WWII 80 Years After. Challenges for Historical Education and Commemoration

WWII – 80 Years After: Challenges for Historical Education and Commemoration

Date: 2-3 June 2025
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Venue: Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE)

The event will focus on the challenges of historical education and commemoration of World War II, including acts of war crimes and genocide, and the experiences of occupation, imprisonment and forced labour, or displacement. Exploring methods, problems, and best practices in teaching, participants will engage in discussions and workshops, showcasing innovative methods and tools for historical education. Participants will discuss how to effectively teach younger generations, who are increasingly less likely to have direct contact with witnesses of history. This event will be part of an international information campaign by ENRS, planned for the 80th-anniversary of the end of World War II in 2025.

The event will be aimed at practitioners: history and civic education teachers, educators, and representatives of cultural institutions and memorial sites responsible for commemoration events and education programs.

Programme

Day 1 – 2 June 2025 (Monday)

08:00-09:00 – Registration, Networking

09:00–09:30 – Opening Session
Welcome speeches
Dr Zoltán Maruzsa (Ministry of the Interior, State Secretary for Public Education)
Prof. Jan Rydel (Eurepean Network Remembrance and Solidarity)
Dr Réka Földváryné Kiss (Committee of National Remembrance)
Prof. László Borhi (Rector of the ELTE Eötvös Loránd University)

9:30–11:00 – Debate: World War Two Memory between East and West European Experience
The panel will discuss the differing memories of World War II in Eastern and Western Europe, including the Holocaust and the Gulag as central, and at times competing traumas, and exploring how, for Eastern Europe, 1945 marked both the end of war and the beginning of Soviet domination, thus complicating the European narrative of liberation.

Panelists:
Prof. László Borhi, Central Eurasian Studies, Indiana University Bloomington (USA)
Michal Keim, Department of Research and Education, Nation's Memory Institute (UPN) (Slovakia)
Robert Kostro, Polish History Museum (2006-2024) (Poland)
Prof. Zsuzsanna Varga, Head of the Modern Hungarian History Department, Eötvös Lorand University (Hungary)

Moderation: Keith Lowe, historian, writer (UK)

11:00–11:30 – Coffee break

11:30–12:30 –Theatre Play: Placid or a game with the Death.
Placid Oloffson (23 December 1916 – 15 January 2017) was a Hungarian Benedictine monk, priest, teacher and Gulag victim. He became a symbol and a true role model. During his long life, he experienced the hell of the Gulag, where also experienced the grace of God. He truly believed that he had been given the mission in life to keep the spirit alive in his fellow prisoners in inhuman conditions, and so he said that despite all the horrors of camp life he was "the happiest man in the whole Soviet Union."
Actors: Zoltán Bezerédi (Death) and Máté Martinkovics (Placid Olofsson)
Written by: Borbála Szabó and Pörzse Fehér
Directed by: Bendegúz Bezerédi
Producer: Krisztina Serfőző

12:30–14:00 – Lunch

14:00–15:30 – Lecture (an introductory lecture providing context for the workshop): From the Personal Story to the Great European Narratives
In this lecture, we will explore the profound impact of personal stories in shaping our understanding of history and how they connect to broader European narratives. Drawing on real-life testimonies and memories, we will examine how oral history brings the past to life, making historical events more relatable, emotionally resonant, and pedagogically effective.
At the same time, we will reflect on the methodological challenges and ethical dilemmas that arise when working with personal narratives—ranging from memory reliability to issues of representation, consent, and contextualization. These challenges also present opportunities: to foster empathy, develop critical thinking, and deepen students’ engagement with the past. The lecture aims to inspire educators to thoughtfully integrate personal testimonies into their teaching, transforming classrooms into spaces of active and meaningful historical inquiry.

