The Campaign: &nbsp;To mark the 80th anniversary of WWII’s end, Europe Remembers is launching a digital storytelling campaign across social media to reflect the wide range of experiences connected to the war’s conclusion. &nbsp;We want to hear stories about how your family, neighborhood, or town experienced the end of the war—and when it really felt like peace had arrived. &nbsp;Call to Action: &nbsp;We invite you to share your story, in your own words or images via a short video. Whether it’s a family memory, a local event, a personal discovery, or a forgotten moment in your community’s history—we want to hear it. &nbsp;You can contribute: &nbsp;<ul><li>Your Family’s Story: Share memories passed down through generations, photos, letters, diaries, or interviews with relatives who remember how it ended. &nbsp;</li></ul><ul><li>Your Neighborhood or Town’s Story: Is there a plaque, monument, or building in your area connected to WWII’s end? Are there untold or overlooked stories worth bringing to light? &nbsp;</li></ul>If you’re not comfortable filming a video, you’re welcome to send a written story. &nbsp;There’s space for creativity! &nbsp; Your contribution can take the form of an interview, a personal reflection in first person, a narrated story in third person, or anything else that pops into your mind. The format is flexible, and we encourage you to get creative in the way you bring the memory to life. &nbsp;Feel free to speak your native language. &nbsp; Stories can be shared in the language that feels most natural to you. If needed, we’ll work with you to add subtitles so your voice can reach as many people as possible. &nbsp;Submission Guidelines: &nbsp;<ul><li>Video format: Vertical, max 1 minute 30 seconds &nbsp;</li></ul><ul><li>Deadline: May 5, 2025 &nbsp;</li></ul><ul><li>Send to: &nbsp; Viola Scalacci – Communication Officer &nbsp; 📧 info@liberationroute.com 📤 Use <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://wetransfer.com/">https://wetransfer.com/</a> for large video files &nbsp;</li></ul>Visibility: &nbsp;Selected stories will be featured on Europe Remembers’ official Instagram, Facebook, and Website as part of our #IRemember series. &nbsp;We also encourage you to share your stories on your own platforms using the hashtag #IRemember to help amplify a more inclusive and diverse remembrance of WWII’s end.&nbsp;Join us in sharing these stories and creating a more inclusive narrative of the end of WWII.

