In 2017, Enno Lenze, a German museum director and frequent visitor to the Kurdistan Region, established a groundbreaking museum in Berlin called Hitler - How Could It Happen? Housed in a 6,500-square-meter bunker not far from the one where Hitler spent his final days, the museum was partly inspired by Lenze’s experiences with museums in the Kurdistan Region.

No stranger to the museum world, Lenze gained early experiences that helped pave the way for Hitler - How Could It Happen? “In 2010 I ran a very small museum of 250 square meters about Berlin’s 800 years of history, but it was my first attempt at creating a museum and was not very successful,” Lenze told Kurdistan Chronicle during his latest visit to Erbil. “It was great to learn what doesn’t work and gain experience in setting up a museum.”

Lenze’s ties to Kurdistan, meanwhile, date to 2011, when he first visited. He was introduced to the region by Siegfried Martsch, a German politician and family friend who had worked with the Kurds in the 1990s. “I grew up hearing stories about Kurdistan and how quickly it was growing and developing with an international airport, a racing track, and cafes. It was completely different then from today,” he said.

Lenze returned to Kurdistan in 2013, when Kurdish refugees were pouring into Kurdistan from Syria, and again in June 2014, when ISIS took over parts of Iraq. “It wasn’t just news to me – it was personal. I knew people there, and it felt different. I wanted to understand what was happening, so I came to Erbil to get closer to the situation. Soon after arriving, through local connections, I was introduced to peshmerga fighters and got a firsthand look at the frontline of the conflict.

“What struck me the most was how, despite the brutal war and the presence of the largest terrorist group of our time, the Kurds remained incredibly open and friendly. Even in the face of such horror, they would gather around bonfires, play music, and treat refugees with kindness and respect. It amazed me how they maintained their humanity. That’s what kept me coming back several times a year, even after ISIS was defeated,” Lenze said.

Inspired by Kurdistan

It was also in Kurdistan where Lenze got inspiration for a new museum. “After my visit in 2014, I noticed some interesting museums in Kurdistan. Shortly after, the Museum for the Martyrs of the War against ISIS (ISIS Museum) opened in Sulaymaniyah. They already had the small Anfal Museum in Barzan, and it was expanding. There was also Amna Suraka (Red Prison) in Sulaymaniyah and the Halabja Memorial.”

Speaking with people who had built museums in Kurdistan stoked new ideas for Lenze. “We often discussed simple yet significant things,” he said. “For example, when I visited the ISIS Museum in Sulaymaniyah, I saw items from the group. It made me wonder – should we display Nazi symbols or insignia in the same way?”

“Of course, ISIS is not the same thing as the Nazi regime, but it raised similar questions: how do you address the horrible things that happen to your people or to others?” Lenze said. “Saddam Hussein followed a similar playbook as Hitler, ISIS, and even the East German regime. So, I decided to create a museum. Germans typically design museums so as to remain impartial and show both sides, even when it comes to the Nazi regime. But I have a very clear view on the Nazis. I know who the bad guys were.”

He was particularly inspired by the ISIS Museum in Sulaymaniyah, which showcases photos of those who died fighting ISIS, and by the Halabja Memorial, which is dedicated to the victims of the Iraqi Ba’ath Regime’s 1988 chemical weapons attack on Halabja that killed 5,000 Kurds.

“They are very simple in design and use basic elements like pictures, figures, paintings, and a few videos, but they are incredibly powerful. Seeing these museums helped me realize we didn’t need flashy lights or gimmicks. Today’s museum planners in Germany often think everything needs to be interactive and high-tech, but I disagree. If you have a story to tell, pictures and maps work well. German museums might win awards for animation, but that doesn’t make them good museums,” Lenze argued.

With his curator Wieland Giebel, he visited numerous museums around the world that focus on genocides and terrorism to understand their approaches. “Over several months, we developed an idea about what we wanted to do and how to approach it. We debated the scope of the Nazi regime’s history, wondering whether we should only cover the period of their rule during World War II or include their early rise to power and other details,” Lenze explained.

“We had to carefully consider which aspects to include, such as propaganda, their rise to power, the Holocaust, and the regime’s downfall. With around 100 rooms, deciding which pictures, videos, and stories to feature was complex. We aimed to balance impact without overwhelming visitors with too much horror,” he said.

Other projects

After extensive planning, Hitler - How Could It Happen? opened in Berlin in 2017, and now attracts about 500,000 visitors annually. It is ranked among the top ten most visited museums in Berlin.

The museum, however, remains an evolving one, thanks to the insights Lenze gained from his visits to Kurdistan. “We left some space intentionally empty for future exhibitions. For instance, as the situation in Ukraine worsened, we created a small special exhibit on Ukrainian issues, but later realized it was too small and decided to focus on broader topics like propaganda, including how Russia still uses Soviet-style propaganda,” Lenze said.

Lenze shared that he is also considered organizing exhibitions about ISIS or the peshmerga forces that fought ISIS. “But I think the timing for a German audience might have passed. We should have started earlier. Lenze has also considered establishing an ISIS museum in Germany. “We have thought about special exhibitions to draw people in, but if I had been able to set up the museum 10 years ago, I might have included an ISIS museum or special exhibition. It took two to three years to get my own project up and running, and by then, the opportunity to establish another had passed. I am not sure if Western audiences would still be interested in this topic today,” Lenze pondered.