Ioana Hasu-Georgiev (Romania)

15:30–15:45 – Short break

15:45–17:15 – Workshop for teachers and educators: The Power of Individual Stories in History Teaching
This interactive workshop focuses on the transformative potential of personal stories in history education. We will explore how teachers can incorporate a variety of personal materials—such as family histories, photographs, documents, and everyday objects—into the classroom to make history more tangible and engaging.
We’ll also address how to involve students who may not have access to family artifacts, encouraging them to use creative tools like drawing a family history map or writing a letter to an ancestor. In addition, we will examine how the teaching toolkit can be expanded through the use of arts, role play, and participatory theatre. These methods not only energize historical learning but also invite students to view history from multiple perspectives, cultivating both empathy and critical thinking. Through practical examples and hands-on exercises, participants will gain adaptable strategies to help students connect personally and meaningfully with the past.
Ioana Hasu-Georgiev (Romania)

Day 2 – 3 June 2025 (Tuesday)
8:30–9:30 – Registration, Networking

9:30–11:30 – Film Screening and the Debate afterwards

9:30–10:00 – Film Screening: Sound in the Silence
"Sound in the Silence. History through art" is an intercultural and international remembrance project designed for youth. At historically significant locations, high school students collaborate with artists from various disciplines to explore how the past connects to their present-day questions and experiences. Thanks to the methodology and artistic workshops, this approach provides young people with new perspectives on European history, encouraging them to develop their own understanding and means of expression. Between 2011 and 2024 project was organized in following locations: Neuengamme, Borne Sulinowo, Gdańsk, Auschwitz-Birkenau and Zilina, Ravensbrück, Warsaw, Bremen and Pitesti.
A documentary film presenting the project, learning process and working methods. This video footage summarize the four editions of the Sound in the Silence project, which took place between 2022 and 2023 at the memorial sites of Kaunas, Mauthausen and Gusen, Wannsee, Jasenovac.

10:00–11:30 – Debate: Think Outside the Classroom: Exploring New Ways to Teach WWII History
How should the memory of WWII be preserved and taught in the 21st-century? This debate brings together experts from memorial sites and representatives from educational institutions to discuss the challenges, methods, and best practices in historical education for younger generations. Inspired by the film about the ‘Sound in the Silence’ project, the discussion will explore innovative approaches to engaging students beyond traditional classroom settings.
The audience will gain valuable insights into impactful teaching strategies, exploring how the authentic history of memorial sites can deepen understanding of 20th-century European history and foster emotional engagement for today’s youth.

Panelists:
Maria Axinte, Director of the Pitești Prison Memorial Foundation (Romania)
Dr. Márta Goldmann, Department of Education, Holocaust Memorial Center (Hungary)
Dr. Matthias Heyl, Head of Educational Services at Ravensbrück Memorial Site (Germany)
Dr. Paweł Ukielski, Deputy Head of the Warsaw Rising Museum (Poland)

Moderation: Justyna Radziukiewicz, Sound in the Silence project coordinator at the ENRS (Poland)

11:30–12:00 – Coffee Break

12:00–13:30 –Talk for teachers and educators: How to prepare students for a visit to a memorial site?
The conversation between the memory site representative and the co-creator of educational projects at the ENRS, aims to shed new light on the importance of preparing young people for visits to places of remembrance. Such experiences often leave a lasting impact on the psyche of young visitors. How can we prepare them and their parents for this experience? How can we address and process the emotions students carry with them after such visits? These questions, among many others, will be addressed by the host of the discussion to the memory site representative.
In addition, the floor will be given to the audience, who, although not present on stage, will have an active part in the discussion. Together, we will develop a list of best practices, ensuring that each teacher participating in the event is equipped with tools to help young people navigate the profound experience of visiting a place of remembrance.

Speakers:
Maria Axinte, Director of the Pitești Prison Memorial Foundation (Romania)
Dorottya Baczoni, Director at the Institute of the Twentieth Century and expert of the House of Terror Museum (Hungary)
Urszula Bijoś, ENRS

13:30–13:45 – Closing remarks

13:45–15:15 – Lunch Break

Click here to download the programme as a PDF.