Call for Stories: #IRemember  

The Story of Marie Schmolková&nbsp;Marie Schmolková, born in 1893 in Prague,&nbsp;was one of the leading figures in social work for refugees in Czechoslovakia in the late 1930s. When the Nazis rose to power in Germany in 1933, Marie played a crucial role in assisting refugees, especially German communists and social democrats, by arranging visas, housing, financial aid, and jobs. &nbsp;Due to her experience, she became the president of the National Coordinating Committee for Refugees in Czechoslovakia and the country’s only representative at the&nbsp;Évian&nbsp;Conference in France. From 6 to 15 July 1938, representatives from 32 countries and observers from 24 voluntary organizations took part in a conference that addressed the Jewish refugee crisis in Évian-les-Bains, on the shores of Lake Geneva.Her meeting with Doreen Warriner and Organising the “Kindertransporte”&nbsp;In September 1938, the Munich Agreement forced Czechoslovakia to give up the Sudetenland region, resulting in a refugee crisis with over 100 000 Czech Jews and political opponents of Nazism. Marie Schmolková gathered evidence and appealed for help, but only the United Kingdom agreed to take in unaccompanied Jewish children.&nbsp;It was during this time that Schmolková met British woman Doreen Warriner, feminist and internationalist with an interest in Eastern Europe. Warriner had arrived in Prague in October 1938 as a representative of the British Committee for Refugees (BCRC). Both women, overwhelmed by the number of refugees needing assistance, turned to Martin Blake and Nicholas Winton to help implement the “Kindertransport” (transport for children) plan that Warriner has developed.Schmolková provided lists of children in danger, and together, they worked urgently to rescue as many children as possible, ensuring their safe passage to the UK. Initially, they focused on political refugees before shifting to Jewish children as Czechoslovakia was facing occupation by Nazi Germany. In total, they managed to evacuate 669 children from Czechoslovakia to Britain. This rescue operation is often associated with Nicolas Winton’s name, but it’s important to recognize that many other brave men and women, including Doreen Warriner and Marie Schmolková, played vital roles in making it happen.Escape to the UK&nbsp;When Nazi Germany annexed Czechoslovakia on March 15, 1939, Marie Schmolková was arrested by the Gestapo (German Secret State Police) and imprisoned for two months, enduring harsh interrogations in adverse circumstances, as she was diabetic. Schmolková was released in May 1939 due to protests from feminist and suffrage activist Františka Plamínková, who was later executed by the Nazis. Doreen Warriner also left Czechoslovakia upon learning that the Gestapo planned to arrest her.&nbsp;In 1941, Warriner was awarded the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her efforts in helping refugees in Czechoslovakia in 1938 and 1939. She continued her meaningful work, including leading the food-supply division of the UN Relief and Rehabilitation Administration’s Yugoslavian mission. Later, she returned to academia, teaching at the University of London’s School of Slavic and East European Studies.Overlooked stories&nbsp;Although some historians and history enthusiasts are working on making stories of women more visible, most of the names and deeds remain forgotten or overshadowed by men’s stories. Nicolas Winton, for instance, was nominated multiple times for the Nobel Peace Prize and celebrated in several films, has often been hailed as the hero of the children’s transports. &nbsp;While Winton unquestionably acted heroically, the majority of those involved in conceiving and organizing the relief work in both Britain and Czechoslovakia were women. Doreen Warriner and Marie Schmolková were among those who helped save thousands of lives. Their courage, dedication, and compassion deserve to be remembered.Sources:&nbsp;&nbsp;Brade, Laura E. and Rose Holmes. "Troublesome Sainthood: Nicholas Winton and the Contested History of Child Rescue in Prague, 1938–1940." History &amp; Memory, vol. 29 no. 1, 2017, p. 3-40. Project MUSE, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2979/histmemo.29.1.0003">https://dx.doi.org/10.2979/histmemo.29.1.0003</a>.&nbsp;Warriner, Doreen. “Winter in Prague.” The Slavonic and East European Review, vol. 62, no. 2, 1984, pp. 209–40. JSTOR, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/4208852">http://www.jstor.org/stable/4208852</a>. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.London, Louise. "Refugees from Czechoslovakia". Whitehall and the Jews, 1933-1948: British Immigration Policy, Jewish Refugees and the Holocaust. Cambridge University Press. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="Hyperlink SCXW266118318 BCX8" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)">ISBN</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="Hyperlink SCXW266118318 BCX8" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-521-53449-6">0-521-53449-6</a>.&nbsp;Hájková, Anna. “Marie Schmolka and the Group Effort.” History Today, vol. 68. 2018. ISSN 0018-2753.&nbsp;

