Chełmno

At the museum at Chełmno swastikas are very prominent in the displays. A nice Polish guide in his 20s offered a short introduction to the complex. He used the phrase „the Germans“ four times – I counted because the first time was so noticeable to me. He didn’t say „Nazis“ once. He also talked about „the Jews“ being killed, rather than „Poles“, which I found interesting partly because this differs from the narrative I found at Auschwitz in October. Language on the memorial plaques document the transition, from „Nazis“, „Nazi beasts“, before 2010 or so to the very consistent „Germans“ of today.

Bookmark the permalink.