After the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the first heavy bombing took place on 20 April 1915. On 13 August 1915 German soldiers appeared in Bialystok. The city was included in the Ober Ost occupational region. In March of 1918 it was declared part of the Belarus National Republic; in July of 1918 it was made part of Lithuanian Province and became capital of the Southern Lithuania government precinct. On 19 February 1919 the city was taken by Poland....

In the years 1920–1939 the city was again part of independent Poland. In September 1939, Białystok was occupied by the German army, but then passed on to the Soviet Union with respect to the secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, when it was annexed into the Byelorussian SSR. The Belastok Voblast with the centre in Bialystok was created in 1939.

On June 27, 1941, Białystok fell into Nazi hands as a result of the invasion of the Soviet Union.

This explanation illustrates how a town or city that bordered two or more countries in Europe during those times became part of one country or another. This was often the case in many such towns during World War I, and Jews were often caught in the crossfire between warring armies, such as those of Germany and Russia.

Each location has its own history, each citizen caught up in this conflict their own unique experience. There is perhaps no better way to tell about these experiences than to hear accounts from those who survived this conflict.

 Here the Museum will attempt to illustrate the cause of the First World War as well as the experiences of townspeople who lived in areas directly affected by the war, especially those within the Jewish population....next ►►