or captivity, which demanded the responsibility and independence of the children at an early stage. Jews also experienced the atrocities of concentration camps and forced labor, with many lost their lives. These dimensions of growing up under extreme conditions illustrate the long -term psychological and social consequences for the children of that time and radiate to the present.

A special highlight of the exhibition is the presentation of portraits by photographer Stefan Hanke, who portrayed survivors of Nazi concentration and extermination camps in over 120 black and white photographs as part of his “KZ survives” project. These photographs show the survivors in their living environment or in places of their persecution and give the exhibition a highly emotional dimension.

educational order and access

The exhibition "Children of War" is aimed particularly at young people aged 13 and over and aims to raise awareness of the events of the Second World War. The conviction that the events and crimes of this war have an impact on the present is imparted by the topics dealt with in the exhibition. An international conference recently examined the living environments of children during the war and considered the topic to be extremely up to date. Historians and scientists from different countries took part in this conference and emphasized the importance of grasping the experiences of children as victims and acting subjects.

The exhibition "KZ survives" will be shown until August 31, while "Children of War" can be visited until January 17, 2027. The museum's opening times are from Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Interested parties can inform themselves at museumnoe.at or directly contact 02742/908090-0 at info@museumnoe.at.