WWII outbreak anniversary ceremony at Westeplatte, Gdańsk

Źródło: TVN24

The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk announced a discount in social media on items from a "Red Poppies" collection, marking the 77th anniversary of Monte Cassino capture by soldiers from the Polish II Corps. On offer, one could purchase a tie, power bank, card holder or luggage tag. A photo published in social media also showed socks, but this item has been removed from the store website.

"Nearly 1,000 Polish soldiers died at Monte Cassino. The memory of Poles who fought for the monastery is preserved in the words of the song 'The Red Poppies on Monte Cassino', which refers to the flowers growing and blooming abundantly on local hills" - the museum shop wrote on its website.

The museum offered a 20-percent discount after entering a special code online and at the gift shop.

The collection and discount on "Red Poppies" collection has become viral in social media. Also the post by the museum sparked a heated discussion on whether such items should be on sale in the first place, out of respect for the Monte Cassino's fallen soldiers. The socks shown in the photo were particularly under fire. The museum removed the post from its website on Wednesday. The offered discount code was active only on Tuesday, May 18.

"To acknowledge critical opinions regarding a product (the socks) with the poppy theme, as part of a popular collection "The Red Poppies on Monte Cassino", the The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk apologises to all those who felt offended, and informs that the item is no longer on sale" - the museum spokesperson Hanna Mik-Samól said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

She argued that such items can also be found in other key cultural institutions all over the world, including museum in the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan.

"With the help of posters, school materials, pins or collections for men and women, knowledge about the WWII is being promoted, it inspires to further examination of the topic, as well as emphasizes buyers' attachment to history. Each collection launched by the Museum is accompanied by a historical outline introducing a given topic" - Mik-Samól wrote.

"Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino" (The Red Poppies on Monte Cassino) is one of the best-known Polish military songs of World War II. It was composed in May 1944 in Italy, during the Battle of Monte Cassino, on the eve of the Polish Army's capture of the German stronghold.