The „Layers of Memory” map is one of the most significant projects carried out recently by the Polish League Against Defamation Foundation. The project was created to memorialise the Victims – Polish citizens who were murdered during the German and Soviet occupation, but also to show the scale of the tragedy of Polish society. The places indicated on the map are related to historical events that have been recorded in historical literature, diaries and media reports. A particularly important element of the project is historical education and a reminder (especially to local communities) of the events that took place during World War II.

The Layers of Memory project was born in 2015, when one of our Supporters, Mr Zbigniew Cofta, approached our foundation and presented us with the results of his long-standing work – a list of memorials in Poland and around the world that he had created. The database he had prepared included tens of thousands of memorials, not only those known to us and memorialised, but above all those which had also been described in scientific literature and other studies, but had not yet been properly commemorated.

The idea was then born to translate this work into an interactive online map.

Several years passed from the idea to implementation. The realisation of the project was limited only by the financial resources needed both to carry out historical analyses, complete the data and build the service in such a way that it would be possible to successively add further verified memorial sites, but also to add more layers related to the history of Poland and Poles.

The image of the 'Layers of Memory’ map is a martyrdom layer showing the places of murder of thousands of Polish citizens who died during World War II in territories enslaved by the occupying powers and defined within the borders of post-Yalta Poland. The map may also include memorial sites which are scattered almost all over the globe (e.g. within the borders of present-day Germany, present-day Russia, present-day Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, the Siberian republics, etc.), as the tragedy of Polish society and consequently death at the hands of the German or Soviet occupiers did not depend on borders.

The points shown on the map are places that can be former German camps, prisons, cemeteries, roadside crosses or places of execution hidden deep in the woods, and other objects that are connected with events or figures significant for the heritage of the Polish Nation and State.

Each point indicated on the map represents a tragedy of people who were brutally murdered in that place. A specific place is annotated so that each of us can learn the facts, find out how many lives were annihilated by German or Soviet criminals, the date and circumstances under which Polish citizens were killed, and the GPS coordinates defining this place.

The essence of the project is to remember the victims and show the dimension of the tragedy of Polish citizens.

The creation of a map and the marking of sites in memory of the Victims is also particularly important in promoting historical truth to a wide audience. The „Layers of Memory” project is part of the definition of National Heritage, and through the historical message it not only stimulates our historical awareness, but also enriches our knowledge, and forms a sense of national identity, which is a guarantee of the continuity of the nation and ensures the continuity of the state.

 The presented map showing the martyrdom layer is the basic element of the service. In the future, we plan (as far as financial resources allow) to develop the service by adding more layers concerning events and personalities related to Polish history, and to supplement the service with materials for history teachers and students that can serve as teaching tools.