Destinations

The General Patton Memorial Museum in Ettelbruck was inaugurated in 1995. The museum is dedicated to General George Patton, commander of the 3rd US Army, whose troops liberated the town in December 1944. More than 1,000 photographs and documents are displayed relating to the German invasion, as well as weapons and pieces of equipment discovered on the Ardennes battlefield.

The German Naval Museum tells the history of the naval town of Wilhelmshaven, Germany from 1869 and including both World Wars. The WWII artefacts’ collection includes a Seehund, a two-man submarine, a barrel of the Kreuzer Köln, a ship bell, and other items. A cruise tour from the museum is also available.

The Zeitgeschichtliches Forum in Leipzig, Germany was built in 1999 with the aim of presenting Germany’s history since the end of WWII. The museum displays one permanent exhibition and up to three temporary exhibitions every year. The permanent exhibition offers

The Bunkermuseum in Hamburg, Germany is located in an original air-raid shelter used during the Second World War. The museum explains how life was in the bunkers during bombardments, through personal reports of people who lived there, documents and large-scale photographs.

The Bunkermuseum Schlei on the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog is housed in a bunker used during the Second World War by the German army. The museum provides information relating to the Second World War on Schiermonnikoog. During the Second World

The Four-a-Chaux is a Maginot Line fortress in Lembach, Alsace built between 1930 and 1935 and covering an area of 26 hectares. The guided visit of the fortress features the living quarters and equipment used to operate the cannons and moving turrets. It also provides information on the Maginot Line and the forts of the region.

The Army Museum in Paris, created in 1905, is one of the biggest museums of military art and history in the world. Its Contemporary Department retraces the story of the French Army from the period 1871 to 1945 and thus covers both World Wars. The Army Museum encompasses the Historial Charles de Gaulle and the Museum of the Order of the Liberation.

The Documentation and Information Centre (DIZ) Torgau, part of the Saxon Memorial Foundation, confronts the history of Torgau as a major hub of the National Socialist military judiciary during the Second World War as well as the personal stories of

One of its kind in France, the Mémorial de Caen Museum gives the public the keys to understanding the Second World War, from its origins after the First World War to its latest consequences in 1989. It prompts the visitor to ask himself questions about this rapidly fading episode that changed the face of Europe and the world.

The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre was opened to the public in 1998 on an original WWII airfield in Lincolnshire, England. The centrepiece of the museum is the Avro Lancaster NX611 ‘Just Jane’, one of three working Lancasters worldwide. Other aircraft, military vehicles and a large private collection of wartime photographs are on display in the museum exhibitions.

The Museum shows the course of events during the Battle of Arnhem. This took place in September 1944 in the area between Ede and Arnhem and formed part of the Operation Market Garden. British, American and Polish airborne troops were to take control of the river bridges from the Belgian border to Arnhem.

The Saint-Marcouf (or Crisbecq) artillery battery played a major role during the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, as it challenged the Allied fleet in front of Utah Beach and offered resistance to the progress of American forces. The museum enables visitors to discover how the defence of the German army along the ‘Atlantic Wall’ was organised.

The Museum of the Liberation in Via Tasso, Rome, is the symbolic place of the Nazi occupation of the Italian capital. The museum occupies an entire building which was used as a prison by the Sicherheitspolizei, the Nazi Security Police

The Schoenenbourg Fort is the most important Maginot Line fortification in Alsace, France. The fort has been open to the public since 1978. The barracks and kitchens, the command post, gun positions and other former locations can be visited. The museum presents documents on the history of the Maginot Line and on military life in a fort.

The Memorial Site of Dachau concentration camp was established in 1965 on the grounds of the former camp. The main exhibition focuses on the fate of the prisoners.

A small museum that remembers the air raid shelters of WWII and the shelters of the Cold War in Maastricht. The exhibition is in the ancient mining galleries of the Maastricht Fortress. Actual opening hours can be found on www.schuileninmaastricht.nl. Entrance is free.

The Wolf’s Lair in Kętrzyn, Poland, was Hitler’s headquarters on the Eastern Front. The secret complex system of around 200 buildings was built in the fall of 1940. It included 50 huge bunkers, shelters, barracks, two airports, an electric power station, a railway station and a waterworks. Most of the complex was destroyed by the German army towards the end of the war.

Opened in January 2018, the International Bomber Command Centre was established to preserve the stories and experiences of the thousands of British and Allied servicemen and women who served during the war, as well as the civilians affected by the bombing campaign.

Opened in 2002 and located at Salford Quays in Greater Manchester, IWM North is one of the five branches of the Imperial War Museum. Its iconic building was designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind. The museum comprises different permanent and temporary exhibitions presenting the story of modern war and conflict since 1917.

The National Military Museum (Nationaal Militair Museum), housed in the former air base in Soesterberg, is dedicated to the Dutch armed forces. The museum combines the collections of the former Military Aviation Museum in Soesterberg and Army Museum in Delft.

The Polish Post Museum in Gdańsk was founded on 1 September 1979, on the 40th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War. It tells the story of the Polish community in Gdańsk between 1920 and 1939. The culminating point of the narrative is the story of 1 September 1939, when at 04:45 the no. 1 Polish Post and Telegraph Office was attacked by the Germans.

