On June 5, 2025, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Office in the Republic of Moldova, in partnership with the Berlin Karlshorst Museum and the National Association of Young Historians of Moldova, launched the exhibition “Dividing Europe. The Consequences of the Ribbentrop-Molotov (Hitler-Stalin) Pact” at the Edineț Regional Museum.
This traveling exhibition, created to mark 85 years since the signing of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, was developed by the Berlin Karlshorst Museum and the Department of East European History at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf.
The exhibition is both educational and commemorative, highlighting one of the darkest geopolitical agreements of the 20th century. Signed on August 23, 1939, the pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union was more than a non-aggression treaty – it secretly divided Central and Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, with devastating consequences for millions.
Through archival documents, maps, photographs, and personal testimonies, the exhibition reconstructs the historical context of the pact and its impact on Poland, the Baltic States, Romania, and other countries in the region. Deportations, forced occupations, loss of sovereignty, and human suffering are presented not only as historical facts but as warnings for the present.
The exhibition embodies the core values of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation: defending democracy, promoting the rule of law, respecting human rights, and fostering responsible historical memory. In an era where historical truth is increasingly contested, we believe it is essential to equip the public with tools for critical understanding of the past.
Why is this exhibition important today? Because democracy is not a given, but a fragile construct that must be defended. Because freedom cannot exist without memory. And because reconciliation between peoples begins with an honest acknowledgment of past suffering.
This initiative is part of the Foundation’s broader efforts to support civic education and European dialogue. It offers a space for reflection for young people, educators, historians, and the general public, encouraging us to confront the tragedies caused by the pact and to understand how silence or forgetting can reshape history.
The exhibition can be visited at the Edineț Regional Museum from June 5 to June 30, 2025:
Tuesday–Friday: 09:00–17:00
Saturday–Sunday: 10:00–17:00
Until the end of 2025, the exhibition will travel to other cities across the Republic of Moldova, including the National Museum of History in Chișinău.
For democracy, we need memory. We look forward to your visit!