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Front side of Liberation War Museum. Photo by Mohammad Fazla Rabbe-

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Liberation War Museum, Bangladesh

The Liberation War Museum is located at Agargaon in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. The museum commemorates the Bangladesh Liberation War that led to the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan.

The museum trustee sought donations from the general public to set up the museum. Also, the public came forward with artifacts to be displayed from the war.

Learn more about the Liberation War Museum in these top 10 outstanding facts.

1. The Museum was Built to Commemorate the Bangladesh Liberation War

After the liberation war, the museum was started by a board of trustees of eight persons. The museum was to serve as a means of preserving the memory of the 1971 liberation war.

The trustee pledged a donation from the general public to fund the museum. The public was urged to come with artifacts to be displayed from the war.

The artifacts included weapons, human remains, personal belongings, documents, and histories related to the war.

2. The Liberation War Museum was Inaugurated in 1996

Liberation War Museum new building. Photo by Ahm Masum-

The museum is located in the center of Dhaka city and was inaugurated on March 22, 1996.

The museum is registered as a society with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms, Bangladesh and with the NGO Bureau of the government of the people鈥檚 republic of Bangladesh.

Four galleries display the protracted struggle of the people of Bangladesh to establish their identity as a nation under the British regime, as well as their struggle for democracy and political and economic emancipation from 1947 and their armed struggle during the nine months long war of liberation in 1971.

3. The Museum has established the Center for the Study of Genocide and Justice (CSGJ)

CSGJ was established by the Liberation War Museum in 2014. CSGJ is aimed to organize and promote research, study, documentation, education and networking on genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Bangladesh and other parts of the world.

The CSGJ work to strengthen the national and global efforts for Genocide Prevention (GP) and the non-violent method of Responsibility to Project (R2P). The center aims to improve the initiatives to establish justice for mass and recognition restitution, preparation and holding of the victims.

The core mission of CSGJ is to educate upcoming generations and to dedicate its effort to uphold the cause of truth and justice.

4. The Museum has established International Links

A463: IAF Hawker Hunter at Liberation War Museum,Dhaka. Photo by Shadman Samee-

The Japanese government 2016 donated modern audio-visual and exhibit equipment to be fitted in the museum to help preserve the culture and heritage of Bangladesh鈥檚 Independence Movement.

Liberation War Museum is an institutional member of the American Alliance of Museums and a founder member of the International Coalition of Historic Sites Museum of Conscience.

5. The Museum has Over 21,000 Artifacts

The museum has collected more than 21,000 artifacts over the years (as of 2016). Some artifacts are exhibits or displays in the museum and many are stored in the archives.

The museum is independent of the government of Bangladesh, and it describes itself as an 鈥渙utcome of a citizen’s effort鈥� due to the crowd-funded nature of the museum. The general public contributed the majority to the museum collection.

6. The Liberation War Museum was Later Relocated to a Bigger Space

Liberation War Museum new building. Photo by Ahm Masum-

Only a fraction of the collected artifacts could be displayed in the original space due to inadequate space.

In 2009, it was decided that a bigger space was needed. An architectural contest was held to get a new design for the museum.

Architects Tanzim Hasan Salim and Naheed Farzana won the prize for their design. In 2013 land was acquired in Agargaon for the new building and construction began.

After construction, the Liberation War Museum’s new premises were officially opened on April 16, 2017. The new premises provided a much bigger space with 3500 square meters of gallery space.

7. The Liberation War Museum Started a Reach-out Program in 2004

The reach-out program started on July 18, 2004, and expanded in 2007 when the museum acquired a mobile museum. The bus contributed to reaching school children in the remotest villages of the country.

The programs aim to educate students who had not been exposed to the glory and pain that the Bengali nation experienced in 1971.

The program also combats the growing intolerance and human rights abuse in the present society. Students are taught tolerance has been an intrinsic Bengali trait for centuries and in the globalization world today and importance for society to respect another person.

An oral history project has been initiated where students above grade VII are encouraged to interview elders to recount their experience and heroism during the Liberation War. More than 50,922 oral history pieces have been collected.

Currently, the program titled 鈥淗uman Rights and Peace Education in the Light of History of Liberation War鈥� is funded by the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, Government of Bangladesh.

The mobile museum is also visited by nearby schools that aren鈥檛 part of the program and adults of the village.

8. The Museum has Eight Board of Trustees

The board of trustees has eight persons. The persons are; H. Akku Chowdhury, Rabiul Hussain, Ziauddin Tariq Ali, Mofidul Hoque, Aly Zaker, Asaduzzaman Noor, Sara Zaker and Dr. Sarwar Ali.

9. The Museum Uses Technology to Create a Digital Thread Exhibit

The Digital Thread Exhibit was created by a group of Harvard students, museum designers and social activists. It鈥檚 an online exhibition dedicated to sharing the story of the Rohingya community and lifting their voices to a global audience.

In partnership with Harvard University Asia Center and Liberation War Museum, it combines the power of arts and technology to raise awareness for the prosecuted Rohingya community.

The website is segmented into various concise segments, focusing on the arts and crafts created by the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh under a UNHCR-IUCN partnership project.

The website allows viewers to donate, watch promos, and raise individual voices and serves as a complementary imitative to a traveling exhibition organized by the Liberation War Museum.

10. The Liberation War Museum Programs Exposes Students to Its History

The program was started in 1997, transporting students using buses from various schools in Dhaka city to give them exposure to the museum.

The outreach program is always ready. They welcome the student and show them a documentary on the emergency of Bangladesh entitled 鈥淢uktishangramer Itihash 1947-1971 and later visit the galleries.

After the students are done with the visitation, they are put under quiz competition on what they had learned about the liberation war. The highest scorers are awarded by the trustee of the Liberation War Museum.

As of August 2021, approximately 873 education institution had sent their student to the museum. The teachers who bring students to the museum are named the Network Teacher.