Speakers

Maria Axinte

Maria Axinte is the founder of the Pitesti Prison Memorial Foundation and of the Museum of Communism for Children. She is a museologist, a graduate of the University of the Arts London, Wimbledon College of Art and the University of Bucharest. Since 2011 she has been coordinating activities related to communist repression in Romania and has developed educational programmes for the young public. Her latest exhibition projects as a curator are ‘Silent Witnesses: Artefacts from the Communist Prisons’, and ‘Resistance in Communism for Children’.

Dr. Márta Goldmann

A graduate of ELTE University of Budapest in Hungarian, English and Aesthetics, she has been working at the Jewish Theological Seminary – University of Jewish Studies since 2018 as the head of the Jewish community organisation B.A. course. Dr Goldman became very interested in Jewish studies and the Holocaust about 20 years ago and since then has participated in several educational courses on the Holocaust. She also is working part-time at the education department of the Holocaust Memorial Centre in Budapest, where she is responsible for organising teacher training seminars with Yad Vashem and Yahad in Unum international Holocaust organisations.

Ioana Hașu-Georgiev

Ioana Hașu-Georgiev is a Romanian researcher of the recent past, working on interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of history, arts, education, and memory. With a background in history and journalism, she has contributed to numerous academic and public-history initiatives, including co-authoring the book History of Communism for Children. Ioana has curated exhibitions and developed interactive workshops—such as Grandparents' Land—that help young audiences engage with the complexities of the communist era. Her work with history teachers, museums, and students promotes critical thinking and empathy through personal narratives, while also fostering civic awareness and responsibility. Currently, she is involved in projects that blend history with the arts, including documentary theatre on women in the resistance and participatory installations designed to make history accessible, relevant, and transformative for new generations.

Michal Keim

Michal Keim is the Head of the Research and Education Department at the Nation’s Memory Institute (Ústav pamäti národa) in Bratislava, Slovakia. He studied history and he has experiences as an teacher and educator with a strong background in civic education, public history, and memory studies. His professional focus lies in exploring the legacy of totalitarian regimes, fostering historical awareness, critical thinking, and democratic values through education. In addition to his institutional work, Michal is involved in teacher trainings, curriculum development, and public engagement initiatives. He regularly collaborates with schools, NGOs, remembrance institutions and international partners on research and educational projects that address historical trauma, antisemitism, and the protection of human rights. Currently he is also a Chairman of a brand new Association of history didactics in Slovakia.

Robert Kostro

From 2006 founding director of the Polish History Museum in Warsaw. Born in 1967 in Warsaw. Polish historian and journalist. Graduated from the Institute of History, University of Warsaw. In late 1980ties he was active in opposition movement against communist regime (Ruch Mlodej Polski). In late 1990ties head of the foreign affairs unit of the Prime Minister Office. After 2000 he was director of the cabinet of the Minister of Culture. Cofounder of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, an institute promoting Polish culture abroad. He was member of the Supervisory Council of the Royal Castle Museum in Warsaw. Author and editor of many publications concerning memory and history, i.e. co-editor and coauthor (with T. Merta) "Memory and responsibility" (“Pamięć i odpowiedzialność”), Krakow 2004. Published articles in numerous newspapers and intellectual magazines, including two biggest Polish daily papers “Gazeta Wyborcza” and “Rzeczpospolita”.

Keith Lowe

Keith Lowe is the author of several books on Second World War history and memory, including the international bestseller, Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II. His most recent book, Naples 1944, is a detailed study of the social and economic effects of war on a single city. His books have been translated into 24 languages. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and serves on the Historical Advisory Board of the LRE Foundation. He lives in London with his wife and two children.

Registration

Please note: Participation in the conference is free of charge but registration is obligatory.
Unfortunately, expenses for accommodation and travel cannot be reimbursed.
Click here to register.

Partners

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ENRS is funded by: