Update Log 2024
by: Jon Brunberg | 24/02/2024 3:05:16 pm

It's time to initiate the update log for the updates of databases and functions. It's a process that will be made in steps and may go on for some time. This is living document in wich you can read reports on the progress. 

Updated Donation Page
by: Jon Brunberg | 04/01/2024 12:19:48 pm

The PayPal donation page for the Polynational War Memorial project has been updated. Donations helps maintaing and develop the website and databases and supports the project's aim to create a global war memorial for all wars. Your contribution is highly appreciated. Please visit our donation page at PayPal via this link:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=DLTJNMNCTWZGU

Update Log 2018
by: Jon Brunberg | 21/07/2018 3:47:03 pm

It's time for the annual update of the databases and functions at this site, and as usual the update will proceed in steps. This article is a log of the changes and will be updated continously..

War Database Update Log 2017
by: Jon Brunberg | 04/06/2017 12:50:27 pm

The update of the war database has commenced and will continue for the month of June 2017. It will begin with battle-related fatalities from UCDP:s battle-related deaths dataset covering the wars of 2015. As usually updated figures regarding battle-deaths, one-sided violence and non-state conflicts will be published continuously, conflict-by-conflict, which makes the total number of deaths incomplete during the update period. This log contains information about the process including updated articles and website functions.

Mobile-friendly website in the making!
by: Jon Brunberg | 23/08/2016 5:13:05 pm

Since around 25% of you who visit this website use smaller screens or mobile phones, according to my visitor tracker, it's about time that you'll get a better browsing experience.

Minryung Son's Timeline of Wars in History
by: Jon Brunberg | 02/08/2016 8:08:24 pm

It's tremendously inspiring to see what designers and fellow artists can do with the data from the List of Wars. One stunning example is the innovative book project "Timeline of Wars in History" by graphic designer Minryung Son, whose intricate use of pages, edges and laser cut holes to mark time periods and fatality magnitude of each war turns the fundamental structure of the book into a thinly layered, sculptural timeline. It's a statistical diagram, indeed, but one that is impossible to view in its full extent and that only reveal itself when the book is opened and pages flicked through.

Maintenance!
by: Jon Brunberg | 11/07/2016 11:38:30 am

Right before christmas last year this website had to be relocated to a new server. Things happened in the process. At the moment bugs and glitches are being taken care of to restore the site to its former glory.  

New conflict data from UCDP
by: Jon Brunberg | 21/06/2014 2:05:12 pm

In the middle of June Uppsala University’s Conflict Data Program (UCDP) released therir latest datasets for armed conflicts and battle-deaths including data for 2012.

How many wars has each nation fought?
by: Jon Brunberg | 15/03/2014 12:09:14 pm

When the debate in the US about a possible intervention in Syria was at its peak in 2013 some people asked me if I could provide statistics of how may wars that were fought by each nation in the world since 1900.

Snapshots of a reworked Master Plan
by: Jon Brunberg | 25/11/2013 6:25:32 pm

A greatly improved master plan for the Polynational War Memorial is currently being produced and I’m proud to present a couple of snapshots from the ongoing work. This is the first master plan that comprises all programs of the original plan including parks, administrative buildings, a research centre and details of the transport infrastructure, and it has also been adapted to several changes in the programs that have been made in recent years. This master plan is located to a fictitious landscape which have allowed for increased artistic freedom in regards to the layout of the buildings and the infrastructure.

Two versions of the master plan are presented here: the first gives an overview of the buildings, environment and infrastructure while the second maps and explains the facilities and programs. This is certainly not the final master plan for the project but it is the by far most detailed version created hitherto and it will definitely serve as a good starting point for the continued design work. -

[http://www.war-memorial.net/Architecture-Master-Plan-6.1.8.26.0' TARGET='_blank'>All Master Plan images Master Plan images © Jon Brunberg and the other creators 2013

The list of wars since 1900 just got longer
by: Jon Brunberg | 01/08/2013 10:21:59 pm

New data from UCDP for 2012
by: Jon Brunberg | 26/07/2013 12:20:09 pm

New data from UCDP indicates decrease in armed conflicts in the world in 2012 but increase in battle-related fatalities

Where are my comments?
by: Jon Brunberg | 10/02/2013 9:33:57 pm

In my country of residency, Sweden, there has recently been a heated debate about the less flattering ways, to put it mildly, in which some internet users use commenting functions on blogs and social media to mock, threathen or spew hate over their antagonists. So it’s with a bit of hesitation that I’ve decided to upgrade the commenting system on this site to include all news and memorial articles. I must however compliment basically everyone that has commented here over the years for your respectful tone. I must admit that I was expecting a lot of confrontation in the comment threads when I launched the site but much to my surprise there have been zero to none and rarely have I been forced to remove comments that expressed hate or disregard for others.

New Video: Full Interview with Peter Tonkin
by: Jon Brunberg | 02/09/2009 1:00:00 am

This is the full interview with Peter Tonkin of TZG Architects in Sydney that was made in 2003. Peter Tonkin has designed several war memorials, sometimes in collaboration with artists, for example the Memorial to the Australian Forces in the Vietnam War, in Canberra, and the Memorial to the Australian Forces in WWI and WWII, in London. In this video he´s talking about those and other projects, about utopianism in architecture and war memorials in general. Camera: Karin Willén. Interviewer: Jon Brunberg

Introducing the memorial-by-country map
by: Jon Brunberg | 15/08/2009 1:00:00 am

We´re now introducing the nifty memorial-by-country map that allows you to find a list of memorials for a specific country by clicking on it on a map. Countries marked red have information about memorials in the database. Click the country to zoom in and then the "info"-icon to get a list of memorials for each country. Click sea to zoom out fully. The map is powered by DIY Map and a larger version can be found here.

Excerpt from Part 3: the Interfaith Centre
by: Jon Brunberg | 03/05/2009 1:00:00 am

You can now view an excerpt from the video "Polynational War Memorial, Part 3: the Interfaith Centre". The Quicktime player is needed to view the video. The video explains the program of the Interfaith Centre that was designed by Testbedstudio. Soundtrack by Fred Saboonchi and voice by Lisette Merenciana.

2nd design project: the Unimune
by: Jon Brunberg | 27/09/2008 1:00:00 am

The second design project commssioned for the Polynational War Memorial is the combined university, museum and conference facility for negotiations, which is referred to as the Unimune (university, museum, negotiations). This commisson was given to the Berlin based architect group Raumlabor, which operates in the fields of urban design, architectural design, build, interactive environments and research since 1999. The group collaborated with the designers Büro Blickpunkt on this project.

WANÅS 2008: Loss
by: Jon Brunberg | 12/05/2008 1:00:00 am

May 18 - October 19 Wanås, Knislinge, Sweden The exhibition Loss presents The Polynational War Memorial for the first time to the public in full scale. The master plan that outlines the various institutions and the memorial in this architectonical proposal have been configured for the special geographical features of the park.

Presentation of the Interfaith Centre
by: Jon Brunberg | 15/01/2008 1:00:00 am

I´m happy to announce that the first of the design commissions for the Polynational War Memorial will be presented at the art festival Node.Stockholm in Stockholm Jan 15 - Feb 15.

Design phase 2 and 3: Main Memorial and UniMuNe
by: Jon Brunberg | 14/05/2007 1:00:00 am

The architect group Servo's Stockholm office was commissioned to design the main memorial for the Polynational War Memorial, and delivered an exciting design proposal in April 2007. The Berlin based group Raumlabor is currently working on the third design project: a combined universty, museum and conference facility for negotiations, which is referred to as the UniMuNe (university, museum, negotiations).

Workshop at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen April 20
by: Jon Brunberg | 13/04/2007 1:00:00 am

The Polynational War Memorial project will be the the theme for a one-day workshop for master students in fine arts at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.