Two Women Who Helped Save Thousands of Lives in Czechoslovakia 

The 1937 "Degenerate Art" Exhibition: A Political Weapon&nbsp;The Nazi campaign against modern art began almost immediately after Hitler’s rise to power in 1933. The regime sought to eliminate artistic movements that did not align with its ideology, favoring instead art that depicted heroic Aryan figures, nationalist themes, and rural German landscapes. Works that were abstract, experimental, or created by Jewish or leftist artists were labeled “degenerate” and purged from museums.&nbsp;In 1937, the Nazi Ministry of Propaganda, led by Joseph Goebbels, organized the “Entartete Kunst” exhibition in Munich, displaying 700 confiscated works in a deliberately mocking presentation. Artists such as Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky, George Grosz, and Otto Dix were prominently featured, their work accompanied by demeaning captions meant to discredit modernism. Meanwhile, a parallel exhibition, "The Great German Art Exhibition," was staged to promote the state-approved, classical art style favored by the Nazis.&nbsp;Despite its propagandistic purpose, the “Degenerate Art” exhibition attracted between two and three million visitors, making it one of the most attended art exhibitions of its time. What was intended as an act of condemnation inadvertently became one of the largest showcases of avant-garde art in the 1930s.The Fate of “Degenerate Art”&nbsp;The Nazis systematically removed more than 16,500 modernist artworks from German museums. Some were destroyed—over 5,000 pieces were burned in Berlin in 1939—while others were sold abroad through carefully controlled auctions. These sales were intended to generate foreign currency for the regime, though many collectors refused to participate, unwilling to financially support the Nazis.&nbsp;Many artists faced persecution. Some, like Felix Nussbaum, were deported and murdered in Nazi camps. Others, such as Otto Dix and Emil Nolde, experienced professional ruin. Those who remained in Germany sometimes withdrew from public life, living in what was called “inner exile.”&nbsp;While the Nazis sought to erase avant-garde art from public life, many of the artists labeled as “degenerate” went on to shape 20th-century art history. Picasso, Chagall, and Kandinsky are now considered masters of modernism, and institutions worldwide have reclaimed and restored many of the works once deemed unworthy.A New Look at “Degenerate Art” in Paris&nbsp;The Picasso Museum’s exhibition is the first large-scale presentation of this topic in France in over three decades.&nbsp; It benefits from new discoveries, including artworks hidden by the family of Hildebrand Gurlitt, one of the Nazi-approved art dealers, and pieces recently recovered from bombed storage sites.&nbsp;&nbsp;One striking feature is a wall listing all artists labeled “degenerate” by the Nazis, with those included in the exhibition highlighted in black. This visual representation underscores the scale of the cultural suppression. The exhibition also examines the looting and sale of modernist works, revealing the role of art markets in Nazi economic strategies.

“Degenerate Art”: The Nazi Attack on Modern Art 

In the municipality of Geldrop – Mierlo, the official ceremony is held at the British War Cemetery. In collaboration with the Municipality and the Oranje Committee Mierlo, the “De Drie Harten” foundation organizes the commemoration at the British War Cemetery on Geldropseweg. During this event, not only are those who fell during World War II remembered, but also those who continue to fight for peace today. Thanks to the contributions of the mayor, a representative of the municipal council, clergy, scouting groups, musical bands, choirs, the Guilds of Geldrop-Mierlo, and speakers, a solemn commemoration takes place every year.

The Netherlands

Dodenherdenking (Remembrance Day)

With the performance ‘We'll meet again’, singing trio The Forces Sweethearts reflects on 80 years of freedom in the Netherlands. Memories are brought to life thanks to beautiful stories and anecdotes from the time surrounding World War II. All this will be framed musically by music from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Think of the big hits by Vera Lynn, Doris Day and, of course, The Andrews Sisters. Do you remember them? ‘Bei mir bist du schon’, ‘Rum and coca cola’, ‘Those were the days’ and of course ‘We'll meet again’! Thanks to their beautiful three-part vocals, swinging dance moves and stylish outfits, The Forces Sweethearts will make this performance a feast of recognition and allow us to reflect together on this special milestone.

Theatre concert 'We'll meet again'- 80 years freedom

After long years of absence of freedom Pilsen celebrated its 45th Anniversary of the liberation by the US Army in 1990 with the participation of the president Václav Havel and the US Ambassador in Prague Shirley Temple Black. Together with the living history clubs, the City of Pilsen preserves the tradition of celebrating the liberation, that is why the first days in May belong to the Liberation Festival. For this event, visitors from all around the world come to celebrate - with the citizens, American veterans, their family relative at present respectively – the freedom. Traditional parts of the celebrations are commemorative acts at the memorials of the American units participating in the liberation of the city, the unique display of vintage military vehicles Convoy of Liberty and the presentation of the living history clubs offering impressive interpretation of history with the period equipment and gear held on a year basis. The military history program is enhanced by culture show intended for the broad public with the participation of Czech and foreign performers.The Liberation Festival is unforgettable experience with its unique atmosphere remembering the contribution of the US Army to the liberation of Europe.

Czech Republic

Liberation Festival Pilsen - the liberation by the US Army

Please note: this meeting is already fully booked.80 years of NIOD&nbsp;Just days after the German capitulation in 1945, the National Institute for War Documentation was established. Since then, the institute has played a vital role through its academic research and historical collections in keeping alive the memory of the years of occupation and the Holocaust, while also contributing to a critical historical analysis of these profound events. Over time, NIOD has broadened its scope to include genocides and other forms of mass violence both within and beyond Europe—particularly within colonial contexts—making these integral parts of the institute’s field of work.&nbsp;Shifting perspectives on war&nbsp; How do you document a war, and how do you write its history? How has the way the Netherlands reflects on the experiences of World War II evolved over time? In his lecture, Kees Ribbens explores how approaches to this and other 20th-century wars have developed since 1945. Using the history of NIOD and the historiography and public debates surrounding WWII, he analyzes how the Dutch confront their own wartime past and the war experiences of new Dutch citizens. What recent developments, both domestic and international, influence the way we remember and perceive war?&nbsp;&nbsp;Time and location&nbsp; – May 7, 2025, 10:00–11:30 AM, followed by coffee&nbsp; – The Trippenhuis, Kloveniersburgwal 29, Amsterdam&nbsp;&nbsp;Registration&nbsp; Registration is required for this event. You can sign up via <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="Hyperlink SCXW3149377 BCX8" href="https://www.lyyti.fi/reg/NIOD_jaarlezing_9173?utm_source=Mailing+Lijst&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Uitnodiging+80+jaar+NIOD">this link</a>. Please note: if you wish to attend with multiple people, each person must fill out a separate registration form.&nbsp;

80 years of NIOD

<h4>Part 1: Smuggling Reenactment &amp; Procession (26 April, 1-4pm)</h4>Feel the pulse of history as a dramatic boat-smuggling reenactment unfolds. Join the procession from Norman’s Warehouse to Gorey Pier, following a horse-drawn cart symbolizing wartime escapes. Along the way, musical performances will bring the story to life, with stops at Georgetown, Grouville Church, and Gorey Church.After D-Day, brave Jersey men risked their lives to escape Nazi-occupied Jersey for France. Relive this compelling history as musicians and reenactors tell their story through song and procession, blending heritage and artistry for an unforgettable afternoon.<hr><h4>Part 2: Granville RIB Adventure &amp; Concert (17 May, 8:30am–1:30pm)</h4>Recreate the daring escape from Jersey to France aboard a high-speed RIB departing Gorey at 8:30am. Cross the Channel to the beautiful port of Granville, where you’ll explore the historic town and attend a stirring event at Notre-Dame de Granville (11:30am–12:15pm). Through dramatic readings and live music, the stories of escapees come vividly to life.Return to Jersey by 1:30pm, but the adventure doesn’t end there! Join us for Part 3, an evening concert at Gouray Church (6pm) where a renowned string quartet will perform a captivating program inspired by the seas.<hr><h4>Part 3: The Gorey Story &amp; Boat Launch (17 May, 6–7:30pm)</h4>End your journey with an emotionally charged concert at Gouray Church featuring acclaimed violinist Harriet Mackenzie, violist Dorothea Vogel, and cellist Urška Horvat. Immerse yourself in hauntingly beautiful music inspired by the courage of those who fled Jersey by boat between 1944-1945.As night falls, witness the ceremonial launch of the escape boat at Gorey Harbour (7:30pm), a symbolic tribute to the spirit of resilience and hope that defined this pivotal time in history.<hr>✨ Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime journey into history, brought to life with music, adventure, and storytelling.📅 For Tickets: Call 01534 761767 or visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.musicjersey.com">www.musicjersey.com</a>.

