A conference preceding the official opening of the exhibition '1939-1945: The Years That Changed the World' took place in Krzyżowa on 19 April 2024. The exhibition was specifically designed for schoolchildren and teachers and tells the story of the causes, course and long-term consequences of the Second World War. It presents these events in the broadest possible context and from different perspectives. So that it is comprehensible not only to a Polish audience, but also to people from other countries who visit Krzyżowa.

The exhibition consists of two parts. The first presents the origins and course of the Second World War, the differences between occupation policies in the West and East of Europe, and shows what resistance looked like in different European countries - including the activities of the anti-Nazi opposition in Germany. The second part of the exhibition discusses the key issues necessary for understanding history and its consequences. As well as showing the mechanisms of hatred that led to the Holocaust, the different attitudes displayed by people who experienced the war and occupation and the differences in Polish and German memories of the war are discussed. The exhibition also addresses the contemporary consequences of the Second World War - from conflicts in Africa, genocide in the former Yugoslavia, to Russia's criminal attack on Ukraine.

The opening conference of the exhibition was attended by 53 people from Poland and Germany, including history teachers, educationalists, representatives of institutions financing Polish-German exchanges, groups and a team of employees of the Krzyżowa Foundation. Janusz Witt, a witness to the beginning of the Second World War - the bombing of Wieluń - was a special guest at the meeting.

The exhibition '1939-1945: The Years That Changed the World' is located next to the permanent exhibition 'Courage and Reconciliation', in the former garden area. The exhibition scenario was developed by a team of employees of the Krzyżowa Foundation. The architectural and graphic concept was prepared by the Warsaw-based studio JAZ+ Architects.

The exhibition was funded by the National Institute of Freedom - Centre for the Development of Civil Society and the Consulate General of Germany in Wrocław.

The programme accompanying the opening is a public task funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland in the competition "Public Diplomacy 2024"