The Siberian Memorial Museum in Bialystok has won the prestigious “Council of Europe 2024 Museum Award”. Established with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture, the institution was also nominated for the “European Museum of the Year” award. A congratulatory letter was addressed to the institution’s director by Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz.

“Granted annually since 1977 to newly created or renovated European museums, this prestigious award is not only a great honour, but also a commitment to further effective work in disseminating historical awareness and preaching the values of respect for human rights”, wrote the head of the culture ministry in his letter.

The Museum of Remembrance is dedicated to people who from the late 16th to the mid-20th century were enslaved and sent deep into Russia and later the Soviet Union, as well as those who went there voluntarily. The institution tells the story of captives, prisoners, exiles and deportees, as well as of those who explored Siberia before the First World War and actively participated in the development of its vast territories.

The museum combines the results of research and the narrative of historians with the memories of participants and witnesses of events. It shows the enormous emotions hidden in seemingly ordinary objects, transporting visitors to an extraordinary land – the mysterious, beautiful, yet cruel and ruthless Siberia.

The building of the Siberian Memorial Museum was located on the site of pre-war Polish military warehouses, which are directly adjacent to the former Brest railway track. The project to transform the warehouses into the modern Siberian Memorial Museum was implemented from 2016 to 2019. During this period, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage provided PLN 9.4 million for this investment. In addition, the Ministry of Culture supported the preparation of the permanent exhibition, which received EU funding of almost PLN 6.8 million.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński