Persecution of the Lithuanian Roma during the Nazi Occupation (1941–1944)
Main Information
A travelling exhibition compiled in 2017 is dedicated to the memory of the Roma community members who suffered during the Nazi occupation of Lithuania. The expressive pre-war photographs capture the life of the Roma in Lithuania before the 1940: travelling in horse-driven carts from one place to another or to markets in town squares, setting up camp in forests or by lakes, pitching tents, playing cards, gathering around a campfire, nursing a baby, and attending funerals. Surviving documents and photographs preserved by relatives bear witness to World War II and the Nazi terror. The latter show Roma who were shot in Pravieniškės forced labour camp or transported to concentration camps in Germany and France for forced labour.
The documents and photographs on display come from the collections of the Lithuanian Central State Archive, Vytautas the Great War Museum, Utena Regional History Museum, the 9th Fort of Kaunas fortress, Šiauliai Aušra Museum and private collections. The author of the introductory text is Dr. Arūnas Bubnys.