The aim of Alicja Bartuś's speech Perception of Auschwitz and World War II based on the research of Małopolska students (2016-2018) was to reflect on the direction and effects of education conducted following a visit to the Auschwitz Memorial Site. The author emphasised that the effect of memorial sites is primarily an emotional and visual experience, while effective assimilation of knowledge is determined by many factors (e.g. a good guide, proper preparation for the visit, positive motivation).
Anna Czerner and Elżbieta Nieroba, in the paper Role of empirical research in the development of education in the memorial site, discussed qualitative sociological research commissioned by the Central Museum of Prisoners of War in Łambinowice, addressed to the local community. The results of the research project suggest that they may help develop an educational offer that combines attractiveness for the recipient (in a cognitive and emotional sense) concerning the nature of the memorial site, its aura and historical context. Justyna Nowak's speech entitled Inherit the memory of the concentration camp was an important contribution to the discussion on post-memory connected with her stay in the concentration camp. The trauma of war does not disappear with the passing away of the generation that experienced it. Research shows that mental mutilation is characteristic of war-time grandchildren or great-grandchildren, with a constant feeling of insecurity and danger. Only after the discovery and full awareness of the ancestors' traumas can we name and channel fears and fantasies unidentified earlier.
The second panel debate entitled, Between localness and globalness. About the status, potential, opportunities and threats faced by martyrdom museums in Poland was attended by the following panellists: Paulina Florjanowicz, Wiesław Wysok and Dorota Folga-Januszewska, led by Piotr Tarnowski. Today, martyrdom museums function in a new cultural context, characterised by a visible crisis in traditional school teaching of history, coupled with a growing influence of mass culture on the perception of history and the danger of commercialisation and trivialisation of the Holocaust. The panellists pointed out that memorial museums are distinguished by their great imaginative, educational and mediation potential, whose strength lies in exploring the past through the experience of a real crime site on an emotional, intellectual and reflective level. They also emphasised the indispensable and extremely important role of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in creating an institutional, legal and financial framework for the effective functioning of museums and memorial sites.
In conclusion, it can be argued that martyrdom museums are faced with many challenges in the era of a changing historical culture, technological changes and new expectations on the part of visitors. In this respect, the conference History in memory spaces. The Camp - site - museum presented great potential for research, education and commemoration of martyrdom museums, as well as the deficits and the need for further reflection. Thanking all the speakers, panellists and speakers for their substantial contribution to the conference, the organisers expressed hope that the publication planned for 2021 will be an important contribution to the discussion on the condition and development prospects of these museum institutions', which are important for contemporary memory culture.