“This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, and many countries are paying attention to this date. In the Baltic Sea region, 1945 often does not mean the same thing it does, for example, in Western Europe. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia were not restored on the political map after the war. Fundamental changes took place: Germans—whose influence here had taken shape since the Middle Ages—were pushed out of the Baltic Sea region, and the region fell within the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union. We still feel these consequences today, when Russia’s leader calls the Baltic Sea an ‘internal lake.’
“With the conference we want to present the Baltic Sea region as a distinctive space for which the year 1945 has a different meaning than it does for many European countries. We also invite a look at personal experiences: what 1945 meant, for example, to German soldiers who fought here, to Lithuanian Jews, to their rescuers, or to the Forest Brothers. This is our first joint event with the Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Sciences in Potsdam. Such cooperation is important in the broader context of Lithuanian–German relations, especially with regard to ties between the armed forces, because a shared reflection on historical experiences helps to strengthen and develop these ties,” says Prof. Dr. Vasilijus Safronovas, Director of KU BRIAI.
Speakers from seven countries—Lithuania, Estonia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Israel, and the United States—are taking part in the conference. In addition to perspectives on the Baltic Sea region, the program includes sessions on the diversity of experiences at the end of the Second World War, the consequences of occupations and post-war restructurings, population transfers and migration, memory politics, and today’s security context in Europe.
More information and the program: https://www.ku.lt/lt/renginiai/international-conference-the-year-1945-experiences-and-legacies-in-the-baltic-sea-region
