Traveling Exhibit Tells Unknown Story of German POWs Held in Midwest Camps During WWII

During World War II the Midwest was home to approximately 250 prisoners of war camps. Tens of thousands of the 380,000 Germans imprisoned across the U.S. during World War II were held in the Midwest, part of the millions of Axis and Allied prisoners held across the world. These prisoners embody ageless and timely themes of war and peace, justice during times of war, human rights, international reconciliation and potential lessons for avoiding future conflicts and human rights and wrongs. Housed in a bus made into a mobile museum with a 21-seat theater, HELD IN THE HEARTLAND illustrates this unknown story through narrative texts, artifacts & media.


On March 28, 2009 the library will host the TRACES BUS-eum, Held in the Heartland. The BUS-eum will be parked on the library parking lot and will be open for visitors 10:30 -5:30.


The TRACES Center for History and Culture is a Midwest,WWII history museum in downtown Saint Paul, MN’s historic Landmark Center (formerly 1896 Federal Courts Building). Each of its more than two dozen exhibits about Midwesterners’ encounters with Germans or Austrians between 1933 and 1948 forms part of a larger mosaic, a fuller image of a war that is often misunderstood or seen in clichés. At TRACES, WWII is a case study to learn from for today and future generations.


Please make plans to visit the traveling museum. The library is also scheduling interviews for the Veterans oral history project. If you are a veteran, please consider sharing your valuable memories with us and future generations. To schedule an appointment or for more information about the project or the traveling museum, call the library at 253-7455 and ask for Ruth or Sherry.