Dossin Mechelen - international Architectural Workshop March 2007, 'thinking the future of symbolic places' , March 13-18 2007
by: Jon Brunberg | 25/02/2007 1:00:00 am

I've been invited to participate in the Dossin Mechelen workshop in the town of Mechelen in Belgium, which will gather 140 master students in Architecture from all over Europe to "discuss and reflect around the themes of "Holocaust" and "Racism" and work intensively on an (architectural) answer on the future of 'places of remberance' and 'cultural heritage'".

Website updates
by: Jon Brunberg | 06/01/2007 1:00:00 am

As you may already have noticed we have updated the website's interface and added one new section to the web site.

In the press: A10 Magazine
by: Jon Brunberg | 06/11/2006 1:00:00 am

The Amsterdam based architecture magazine A10 has published an article about the Polynational War Memorial written by its Sweden correspondent Claes Sörstedt. The article appears in its November/December issue #12, which is now available from book stores all over Europe. Contents A10 #12 Claes Sörstedt's home page

The Memorial to Europe's Murdered Jews Open for the Public
by: Jon Brunberg | 12/05/2005 1:00:00 am

So, finally on May 12 the much debated Memorial to Europe's Murdered Jews (Denkmal den Ermordeten Juden Europas or Holocaust-Mahnmal), designed by American architect Peter Eisenman, opened for the public. The grey clouds hanging over Berlin was almost color-matched with the 2711 uneven concrete blocks that constitutes the memorial.

More Images from The Memorial to Europe's Murdered Jews in Berlin
by: Jon Brunberg | 12/05/2005 1:00:00 am

A series of images from the opening day of the memorial.

Images from the Ceremony at the Sowjetisches Ehrenmal on May 8
by: Jon Brunberg | 11/05/2005 1:00:00 am

An account of the commemoration of the 50-year anniversary of the day of victory at the Soviet War Memorial (Sowjetisches Ehrenmal) in the Treptower Park in eastern Berlin

The 8 of May in Berlin: Day of Victory, Liberation or Defeat
by: Jon Brunberg | 09/05/2005 1:00:00 am

It was when the sturdy policemen who blocked one of the bridges over the river Spree told the old lady in front of me that there was no way she could get into the west of Berlin without taking a very long detour it struck me that this the chasing game between police and demonstrators that took place on this sunny afternoon in the heart of Berlin had many symbolic associations.

The 60 th Anniversary of WWII in Berlin
by: Jon Brunberg | 06/05/2005 1:00:00 am

Berlin is preparing for the festivities and ceremonies that will be held on several locations in the city on the 7th and 8th of May to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the german capitulation that ended the second world war on European soil. The city of Berlin wants to make this event a celebration that "marks a stand for tolerance, openness and antiracism" as the Tagesspiegel reports by arranging a "Day of Democracy". But there are also going to be a lot of celebrations, ceremonies, talks and exhibitions taking place all around the city in remebrance to the horrors of the second world war. The most spectacular and discussed event is however the dedication of the "Memorial to Europe's Murdered Jews", or the "Holocaust Memorial", that will take place on May 10 with a special ceremony and thereafter opened for the public on May 12. The way from idea to realisation has been marked by controversy and fierce debate since the publisher Lea Rosh and the historian Eberhard J‰ckel first outlined the idea already in 1988. The architect Peter Eisenmann won the final competition for the memorial in 1999.

Vietnam Celebrates 30 Years since the end of the War with the US
by: Jon Brunberg | 30/04/2005 1:00:00 am

Celebration ceremonies were taking place all over Vietnam today as the country remembers the end of the war with the US thirty years ago.

90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
by: Jon Brunberg | 26/04/2005 1:00:00 am

Turkey faces pressure from the international community to admit the atrocities commited against Armenians during the first world war as Armenians all over the world commemorates the 90th anniversary of the events known as the Armenian Genocide or Massacre. Tens of thousands of Armenians including the president and top officials filed through the towering Genocide Memorial in Yerevan on Sunday April 24. IMAGES FROM THE CEREMONY IN YEREVAN ON APRIL 24 Armenian Daily Armenian Diaspora LIGHT A CANDLE 135355 virtual candles has been lit at this site to commemorate the victims of the genocide MEMORIAL INFO The Armenian genocide memorial at Tsitsernakaberd This image has been released into the public domain by its creator, Fpga from the English Wikipedia. This applies worldwide. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Tsitsernakaberd.jpg]