The HMS Belfast warship is a floating museum which was originally a Royal Navy light cruiser. It became a branch of the Imperial War Museum in 1978. The ship is permanently moored on the Thames river next to Tower Bridge. The museum tells the personal stories of the crew who lived and served on board during the Second World War.

The Patton Memorial Pilsen was opened in May 2005 on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the city of Pilsen. The museum retraces the advance of the US Army led by General Patton in WWII. More than a thousand

The Natzweiler Struthof concentration camp operated from April 1941 until September 1944. During this time an estimated 22.000 inmates died to disease, exhaustion, maltreatment or execution by the camp guards. The former camp currently houses a museum and the European centre of deported resistance members.

At the end of the Second World War the Austrian SS-commander Otto Skorzeny was for the Allies ’the most wanted man in Europ’. During the Ardennes Offensive he commanded a special unit, that was trained to take bridges on the Meuse and to disorganize the Allied troops.

The air forces of England, the United States and Germany had numerous different types of aeroplane in active service and remnants of a number of them are on show – for example, engines, propellors, undercarriages, wing panels, oxygen cylinders and cockpit instruments. In addition there are other items which were on board when the plane crashed, such as flying kit, navigational documents, guns, ammunition and radio equipment.

The Camp des Milles Memorial in Aix-en-Provence opened in 1993 and serves as both a museum and a place of memory. The Memorial was built on the grounds of a former French internment camp which was constructed in 1939. The Memorial offers an educational approach and aims to reinforce the vigilance and responsibility of citizens toward racism, anti-Semitism and all fanaticisms.

Memorial Museum of the Maginot Line of the Rhine, Marckolsheim commemorates the fierce fighting of 15, 16 and 17 June 1940, which resulted in the destruction of over 80% of the town. The original firing chambers, generating unit, sleeping quarters and command post can be visited. The museum presents photographs taken in 1939 and 1940 as well as original weapons and military vehicles.

The Museum of the Second World War was launched in November 2008 and is located in Gdańsk. The museum is situated 200 metres from the historic Polish Post Office and 3 kilometres across the water from Westerplatte Peninsula. The German attack on these places marked the beginning of the Second World War in September 1939.

The Anzio Beachhead Museum is devoted to the Allied amphibious landing on 22 January 1944, along the coastline between Anzio and Nettuno, in Italy. The museum opened in 1994 for the 50th Anniversary of the landing. It comprises four sections:

The Bulge Relics Museum in Vielsalm, in the Province of Luxembourg, in Belgium is dedicated to the Battle of the Bulge. The museum presents thousands of relics of the battle, most of which were found in the area.

In 1940, the population of Terezín was ejected and the garrison town turned into a Jewish ghetto and transit camp. From 1941 until the liberation on 3 May 1945, about 133.000 Jewish people were imprisoned in the camp. Some parts of the former camp now function as a museum, memorialising those who lived and died there.

The village of Oradour-sur-Glane in Haute-Vienne, France became the scene of a Nazi war-crime on June 10, 1944. Soldiers of the Der Führer Regiment of the 2nd Waffen-SS Panzer Division Das Reich destroyed the village and killed a total of 642 men, women and children, leaving only a few survivors. To this day there is no universally accepted explanation for the massacre.

The German Kulmhof Death Camp in Chelmno operated over two periods: between 1941 and 1943, and between 1944 and 1945. The Museum of the former camp was founded in 1990 as a branch of the District Museum in Konin. It features several exhibitions and offers educational activities. Its main mission is to commemorate the fate of the Jews exterminated in Kulmhof Camp.

The Munich City Museum includes a permanent exhibition dedicated to the history of National Socialism in Munich, starting with the end of the First World War in 1918 until 1945.

The historic region of Alsace-Moselle was a contended area between Germany and France. The memorial tells the story of the local inhabitants and their dramatic history during the Second World War.

Two important bridges across the Canal de Caen and the Orne river were the first objectives taken by airborne troops in the Normandy campaign. Just after midnight on 6 June 1944 a small detachment of the 6th British Airborne Division surprised the German garrison guarding the bridges. The Pegasus Memorial recalls their bold action and the commitment of the Division in Normandy.

The Camp Vught National Memorial (Nationaal Monument Kamp Vught ) is located on part of the former SS camp Konzentrationslager Herzogenbusch, also known as Camp Vught (January 1943 – September 1944).

In Memorial Centre Camp Westerbork you learn about the history of Camp Westerbork in Hooghalen.During the Second World War it was used as a transit camp for Dutch Jews, Sinti, Roma, resistance combatants and political adversaries before their transfer to

The Museum of the Battle of the Ardennes tells the story of the battle and liberation of La Roche and nearby villages on the left bank of the River Ourthe during the allied counteroffensive between 3 and 16 January 1945. In 1944-1945 the town of La Roche was almost completely destroyed and 114 inhabitants were killed.

The Fries Verzetsmuseum (Frisian Resistance Museum) in Leeuwarden is devoted to the impact of the Second World War on people in the province of Friesland. The collection presents 45,000 objects, documents, books, magazines, photographs and films, which give a global

The museum of the liberation of the Colmar Pocket, full of authentic big and small artefacts, tells the story of a dramatic page of Alsatian history during the bitter cold fighting for the Colmar Pocket.

The Omaha Beach Memorial Museum was built on the grounds of the American naval landing of June 6, 1944, 200 metres from Obama beach. The museum covers a surface area of 1,200 m² and presents a large collection of uniforms, personal items, weapons and military vehicles. All the exhibits displayed belonged to soldiers of WWII.

The exhibition is devoted to the history of the place that is commonly associated with the beginning of the 20th century’s greatest catastrophe, the Second World War. A place that, like Thermopylae before it, became the symbol of a heroic struggle against an overwhelming adversary. Yet the story of Westerplatte, as told by the Museum of the Second World War, is not limited to the defence of Poland’s Military Transit Depot in September 1939; rather, we travel back to the peninsula’s formation in the 17th century as a sandbar at the mouth of the Vistula and forward, all the way to the fall of Communism in Poland in 1989.

The Overlord Museum can be found in Colleville-sur-mer just a short distance from Omaha beach. The museum retraces the period of the Allied landings in Normandy until the liberation of Paris on August 25, 1944. The museum’s collection displays personal items from individual soldiers and armoured fighting vehicles from the six armies in Normandy.

Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp, where over 1.1 million men, women and children lost their lives during WWII. The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum was created by an act of the Polish Parliament in July 1947. Several hundred camp buildings and ruins stand on the 191-hectares museum grounds, including the ruins of the gas chambers and crematoria and over a dozen kilometres of fence.

The Museum of the Order of the Liberation in Paris documents the history of the Free French Forces, the government-in-exile led by General Charles de Gaulle during WWII. The permanent exhibition presents more than 2,000 pieces retracing the journey of the Companions. The exhibit features three galleries: Free France, The Inner Resistance, and The Deportation.

Discover the extraordinary story of the Dutch men and women who travelled to England during the second World War to free the occupied Netherlands and join the fight against Nazi-Germany and Japan. They became known as Engelandvaarders: England Farers.

The History Museum Jean Garcin in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse opened in 1990. It offers a multidisciplinary approach to the period of 1939-1945: historical, literary and artistic. A collection of more than 10,000 objects and documents evokes the daily life of French citizens during the occupation, with a focus on the Resistance in Vaucluse.

The Liberation Museum Zeeland takes us back to a special part of Zeelands history. During the Second World War Allied soldiers, sailors and airmen of various nationalities united in the fight against the German occupation forces. This struggle resulted in a lot of dead and wounded on both sides. The local population in Zeeland also suffered heavy casualties.

The medical aid bunker Nr. 374 in Simonskall was built in 1938. Here four medics could give emergency treatment to about twenty to thirty wounded or sick soldiers. After the war the bunker first served as provisional housing for returning evacuees and later as a cellar for a private home. Access is very limited.

The Information Centre: The Poles of Driel provide insights into the battle fought by the Ist Polish Independent Parachute Brigade in the village of Driel during Operation Market Garden.

Museum Vliegbasis Deelen is located on the road from Hoenderloo to Schaarsbergen. The former air base is a former German ‘Gefechtsstand’ and has recently been listed. The museum focuses on the Night Fight 1940-1945 and the air battle above the province of Gelderland. Scale-models, original footage, photos, finds and military objects (including a V1 replica with original interior) show the history of Vliegbasis Deelen during the Second World War.

German Emperor Wilhelm II had Cecilienhof Palace built for his son Crown Prince Wilhelm and his wife, Crown Princess Cecilie. It was the last palace built by the Hohenzollern dynasty that ruled Germany until 1918. The use for the Potsdam Conference in 1945, made it world famous.

The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw was opened in 2013. Its core exhibition is made up of eight galleries spread over 4000 m², retracing the history of Polish Jews from the Middle Ages to the present day. The POLIN Museum aims to preserve the memory of the history of Polish Jews and contribute to the mutual understanding and respect amongst Poles and Jews.

The Bastogne Barracks Museum was opened in 2010. It is located in the barracks that accomodated the Allied Headquarters during the Ardennes Offensive in 1944. Restored parts of the barracks exhibit a collection of materials used in the fighting. The so called Nuts-basement shows the office where General McAuliffe spoke the famous word ‘Nuts’,that had a major influence on the outcome of the Offensive.

The Jewish Museum in Berlin opened its doors in 2001 and serves as a reflection centre on Jewish history and culture. Changing temporary exhibitions depict a broad range of themes, ranging from cultural history to contemporary art installations. The new permanent exhibition, which is currently being remodelled, is expected to open in 2019.

The Museon is The Hague’s museum dedicated to science and culture, which regularly includes exhibitions related to WWII. The permanent exhibition ‘Children in Wartime’ displays stories, objects, photos, film clips and documents examining the influence of the war on children’s everyday life.

The Memorial Museum of Civilians at War in Falaise opened in 2016 and covers over 1,000 m² of exhibition. Each of the three floors focuses on a different theme: Occupation, Liberation and Reconstruction. The museum is dedicated to both the life and survival of civilians during WWII. Testimonies of survivors and a collection of objects and archives are presented.

More than a museum dedicated to the landings on D-Day, the Juno Beach Centre is a place of memory representing a whole nation. It recalls the participation of Canada in the Second World War and its important contribution to the liberation of Western Europe. Canada itself emerged transformed from the conflict.