Jersey

Escape to France: A Three-part Experience

<h4>Discover some of the best preserved WW2 Fortifications in Europe!</h4>The Channel Island Occupation Society (CIOS) Jersey is a voluntary registered charity that has been preserving, restoring and opening German fortifications for around 50 years and has under its wing an impressive range of the standard types of fortifications (Regelbau) constructed locally with most constructed to strict ‘Fortress Standards’ with 2 meter thick concrete reinforced walls and roofs. Many of these structures are restored to near operation condition as well as presenting details of the original crew who manned them and the forced labour used in the construction. A visit to one of our open days will present you with a working atmosphere feel with the chance to get hands on with equipment used at the time as well as events with living history groups presenting relevant displays. How or when can I visit? We open the three largest sites in our care regularly, with details below, which are Battery Lothringen (Noirmont Point), Strongpoint Corbiere and Battery Moltke (Les Landes Common), along with other openings that be pre-advertised on CIOS social media platforms. Visit any of our sites on a guided tour with the experts at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.jerseybunkertours.com/">Jersey War Tours</a> or join us on one of our open days!RESISTANCE NEST MILLBROOK | Regelbau 631b Flanking Anti-Tank Gun Casemate for a 4.7cm Gun with coaxial Machine Gun. INFANTRY RESISTANCE NEST LA CARRIERE | Regelbau 631 Flanking Anti-Tank Gun Casemate for a 4.7cm gun with coaxial machine gun and a Regelbau Jaegerstand Coastal Defense Gun Casemate.‘KERNWERK’ BATTLE HEADQUARTERS AT L’ALEVAL | Regelbau Kanalinsel Nr. 531 Infantry Regiment Command Post.INFANTRY RESISTANCE NEST LA MARE MILL | Regelbau Wa.Prüf 543 4-Loopholed Heavy Machine Gun Turret Bunker. *Currently closed while undergoing renovation*BATTERY LOTHRINGEN | Kriegsmarine (Naval) 15cm coastal artillery battery. Regelbau M 132 Leitstand (Command Bunker) &amp; Naval Direction and Range Finding Tower MP1 plus multiple other constructions in the battery.Confirmed Sunday Opening Times 2-5pm | May 18th, June 15th, July 20th, August 17th, September 21st &amp; October 19th Admission: Adults £8, under 16s free. INFANTRY STRONGPOINT CORBIERE | Early Type Regelbau 633 5cm M19 automatic Fortress Mortar Bunker connected to a Regelbau 634 6-Loopholed Heavy Machine Gun Turret Bunker, Regelbau Jaegerstand Coastal Defence Gun Casemate “Kanone 2” for mounting a 10.5cm gun, Regelbau Kanalinsel Nr. 514 Group Personnel Shelter &amp; Regelbau Jaegerstand Coastal Defence Gun Casemate “Kanone 1” for mounting a 10.5cm gunConfirmed Sunday Opening Times 2-5pm with a minimum of 3 bunkers open | April 27th, May 11th, June 8th &amp; 29th, July 6th, August 3rd, September 7th &amp; October 5thAdmission: Adults £10, under 16s free.KRIEGSMARINE STRONGPOINT BUTTS AT LES LANDES COMMON | Naval Direction and Range Finding Tower MP3 and a Regelbau Fl 242 2cm Anti-Aircraft Gun Emplacement.BATTERY ‘MOLTKE’ AT LES LANDES COMMON | The position consists of the following interconnected structures: Regelbau M 151 Personnel Shelter for 25 Men , Regelbau M 153 Emplacement for a 15cm Turreted Naval Gun, 2 x Regelbau 512 Ammunition bunkers and a ‘temporary’ Emplacement for a 155mm Field Gun. Confirmed Sunday Opening Times 2-5pm | May 4th, June 1st, July 6th, August 3rd, September 7th &amp; October 5th Admission: Adults £8, under 16s free.

Channel Island Occupation Society: Bunker Open Days

The exhibition The Underground Camera is inspired by the celebrations of Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary and 80 years of liberation. With their photographs, The Underground Camera group made a significant contribution to the image of the Second World War. The photographers were recruited by members of the resistance, with the aim of informing the Dutch government in London. They worked independently and under the dangerous conditions of an occupied city, with hard-to-obtain, often poor-quality equipment. The exhibition provides an impressive picture of the consequences of hunger and cold in the dismantled Amsterdam at the end of the war.The group of photographers included Cas Oorthuys, Emmy Andriesse, Charles Breijer, Kryn Taconis, and Ad Windig, among others.The exhibition will be opened on Thursday 1&nbsp;May by the mayor of Amsterdam Femke Halsema. Join us from 17.30 until&nbsp;21.00 hrs for this celebratory event at Foam. Learn more: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.foam.org/events/opening-ondergedoken-camera">Opening The Underground Camera | Foam: all about photography</a>