MARLA AND FAIZ IN MEMORIAM
by: Jon Brunberg | 24/04/2005 1:00:00 am

The well-known US activist Marla Ruzicka was honoured at a memorial service in Lakeport, California on Saturday the 23d. She was killed in an attack on a convoy she was travelling with on its way from Bagdhad airport on April 16th. Marla Ruzicka was the founder of CIVIC (Campaign for Innocent Victims of Conflict), an organisation that tried to establish the number of killed Iraqi civilians in the ongoing war. Faiz Ali Salim, who was the Iraq country director of CIVIC was also killed in the attack.

Images from Anti War Demonstration in Stockholm March 19
by: Jon Brunberg | 19/03/2005 1:00:00 am

Demonstrations and manifestations in protest against the US led coalition's occupation in Iraq were held in many cities all around the world on the second anniversary of the invasion on March 19 2003. The image and on the page linked to below shows images from the demonstration held in Stockholm, Sweden.

IRAQ BODY COUNT - PRESS RELEASE 11
by: Jon Brunberg | 17/03/2005 1:00:00 am

This was press release was sent to us on Thursday 17th March 2005. The release can be read in its whole at www.iraqbodycount.net ---------------------------------------- Iraqi death toll spirals upwards; elections followed by increase in civilian casualties ---------------------------------------- On the 2nd anniversary of the Coalition invasion of Iraq, media-reported civilian deaths are approaching 20,000, and the death-rate is spiralling upwards.

DARFUR MORTALITY UPDATE
by: Jon Brunberg | 16/03/2005 1:00:00 am

Nw death toll figures have been estimated by the UN and other bodies regarding in the war in Sudan's Darfur region . Reuters reports that: "The United Nations now estimates that about 180 000 people have died in Sudan's western Darfur region as a result of violence, disease or malnutrition since October 2003 - two-and-a-half times the previous estimate".

Counting the dead is intrinsic to civilised society.
by: Jon Brunberg | 16/03/2005 1:00:00 am

The headline of this summary is taken from the first paragraph in the article linked to below written by Klim McPherson, visiting professor of public health epidemiology at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Oxford University. In his article he stresses the point that it is unacceptable that the governments of the so called civilized western societies try to sweep facts about war related death toll under the rug.

The death toll in the war in Darfur underestimated
by: Jon Brunberg | 10/03/2005 1:00:00 am

From the statements made by UN envoy to Sudan, Jan Egeland, reported on March 9 it is clear that the United Nations is utterly frustrated by the lack of engagement from the western world in the case with the conflict in the Darfur region and the humanitarian situation in South Sudan.

Anniversary of Madrid Terror Bombings
by: Jon Brunberg | 09/03/2005 1:00:00 am

Commemorative services are held in churches all over Spain on March 11 to mark the anniversary of the Madrid bombings that killed 191 people in simultaneous attacks in the commuter train system of the Spanish capital and chocked Europe. A memorial wood will open in Madrid at the same day.

60th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Concentration Camps
by: Jon Brunberg | 28/01/2005 1:00:00 am

The world commemorated yesterday January 27 the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps by the Soviet armed forces. Around thousand survivors of the concentration and extermination camps took part in a commemoration service in Auschwitz-Birkenau together with representatives from more than forty countries, including heads of state and leading ministers. I have collected here only a few press voices about the commemorations that are indeed not only saying something about the terror of the holocaust but also of the time we live in today.

IRC Survey Estimates 3,8 Million Dead in Congo Civil War
by: Jon Brunberg | 28/12/2004 1:00:00 am

The International Rescue Committe, an US-based Aid Relief Organisation reports that almost 4 million people have lost their lives as a result of the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which makes it the deadliest conflict in the world since WWII.

Holocaust Memorial in Berlin finished after years of debate
by: Jon Brunberg | 17/12/2004 1:00:00 am

17. Dezember 2004 By Michael Jeismann Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung The last steles of the central Holocaust Memorial in Berlin were erected on Wednesday. There was a small celebration, and the group parted in the knowledge that something had been accomplished after years of debate. Go to article

Divisions over Iraq war delay a soldier's tribute
by: Jon Brunberg | 13/12/2004 1:00:00 am

This article is from USA Today 12/13/2004. "Brattleboro's struggle to remember its fallen son illustrates how the Iraq war can divide people, even when they're merely trying to honor the dead, even when they try to do so without offending anyone."

ANOTHER EXCELLENT BLOG
by: Jon Brunberg | 04/12/2004 1:00:00 am

The perhaps best blog I've found that tries to give an overview of what is happening in Iraq on a daily basis is Today in Iraq.

BLOGS COVERING THE WAR IN IRAQ
by: Jon Brunberg | 16/11/2004 1:00:00 am

Blogging is an increasingly popular phenomenon on the internet. They may have been little more than diaries from the start but these days a lot of blogs have proven to be an invaluable source of information. Where mainstream media delivers streamlined and biased reports that gives you little more than the official picture of an event such as the campaign in Falluja, bloggers are engaged in fierce discussions and information exchange that throws light on current events from many perspectives. Below you'll find a few links to blogs that are very active in reporting on the war in Iraq. Raed Jarrar's blog "Raed in the Middle" is a good starting point. Raed reports daily on the current situation in Iraq and the blog also includes fierce discussions between pro- and anti-war debaters in the comments sections. http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/ "Moon of Alabama" is an example of an pro-democrat anti-war blog http://www.moonofalabama.org/2004/11/iraq_thread.html "Diary of an Anti-Chomskyite" is rather pro-Israel, pro-republican http://antichomsky.blogspot.com/2004/11/woo-hooo.html Riverbend is one of few bloggers reporting from Baghdad http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/ Visit fallujapictures.blogspot.com for a chilling collection news images from the ongoing war. http://fallujapictures.blogspot.com/

STUDY CLAIMS THAT 100000 MAY HAVE BEEN KILLED IN IRAQ
by: | 03/11/2004 1:00:00 am

On October 29 the renowned Medical Journal the Lancet published the results of a study of the death rate among civilians in Iraq on their web site, one week before it would be published in the printed issue. The study was made by a research team headed by Les Roberts of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. 33 areas of 30 households each was included in the survey where household members where questioned by the deaths in the household before and after the US led invasion. The result shows a far higher figure as previously expected. According to the study more than 100 000 people could have been killed in the Iraqi war and the bloody aftermath, a figure that does not include Falluja even though it is said that two-thirds of all deaths were reported there.

THE POLYNATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL PRESENTED IN CHINA
by: | 13/10/2004 1:00:00 am

Scandinavian Sparks Swedish Art and Design in China October 22 - 31, 2004 We are proud to announce that the Polynational War Memorial will be presented as a part of SOC.Stockholm's participation in the exhibition Scandinavian Sparks in Beijing. The project will be present in the form of text and the animation '101 YEARS' that show the wars of the 20th century in 32 seconds. Please follow the link below to read the press release. The web site for the exhibition project is www.scandinaviansparks.com

THE POLYNATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL PROJECT GOES TO CHINA
by: Jon Brunberg | 13/10/2004 1:00:00 am

Scandinavian Sparks Swedish Art and Design in China October 22 - 31, 2004 We are proud to announce that the Polynational War Memorial will be presented as a part of SOC.Stockholm's participation in the exhibition Scandinavian Sparks in Beijing. The project will be present in the form of text and the animation '101 YEARS' that show the wars of the 20th century in 32 seconds. Please follow the link below to read the press release. The web site for the exhibition project is www.scandinaviansparks.com

OPENING OF THE KIGALI MEMORIAL CENTER IN RWANDA
by: | 06/04/2004 1:00:00 am

The official opening of the Kigali memorial center will be on April 6 in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. The memorial center is set up by a UK-based charity called the Aegis trust, who in their own words ”works towards the prevention of genocide with survivors, decision-makers and the next generation through commemoration, education, awareness-raising and research”, after a request from the Rwandian Governement.