Opened in 2004, on the 60th anniversary of the eponymous event, the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising is the first narrative museum to be opened in Poland. The aim of the museum is to celebrate the heroism of the soldiers of the Home Army, and to tell the story of the Warsaw Uprising, this decisive moment in the history of the city.

Two museums can be found in Saint-Côme-du-Mont: the D-Day Experience exhibits the American side and Dead Man’s Corner Museum, the German perspective. The museum tells the story of the liberators of Europe through an interactive route with the possibility to take part in virtual experiences and simulations.

The Nationaal Onderduikmuseum (National Hideout Museum) in Aalten presents how people in the Netherlands and Germany experienced the Second World War and how they reacted to the occupation. The museum’s main focus is on the social and emotional influence of

The Cabinet War Rooms, beneath London, were key places in the planning of Allied forces from 1940 onwards. It was here that 115 Cabinet meetings were held under the direction of Winston Churchill. The Map Room was particularly significant and was manned by officers from each of the armed forces, who would produce a daily intelligence summary.

The Historical Museum of the City of Krakow became an independent institution in 1945. Oskar Schindler’s Factory and The Eagle Pharmacy are two branches of the Museum, which respectively present the WWII-related exhibitions ‘Krakow under Nazi Occupation 1939–1945’ and ‘Tadeusz Pankiewicz’s Pharmacy in Krakow Ghetto’.

The Casemate of Neunhoffen-Dambach is a vestige of the Maginot Line in Alsace, France. The casemate has been restored to its original state, depicting the daily life of a fortress crew and presents photographs from the period 1939 to 1945 in the Schwarzbach valley.

The Bunkermuseum Schlei in the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog is housed in a bunker used during the Second World War by the German army. The museum provides information relating to the Second World War on Schiermonnikoog.

The museum presents war relics, vintage posters and documents of those who lived the dramatic moments of the Second World War. Its main purpose is to preserve the memory for future generations.

Many of the museums artefacts were donated by war veterans or local people. Almost every object in the Betuws War Museum has its own story, so that through the museum guides’ verbal commentary you get an excellent impression of the Betuwe in that period.

The last major battle of the Normandy campaign was fought in August 1944 in the so called Falaise-Argentan pocket, where the Allies encircled and destroyed a substantial part of the German forces. Nevertheless, tens of thousands of German soldiers managed to escape. A memorial on the spot traces the various stages of this bloody confrontation.

Wigram Hall is an exhibition room of the Castle of Casoli in Italy. The room is dedicated to Major Lionel Wigram, a British officer who played a significant role in the training and actions of the Majella Brigade. This room

The Channels Islands were the only British isles to be occupied during WWII. The occupation lasted for almost five years until the end of the war. The German Occupation Museum offers a fascinating insight into the Occupation and Liberation of the Islands of Guernsey during this dark period of history.

Historisch Museum De Casteelse Poort is housed in a villa that stands on the site of an old castle. Remains of the castle’s gatehouse can be seen in the cellar.

With a daring and modern concept, the Eyewitness visitor becomes a first-hand witness of the Second World War in Europe. Original attributes and life-sized mannequins are used to depict various wartime scenes in thirteen dioramas. Eyewitness also displays a number of prized objects that have rarely – if ever – been seen by the general public!

The Bastogne War Museum represents a new way to remember the Second World War in Belgium. It offers a fresh perception in a modern and interactive framework of the causes, events and consequences of the Second World War, with a special focus on the Ardennes counteroffensive: the Battle of the Bulge.

The ‘Oranjehotel’ was the nickname of the Polizeigefängnis, or police prison, the house of detention in Scheveningen during World War Two. More than 25,000 people were imprisoned here between 1940 and 1945.

In July 1942 Kazerne Dossin (Dossin Barrack), a former military base in Mechelen, was designated Sammellager, a transit camp for Jews, Roma and Sinti. Between July 1942 and September 1944, thousands of Jews and gypsies were transported from here to concentration camps in Germany. Nowadays, Kazerne Dossin is a Memorial, Museum and Documentation Centre on Holocaust and Human Rights.

During the summer of 1944 Cherbourg was the most important harbour in the world. For the Allies it was the vital gateway to Europe, indispensable for supplying their campaign in Western Europe. Despite fierce German resistance, U.S. troops seized the city on 26 June 1944. The Liberation Museum reminds us of this dramatic episode.

Castle Cornet sits at the mouth of Guernsey’s St. peter Port harbour. The castle was used by German forces to guard the harbour. The 800-year old castle currently houses four museums and offers panoramic views across St Peter Port harbour and out to the other smaller Islands of Guernsey.

The Atlantic Wall Museum is located inside the former German headquarters acting as fire control for the batteries covering the entrance of the Orne river and the canal connecting Caen to the sea. The 17-meter-high concrete tower has been fully restored to make it look like it was on 6 June 1944. The six floors have been recreated down to the last detail.

The December 44 Historical Museum can be found in La Gleize, in the northern part of the Belgian Ardennes. The museum, housed in a historic building, focuses entirely on the Battle of the Bulge, which was fought between December 1944

The Museum of the Battle of the Bulge in Clervaux illustrates the course of the Battle of the Bulge through documents and diaromas, military uniforms and authentic weapons. Since 1994 it has included the UNESCO registered photographic exhibition ‘The Family of Man’, made of 503 photos by 273 artists, and devised as a portrait of human life, from love and joy, to war, illness or deprivation.

