Untold

Free admissionThe exhibition opened on December 12

Why did the Nazis murder hundreds of thousands of Sinti and Roma? Why were so few allowed to come to Sweden? And why is this so untold?

Untold begins with the resistance in the Roma section of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp in 1944 and tells both about the background and the consequences of the genocide. In the exhibition, you will encounter previously unknown testimonies and unique artefacts. What emerges is the scale of the Nazis’ crimes, the story of the few who survived, and the long road to recognition.

The genocide of Sinti and Roma during the Holocaust was recognized by West Germany in 1982 and did not officially become a day of remembrance in the EU until 2015. Research into the genocide has only gained momentum in recent decades. For a long time, the genocide of Europe’s Roma population remained quite unknown and untold.

In the exhibition, you will encounter previously unknown testimonies and unique artefacts.

In Sweden, many live with the genocide as part of their family history. In the exhibition Untold, you will meet Rose-Marie, Eugen, Lenka, Bronislaw, and their descendants. Their life stories endure because they were told — and because someone continues to tell them.

I remember how the nails scraped against my feet."
– Rose-Marie Trollmann, speaking about the shoes she wore when she arrived in Sweden and kept her entire life. One of the shoes is displayed in the exhibition.

Rose-Marie

Rose-Marie Trollmann lived in Sweden for nearly eighty years without speaking about her experiences in the Nazi camps. At the age of eighty, she began to share her story, and her testimony is part of the exhibition. In the photo, Rose-Marie is seven years old and living in Sweden.

Photo: Unknown. Swedish Holocaust Museum/SHM.

Eugen

Eugen Friedrich was born in Berlin in 1935 and when he was seven, the authorities registered him as a "Gypsy". The consequence was that he was forced to leave school. Shortly thereafter, he was sent to a concentration camp, subjected to medical experiments, sterilization and other atrocities.

From the day the five-year sentence was handed down, I have tried to find out who I was, who I am and whether I am a criminal because of my race.”
– Eugen Friedrich, from his book Fostrad till förbrytare (Raised to be a Criminal) which he wrote in Sweden.

In the exhibition there is an interactive reflection part where you can write and contribute to an installation that is set up in the exhibition. Photo: Ola Myrin, Swedish Holocaust Museum/SHM.

Header image: Deportation of Sinti and Roma, 22 May 1940. Photo: Bundesarchiv, R 165 Bild-244-57 / CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Untold - Digital companion to the exhibition

Before your visit

Visit the exhibition at the Swedish Holocaust Museum, Torsgatan 19, Stockholm. Free admission. The exhibition opens on December 12.

Important information about jackets and bags

Cloakroom: Coats and bags may not be taken into the museum. You need to hang up your jacket on the coat racks in the entrance. Bags larger than A4 size may not be taken into the museum. There are small lockers at the entrance to the museum where you can leave your outer clothing. The cabinets are 37.5 centimeters long, 27 centimeters wide and 40.5 centimeters deep. Note! We cannot be responsible for bags that do not fit in the lockers, but refer to larger lockers that are available at, for example, Stockholm's central station. Bags may not be left unattended in the museum.

Monitoring in exhibition premises

The exhibition premises at the Swedish Holocaust Museum are under camera surveillance. The camera surveillance is approved by the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection. Only the authority's own security personnel have access to the material, which is saved for a limited time. It is only in the event of an incident or suspected crime that the recorded material is examined.

For questions contact: registrator@shm.se

Accessibility

Information about accessibility

Plan your visit

Opening hours and practical information