The Underground Camera

The 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day will be marked this year with a series of events and celebrations that will share stories of the Second World War generation.&nbsp;Victory in Europe (VE Day), which takes place on 8 May, marks the Allied victory in Europe. The news resulted in millions celebrating the end of the war, with street parties, dancing and singing across the country. The war in the Far East did not end until 15 August 1945 with VJ Day (Victory Over Japan).The commemorations will pay tribute to the millions of people across the UK and Commonwealth who served in the Second World War, telling the stories of those who fought, the children who were evacuated, and those who stepped into the essential roles on the Home Front.The early May Bank Holiday will see the beginning of the events to mark VE and VJ Day 80 with events planned including a Military procession and flypast of current and historic military aircraft, the return of the poppies to the Tower of London and a nationwide call for families to delve into their lofts and discover their own Second World War stories:<h3 style="text-align: start">Monday 5 May:</h3><ul><li>To ensure the commemorations act as a point of remembrance of the millions who lost their lives in the conflict as well as a celebration of peace, the commemorations will begin in Whitehall. The Cenotaph, the nation’s focal point of remembrance, will be dressed in Union Flags for the duration of the four day commemorations, echoing the 1920 unveiling of the monument to the fallen. From Monday 5 May, it will provide a focal point for the commemorations and a place to pay silent tribute to all those who died, both at home and abroad, during the Second World War.</li><li>To honour and remember those who fell during the Second World War, there will be a Military procession from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace followed by a flypast of current and historic military aircraft including the famous Red Arrows.</li><li>The VE Day 80 commemorations will continue with a street party on HMS Belfast. HMS Belfast fired some of the opening shots on D Day in 1944 and protected Arctic convoys during the Second World War and is the most significant surviving Second World War warship.</li><li>Street parties, barbecues and community get togethers, supported by ideas and inspiration from The Together Coalition and The Big Lunch, will be held by communities across the country, echoing the celebrations 80 years ago as the population welcomed the end of the war.</li></ul>

United Kingdom

Cenotaph draped in Union Flags, Westminster Abbey service, concert and Flypast among plans unveiled to mark VE Day 80

<h3 style="text-align: start">Tuesday 6 May:</h3><ul><li>An installation of ceramic poppies will return to the Tower of London to mark the anniversary. Nearly 30,000 of the original poppies from the 2014 display at the Tower, which commemorated the centenary of the First World War, will be displayed in a new installation within the walls of the fortress. This poppies installation will resemble a ‘wound’ at the heart of the Tower, which was itself bombed during the Blitz and still bears some of those scars today.&nbsp; It will mark and reflect on the sacrifices made by so many during the Second World War.</li><li>Historic landmarks across the UK will be lit up this evening.</li></ul>

Interview with Mathieu Billa (Bastogne War Museum)

From moving veteran testimonies to thrilling reenactments, vintage planes, concerts, and moments with actors from Band of Brothers, the event was a powerful tribute this important part of history.

Commemorate the end of WWII – 80 years later

Featured events

Dodenherdenking (Remembrance Day)

Theatre concert 'We'll meet again'- 80 years freedom

Liberation Festival Pilsen - the liberation by the US Army

80 years of NIOD

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Escape to France: A Three-part Experience

Channel Island Occupation Society: Bunker Open Days

The Underground Camera

Liberation Festival Pilsen - the liberation by the US Army

Dodenherdenking (Remembrance Day)

Theatre concert 'We'll meet again'- 80 years freedom

Cenotaph draped in Union Flags, Westminster Abbey service, concert and Flypast among plans unveiled to mark VE Day 80

Cenotaph draped in Union Flags, Westminster Abbey service, concert and Flypast among plans unveiled to mark VE Day 80

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Interview with Mathieu Billa (Bastogne War Museum)

80th anniversary NUTS Weekend 2024

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Call for Stories: #IRemember

Two Women Who Helped Save Thousands of Lives in Czechoslovakia

“Degenerate Art”: The Nazi Attack on Modern Art

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