The 101st Airborne Museum in Bastogne is housed in the prestigious building of the former officers’ mess of the Belgian Army, built in 1936. The museum retraces the course of the Battle of the Bulge, fought between December 1944 and January 1945. A collection of items from the battle, reconstructed scenes and mannequins are displayed.

For the purpose of remembrance and warning Museum Huertgen Forest 1944 and in Peacetime (Museum Hürtgenwald 1944 und im Frieden) tells the story of the so-called Battle of Huertgen Forest – and its consequences for the local population. The museum is run by volunteers. Almost all objects in the exhibition were collected in the Huertgen Forest area after the war.

Originally built to defend Antwerp, Fort Breendonk was a Nazi concentration camp from September 1940 till September 1944. Around 3,500 prisoners passed through this camp. Fort Breendonk is one of the best conserved concentration camps in Europe and is a symbol that perpetuates the memory of the suffering, the torture and the death of so many victims.

The Luchtvaart & Oorlogsmuseum (Aviation and War Museum) in Texel presents the history of aviation and war in the Dutch Frisian island. The collection displays landing gear, propellers and engine parts. It is divided into six sub-collections: general aviation, deportation

During World War II, only a small proportion of the Dutch population was actively involved in resistance activities. The village of Aalten was an exception. Similar to the village at the start of the Asterix & Obelix comic books, Aalten showed considerable courage and bravery in its resistance against the occupying forces, by giving an enormous number of refugees a place to hide.

The Kazemattenmuseum (Casemate Museum) in Kornwerderzand is made out of seven casemates. These bunkers helped the Dutch Army defend the area against the German invaders during the Second World War. The exhibition in the museum provides information on the construction

The Sainte-Mère-Église museum was inaugurated in 1964 right where American paratroopers were involved in fierce battles during the night of 5 to 6 June and the following days. The museum holds an important collection of uniforms, weaponry and other war memorabilia. Two additional buildings opened in June 2014.

The Charles de Gaulle Historial presents the story of a man whose life is closely linked to the liberation of France. The museum uses high-tech multimedia equipment to unfold the career path of the general and help visitors understand the extent of Charles de Gaulle’s stamp on the history of France.

War belongs in the museum. That is the motto of the Dutch National War and Resistance Museum, which is one of two theme museums in Liberty Park. In the National War and Resistance Museum, the history of the Second World War is presented.

The Bunker Museum Terschelling consists out of a bunker complex which is free to visit. Four of the bunkers are open for public and in one of them the visitor centre is located in which an exhibiton can be seen about the history of the Atlantic Wall.

The Battle of Arnhem, the biggest airborne landing operation of the Second World War, took place in and around Arnhem in September 1944. It formed part of Operation Market Garden. The goal of the Operation was for Polish, British and American airborne forces to capture the important bridges across the Dutch rivers so that ground troops could advance via these bridges. But the Operation failed…

The Home Army Museum in Krakow was established in 2000 and named after general Emil Fieldorf. It is the only institution in Poland promoting knowledge about the Polish Underground Movement and its armed forces.

Occupied for almost five years by German forces in June 1940, the Islands of Guernsey are strategically located in the English Channel between England and northern France. La Valette Museum is situated within an German tunnel complex and exhibits the German Occupation and subsequent Liberation of the Islands of Guernsey.

In September 1944 the main operation for the Netherlans of World War II occurs, Operation Market Garden, which eventually led to the liberation. In the Museum, the occupation, the oppression and the final liberation are extensively exposed. Travel in time with authentic military equipment and beautiful dioramas. Also explore the vehicles, displays, a 3D movie, pictures and experience how it feels like to be a pilot during a flight simulation!

During the autumn and winter of 1944/45, a long and bloody battle took place in the Huertgen Forest. 3.001 mostly German victims of this bitter struggle have their final resting place at Huertgen War Cemetery.

The Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin tells the story of 2,000 years of German history. The permanent exhibition comprises around 7,000 historical exponents providing information on people, ideas, events and historical developments in Germany. The main floor area is devoted to the Weimar Republic, the Nazi regime, the post-war period and the history of the two German states from 1949 to the reunification in 1990.

The Solent Sky Aviation Museum depicts the history of aviation in Southampton and its international importance in the Solent area in England. The museum exhibits over 20 airframes, dating from the golden age of aviation and the Second World War, including the Spitfire and the Supermarine S6.

The Resistance Museum in Bologna, Italy, is set in a former convent that also housed Bologna’s History Institute. Those two organisations work together to collect and preserve materials relating to anti-Fascism and Italian Resistance. The exhibitions focus on the history

The National Museum of Military History in Diekirch, Luxembourg was created in 1984 by collectors and volunteers. The museum traces the course of the Second World War with a particular focus on the Battle of the Bulge. Through its collections of weapons, vehicles and diverse equipment, the MNHM illustrates the technical and logistic evolutions within the armed forces of the belligerent parties.

Opened in 1920, the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw is the main institution preserving the historical relics of Polish military from the Middle Ages until now. With 250.000 historical objects in its collection it is the largest military museum in Poland.

