The museum’s goal is to show the lives and fates of civilians and soldiers, not just in Poland but in other European countries as well. “We cannot explain Polish history without paying attention to other nations,” the director said. “We are not an isolated island.” But the government isn’t happy. Polish Culture Minister Piotr Glinski has led the charge to merge the museum with a newer one that hasn’t even been built yet, something his opponents say is a way for the government to take over the Gdansk museum and change the exhibits.