Berlin to create memorial for Polish wartime victims from 2027

Berlin plans to create a permanent memorial for the millions of Polish victims of World War II, replacing a temporary memorial at the site of the former Kroll Opera House near the Federal Chancellery.

Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer announced that the memorial should be established from 2027. A design competition is currently underway for the monument, which the Bundestag has approved to commemorate Polish victims of the war and Germany’s occupation of Poland between 1939 and 1945. A jury is due to consider the winning design in December 2026.

The plans come 87 years after Nazi Germany invaded Poland on Adolf Hitler’s orders. That attack on September 1, 1939, triggered World War II. The German government says more than five million Polish citizens died between 1939 and 1945, including about three million Jewish children, women and men.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said remembering the immeasurable suffering Nazi Germany inflicted on Poland and Europe remained a lasting responsibility. He said the memorial for Polish victims in Berlin therefore held particular importance.

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Remembering the immeasurable suffering that Nazi Germany brought upon Poland and Europe remains a lasting responsibility.