The Military History Museum in Dresden, Saxony is one of very few museums in Germany that has German war equipment from both World Wars. Some of the most famous large items in the museum include a V2 flying bomb and Germany’s first submarine. The museum aims to explain how the military, armies and war influenced politics and society, and vice versa.

Majdanek concentration camp in Lublin was built in 1941. An estimated 150,000 prisoners entered the camp and 80,000 of them were killed. The State Museum at Majdanek was founded in November 1944 on the grounds of the former concentration camp. The museum collection includes authentic objects from the camp and presents drawings depicting the persecution and extermination of Jews in the Lublin region.

The Sywell Aviation Museum in Northamptonshire was opened in 2001 by the legendary aviator Alex Henshaw MBE. It provides information on the history of flying in Northamptonshire, from the early days to the Second World War. The extensive ordnance collection includes rockets, bombs, a loaded bomb trolley with authentic tractor, and other weapons.

The Radar Museum in Douvres was built on the grounds of a former bunker. The museum presents the history of the site and the use of radar during the Second World War. It features two different rooms detailing the story

The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History, located in the Jubelpark (Jubileepark) in Brussels, presents thousands of unique and amazing objects, stemming from ten ages of military history. Not only uniforms and prestigious distinctions, but also works of art, musical instruments and an exceptional collection of planes, guns and tanks. One gallery is dedicated to the Second World War.

IWM London is one of the five branches of the Imperial War Museum in England. It comprises different exhibitions presenting the stories of people whose lives have been impacted by war, through unique documents and objects, art, sound, film and other means. The museum offers two permanent displays focusing on the Second World War: ‘The Holocaust Exhibition’ and ‘A Family in Wartime’.

Launched in 1936, ORP Blyskawica is the oldest surviving destroyer in the world. The ship took part in several key operations of the Second World War, most notably Operation Overlord, the allied invasion of Normandy, which started the liberation of Western Europe. The ship currently became part of the open air Polish Navy Museum.

At the first phase of the Second World War, the tunnels of Dover Castle housed the command centre of the great evacuation of Dunkerque (Operation Dynamo). Later, Dover Castle and the surrounding area were also used as the notional centre of the fictitious 1st U.S. Army Group (FUSAG). From here misleading radio signals were broadcast as part of Operation Fortitude South.

The Topography of Terror in Berlin stands on the site of the main organs of Nazi terror between 1933 and 1945, including the Gestapo, the SS leadership, the security services of the SS and the main office of the ‘Reichssicherheitshauptamt’. The main permanent exhibition presents these institutions and the crimes they organised. A second exhibition examines Berlin’s role as the capital of the Third Reich.

The Nazi extermination camp in Sobibór started its operations in April 1942. About 170,000 Jews were killed there during WWII. The Museum of the Former Death Camp in Sobibór became a branch of the State Museum at Majdanek in May 2012. The exhibition depicts the origins of the camp and significant issues concerning its existence, including deportations, mechanisms of extermination, and plunder of property.

The Piana delle Orme Museum can be found in Latina, Italy. Two pavilions of the museum park are entirely devoted to the display of military vehicles from the Second World War. Dioramas depict, among other things, how Italy became involved

The Museum of Struggle and Martyrdom was built on the grounds of the former camp in Treblinka, the second-largest extermination camp after Auschwitz-Birkenau. Between July 1942 and October 1943, about 900,000 Jews were killed in Treblinka. The Museum presents the conditions in which Poles were imprisoned and the history of resistance fighters during WWII.

The Serret Museum in Saint-Amarin is located in a former administrative tribunal which was transformed into a military hospital by the French during the First World War. Two rooms of the museum are devoted to military collections retracing WWI and to the Alsatian resistance in 1940-1945. A collection of mannequins in military uniform, different types of guns and other war artefacts are displayed.

The Berliner Unterwelten Association informs the public about Berlin history from an unusual perspective. Before and during the Second World War hundreds of bunkers and air raid shelters were built in the city. In the post-war years most of these installations were destroyed. But traces of the air raid shelters can still be found in Berlin.

Nederweert was liberated by British troops on 21st September, 1944. The front line until 14th November was close by, following the Zuidwillemsvaart and Wessem-Nederweert canals; during that period there were casualties from patrol activity and from daily German shelling of Nederweert, besides some deaths in German minefields.

Re-opened in April 2018, the D-Day Story takes the visitors through the build up to the event, D-Day itself and the Battle of Normandy. The story is told through the perspectives of the people involved using objects, interactives and video. The impressive 83-metre long Overlord Embroidery offers a fantastic finale to the visit.

The Historical Technical Museum in Peenemünde was built in 1991 on the grounds of the former German development centre where the V1 and V2 rockets were constructed. The museum reconstructs the history of the creation and use of these weapons. Different exhibitions display who worked in Peenemünde, how the people lived, and why these weaponry projects were carried out.

The Landing Museum (D-Day Museum) of Arromanches, Normandy explains the technical prowess used in the (pre)fabrication – in Britain – of the artificial port of Arromanches. A model and a film complement the educational presentation, allowing a better understanding of the visible remains that can be seen through a large window overlooking the bay.

The German-Russian Museum is located at the site of the unconditional surrender of Germany on 8 May 1945 in Berlin-Karlshorst, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe. Today it is a place where two former wartime enemies jointly recall some of their common, albeit very violent history.

The Memorial Museum of the Landing in Provence can be found in Toulon and was inaugurated in 1964 by General de Gaulle during his presidency. The museum presents the story of the liberation of southeast France in August 1944. On display are audiovisual presentations, archival videos, models and a collection of objects of the landing in Provence.

The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam is a biographical museum dedicated to the life story of the Jewish girl Anne Frank. The museum was established in the Frank’s former house, where they lived hidden in the Secret Annex for more

The Normandy Victory Museum in Carentan is a new historical centre dedicated to the events of the summer 1944 in the Manche, in France.

St. Martin’s tower is a continuous reminder of the damage and destruction inflicted on North Limburg in the last years of the war. It overlooks the battle grounds of Operation Market Garden and Operation Veritable as well as the Reichswald (Imperial Forest) in Germany, which formed the northern-most part of the Siegfried line. From the top of the tower you can also see where the longest Bailey bridge of the Second World War was built, as well as the bridge over the Maas River. Both were built by the British Royal Engineers at break-neck speed to enable the supply of weapons, munitions and troops etc. to the forces stationed in the Lower Rhine area. Even Churchill and Montgomery came to see the bridges for themselves.

The Mons Memorial Museum opened in the spring of 2015. An area of 1,200 m² is devoted to the permanent exhibition, which provides information on the military history of the city of Mons, from the Ancien Régime to the Second World War. The museum invites visitors to reflect on the complex realities of the phenomena of war.

The Vogelsang complex was built as a National Socialist training institution before becoming an international military training area. Today, Vogelsang IP is an international place of active remembrance, where in addition to conveying historical facts about the Nazi era, issues regarding our present social life are addressed.

Just after midnight on 6 June 1944 a battalion of the 6th British Airborne Division was deployed to destroy the cannon of the German battery in Merville before they could harm the Allied forces landing on Sword Beach. The Franco-British museum located inside the battery highlights the merciless battle fought by the paratroopers.

The Musée de la Libération de Paris – Musée du Général Leclerc – Musée Jean Moulin was reopened into its new location at place Denfert-Rochereau on August 25, 2019, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris.

The L’abri de Hatten museum is dedicated to the innocent civilian victims and the American and German soldiers who died in the battle of Hatten which was according to US general Devers “one of the great defensive battles of the war”. Visit the museum and appreciate the freedom and peace we enjoy today.

The Museum Rotterdam includes the permanent exhibition ’40-’45 NOW which is entirely devoted to the Second World War in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The exhibition examines how the citizens experienced the bombing, the occupation and the persecution of Nazi Germany. Personal

The Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy in Bayeux relates how the Allies fought the Germans during the first ten weeks after D-Day. A wide range of vehicles, uniforms and military equipment gives visitors an impression of the everyday life of soldiers and civilians during that crucial period.

The Nazi Forced Labour Documentation Centre in Schöneweide opened in 2006. It is the last well-preserved former Nazi forced labour camp. ‘Barack 13’, one of the first buildings of the camp, is open to the public for guided tours. The centre contains two permanent exhibitions documenting the fate of forced labourers during the Second World War.

A museum about war and peace In Nijverdal Memory Museum, visitors can experience the Second World War step by step, from the rise of National Socialism in Germany, up to and including the liberation of the Netherlands. As a visitor,

The City Museum Doetinchem offers more than a collection and exhibition. The museum revolves around storytelling. The volunteers at the museum are good storytellers and would gladly escort you through the museum.

The House of History in Bonn, Germany was inaugurated in 1994. More than 7,000 exhibits representing contemporary history are spread over a surface of 4,000 m2. The permanent exhibition depicts the political, cultural and economical development of Germany since the end of the Second World War in 1945.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe or Holocaust Memorial, in Berlin honours the Jewish victims of the Holocaust during the Second World War. The memorial was designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold. It was inaugurated on 10 May 2005, sixty years after the end of the war.

Home to an extensive collection of original uniforms, weapons, artefacts, and scale models, the Canada-Poland War Museum is one of the most interesting private institutions preserving memory of the war and liberation of Belgium.

The Royal Navy Submarine Museum is part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy and tells the story of the Royal Navy’s submarine service. Set on the site on the Submarine Service’s 20th century base on the Gosport side of Portsmouth Harbour, the museum is home to the Royal Navy’s very first submarine Holland 1, the only surviving WWII-era submarine HMS Alliance and midget submarine X24.

The Historical War Museum of the Landings in Sicily can be found in Catania, on the east coast of Sicily. The museum presents the Allied landings on the southern coast of Sicily in July 1943 and examines the effects and

Museum Stutthof is located in the former German Stutthof concentration camp. The museum preserves, researches and displays archival records and historical artefacts. Exhibitions and videos offer visitors a haunting insight into the lives of the 110.000 people that were imprisoned here during the Second World War.

IWM Duxford can be found near Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. The museum was built on a historic airfield and it was the first branch of the Imperial War Museum to be opened to the public on a regular basis in June 1976. IWM Duxford presents the history of aviation with hundreds of aircraft, military vehicles, artillery and other objects on display.

The National Museum of the Marine in Toulon traces the history of the arsenal of Toulon. Visitors are welcomed by the former monumental door of the arsenal. The museum preserves and exhibits an exceptional collection of models of vessels, as well as a galley model.

