The museum proposed in the study will work to deepen, maintain and develop the knowledge of how the Holocaust was made possible and what happened in Europe during the Second World War. In addition, Sweden's actions in relation to the Holocaust and Nazi Germany will be elucidated in an in-depth and problematic way.

- There are countries such as Hungary and Poland, for example, where the history of the Holocaust is currently being rewritten. In Europe, and in Sweden as well, anti-Semitism and anti-Gypsyism are spreading, says investigator Birgitta Svensson, professor of ethnology at Stockholm University and former permanent secretary of the Royal Academy of Sciences, why the need for a Holocaust Museum is great.

Investigated quickly

In 2018, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (S) promised that the issue of a museum would be investigated quickly, following a proposal by Holocaust survivor Max Safir. The government directive pointed out that there is no museum activity in Sweden that can collect objects related to the Holocaust and convey memories of the historical event.

The inquiry recommends a start date in January 2022 for the new business, and that the work of collecting stories, objects and other material from survivors in Sweden should be started promptly given the high age of the persons.

- Therefore, we suggest that an existing museum can take on the responsibility of starting work before the new museum can be in place, says Birgitta Svensson.

The proposal does not mention any specific place where the new museum should be erected, but lists a number of criteria that should be met: The site should have historical links, proximity to the academic institutions for the museum to collaborate with and enable a high public influx.

"Very expensive"

Completely wrong, according to Jonas Hellberg, chairman of the County Museums Cooperation Council, who comments on the investigation in a press release:

“The memory of the Holocaust should be kept alive and recognized throughout the country. A new central museum in, for example, Stockholm will be very costly and partly risk the important mission of the museum that can never be achieved. In order to increase knowledge about the Holocaust, exhibitions and educational museum work are required throughout the country. "

The county museums instead propose that the state give a grant and the assignment to the country's 24 county museums to conduct the business.