No Home To Go To: The Story of Baltic Displaced Persons, 1944-1952
Thousands flee as battle fronts near
Fearing bombings and the threat of oppression, thousands of civilians flee daily to neighboring countries by any means available. As fierce fighting continues on both sides, families, many with small children, seek safety in makeshift communities where food and accommodations are scarce or non-existent. The plight of these refugees is creating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
The above paragraph might seem to describe the fate of many refugees in the middle east. Yet these words describe what happened seventy years ago to displaced persons in Europe, fleeing their homes and uprooting their lives because of the approach of Soviet forces in the last year of World War II.
On May 18th, the Lithuanian Museum – Archives of Canada will open an unprecedented exhibition “No Home To Go To: The Story of Baltic Displaced Persons, 1944-1952”. Drawing on the memories, documents, photographs, and memorabilia of families and individuals who lived through the experience, “No Home To Go To” addresses a neglected aspect of World War II. The exhibition tells the dramatic and personal story of dozens of individuals whose lives were suddenly uprooted, who sought new homes and lives, and who, finally, found havens in Canada and other countries throughout the world. Organized by the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, along with its collaborating institutions the Latvian Folk Art Museum, the Chicago Estonian House, and the Lithuanian Emigration Institute, this exhibition will be augmented by special programs, exploring the history of those times and encouraging the participation of former DPs and their descendants.
SPECIAL EVENT Sunday, June 5th, 2016 12:30m
Presentation by Irene Chambers, Curator
The exhibition will be open May 18th through June 29th 2016
Wednesdays 10 am – 4 pm and Sundays 11 am – 4 pm
Lithuanian Museum – Archives of Canada, 2185 Stavebank Rd., Mississauga ON L5C 1T3
More information: Danguole Breen tel: 905-361-0434 or Email:
This project is partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council; the Kazickas Family Foundation; the Lithuanian Council for Culture; the Lithuanian Foundation; the Illinois Humanities Council; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania; the Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in Chicago; the Women’s Guild of the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture; the Latvian Foundation, Inc.; the Cultural Foundation of the World Federation of Free Latvians; the National Archives of Estonia; and private donations.