The German Death Camp in Bełżec was operational from March 1942 and it was the first place where stationary gas chambers were used to kill Jewish people. About 450,000 people were murdered in Bełżec camp. The Museum – Memorial Site was founded in 2004 as a branch of the State Museum at Majdanek, with the aim of documenting and commemorating the victims of the camp.

Oskar Schindler’s Factory in Krakow is a former metal item factory which was turned into a modern museum devoted to the wartime experiences in Krakow under the Nazi occupation. The museum consists of three parts: the permanent exhibition named ‘Krakow under Nazi Occupation 1939-1945’, temporary displays, and the screening room.

The Freedom Museum is located in the beautiful green and hilly landscape of Groesbeek. The museum is close to Germany and right in the area of two of the most important operations on the Western Front during WW2: Market Garden and Veritable.

The House of European History in Brussels, Belgium was opened in May 2017 following an initiative of the European Parliament. The museum retraces the history of Europe since 1789 through different exhibitions available in all 24 official European Union languages.

The Utah Beach Landings Museum is situated on the site of a former German strongpoint that was crushed by the U.S. assault force on Utah Beach in the morning of D-Day, 6 June 1944. Among a lot of war related items, this museum features a rare Martin B 26 ‘Marauder’, an American medium-size bomber.

The German Resistance Memorial Center is located in Berlin at the historic site of the attempted coup of July 20, 1944 against Hitler. The museum includes different exhibitions highlighting specific topics about the resistance in Germany. The permanent exhibition ‘Resistance against National Socialism’ was opened in July 2014 to document the social breadth and ideological diversity of the resistance against dictatorship.

The Remembrance Centre about Indonesia in The Hague keeps the memories alive of the events which happened during the Second World War in the Dutch Indies, the subsequent Bersiap, decolonisation and migration. Since 2017 the Remembrance Centre about Indonesia can

The German Tank Museum in Munster, Germany was constructed in 1983. On display are tanks, military vehicles and uniforms, weapons and small arms, medals, decorations and other military equipment from the First World War to the present day.

The European Solidarity Centre (ECS) in Gdańsk is not only a museum to promote awareness of the Solidarity movement and the anti-communist opposition in Poland and Europe, but also a centre for dialogue about the contemporary world.

The Eagle Pharmacy Museum, located within the limits of the former ghetto area in Krakow, was a former pharmacy run by the non-Jew Tadeusz Pankiewicz during the Nazi occupation. The museum commemorates the Holocaust of the Jews of Krakow and it tells the story of the ghetto and the role of the pharmacy in its daily life.

The Colditz Castle (Schloss Colditz) in the town of Colditz, in Saxony, Germany served as a Prisoner-of-War Camp for Allied officers between 1939 and 1945. The Museum Schloss Colditz, established in the castle, exhibits escape artefacts and uniforms of Allied POWs and provides information on their legendary escape

The Peace Museum, located on the western bank of the Rhine in the surviving towers of the destroyed Ludendorff Bridge, reminds the visitor of the horrors of the war, encouraging to preserve peace for future generations.

This museum has been dedicated to the brave men and women of the 1st Polish Armour Division commanded by General Stanisław Maczek, who have liberated major parts of the Netherlands from the German occupier in 1944 and 1945.

Wewelsburg 1933-1945 Memorial Museum is the contemporary history section of the Wewelsburg District Museum in Büren, Germany. The exhibition ’Ideology and Terror of the SS’, located in the former guardhouse at the castle’s forecourt, presents the history of Wewelsburg between 1933 and 1945.

Located on northern outskirts of Strasbourg, MM Park houses an extensive collection of military vehicles and heavy equipment from World War II. There is a number of war-related attractions and exhibitions, recommended for any military history enthusiast.

The Resistance Museum can be found in the Plantage neighbourhood in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The permanent exhibition ‘The Netherlands in WWII’ illustrates the period of the German occupation through authentic objects, photos and personal documents, film and sound fragments. The

The Allied Museum tells a unique story: from the German defeat in the Second World War to the division of West and East Berlin between the three Western powers and the Soviet Union. Berlin became the most important scene of the struggle that is known as the Cold War.

With a daring and modern concept, the Eyewitness visitor becomes a first-hand witness of the Second World War in Europe. Original attributes and life-sized mannequins are used to depict various wartime scenes in thirteen dioramas. Eyewitness also displays a number

The Museum of the Battle of Ortona documents the war events that hit the town of Ortona, in Abruzzo, in 1943. The museum was inaugurated in 2002 by the Canadian Ambassador. The museum exhibition offers three sections presenting memorabilia, photos

The Military Intelligence Museum in Bedfordshire tells the history of British Military Intelligence from the Boer War onwards, with a main focus on the Intelligence Corps. The museum comprises different collections, including the Medmenham Collection, which highlights the use of 3D imagery in WWI, WWII, and the Cold War.

The National Resistance Museum of Luxembourg can be found in Esch-sur-Alzette, in the southeast of the country. The museum retraces the history of Luxembourg from 1940 to 1945 through photos, objects and artwork. It focuses, among other topics, on Nazi oppression and the liberation of the country in 1945. A section is devoted to the system of concentration camps and to the fate of Jews in Luxembourg.