Swedish heavy metal band, SABATON, and over 120 museums around the world, have joined hands for the most anticipated museum event of the year – the global premiere of The War To End All Wars – The Movie, which kicks off this week.
This unprecedented global premiere falls under SABATON’s “History Rocks” charity project, developed to help museums across the world by boosting their visibility and introducing them to a new, untapped audience of SABATON fans and history buffs.
The band is excited to reveal the final list of participants in this groundbreaking project and express their heartfelt gratitude to all who have contributed to making this unique venture a reality, including London’s own RAF Museum and The Tank Museum in Dorset.
The RAF Museum will host two special Q&A sessions with bassplayer Pär Sundström and frontman Joakim Brodén alongside the screening, where they can talk about the film, inspiration behind the project and answer questions from fans, taking place on Remembrance Sunday, 12th November, at 1pm and 3pm.
Speaking on the announcement of RAF Museum’s involvement, the Director of Visitor and Commercial Development Barry Smith comments:
“At the RAF Museum we are always keen to embrace new and unique ways to inform and educate our audiences, so we are really excited about working with Sabaton on the History Rocks project, which combines music, animation, and storytelling with First World War history.”
Tickets are available here
Another special event will take place Monday 13th November at The Tank Museum at Bovington Camp, Dorset, featuring a screening of the movie The War to End All Wars, with Q&A and meet & greet with bassist Pär Sundström. Tickets for this event are available here.
“We are delighted to offer an extra special screening of The War to End All Wars film and to welcome Sabaton’s band manager and bass guitarist Pär Sundström to the Museum. Pär will also be taking part in a meet and greet with fans and will be signing limited edition Sabaton T-shirts, which can be purchased on the day,” said Tank Museum Events Manager Tom Holmes.
Fifteen UK-based museums are participating in the project which sees over 120 museums involved worldwide in twenty-nine countries. Details of UK Museums screening the movie are included below, as well as ticket links.
UNITED KINGDOM
Black Country Living Museum, Dudley – Tickets here.
Bodmin Keep – Cornwall’s Army Museum, Bodmin – Tickets here.
CMSM Combined Military Services Museum, Essex – Tickets here.
Heugh Battery Museum, Hartlepool – Tickets here.
Military Museum Scotland, Kirknewton – Tickets here.
National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool, Hartlepool – Tickets here.
Royal Air Force Museum London, London – Tickets here.
Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds – Tickets here.
Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock – Tickets here.
South Wales Aviation Museum, Barry – Tickets here.
Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome, Essex – Tickets here.
Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum,Caernarfon – Tickets here.
The Staffordshire Regiment Museum, Staffordshire – Tickets here.
The Tank Museum, Dorset – Tickets here.
York Army Museum, York – Tickets here.
On their participation in this unprecedented global event, other UK museums had this to say:
Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome: “It’s wonderful to see the Metal and Museum communities merge through our shared appreciation of History. By understanding it, by making it relative – we can learn from it. Sabaton has taken a huge step forward in making our history relative and real to millions of fans worldwide, and we’re hugely grateful to them for the History Rocks project.”
Black Country Living Museum: “At CMSM, we are looking for inventive ways to get different audiences interested in the museum and subjects that we cover. We jumped at the chance to work with Sabaton and the History Rocks project as it ticks all our boxes. We are really looking forward to the event and seeing new audiences get exposed to the collection.”
The Tank Museum: “Sabaton are very popular with tank fans, and we are thrilled to collaborate with Sabaton and YarnHub to be part of their charity initiative to bring The War to End All Wars film to our visitors. This event is the first of its kind for the Museum, and we are looking forward to reaching a new audience of history enthusiasts.”
Military Museum Scotland: “It was a surprise in the first place to hear from Sabaton inviting Military Museum Scotland to be part of this exciting event. I must admit though, up until then I hadn’t heard about Sabaton. After listening to a number of their music videos on youtube, I am now hooked. The songs are awesome, and as for the videos, they totally grip your interest and are very emotional. Proud and honoured that Military Museum Scotland was invited to be part of this.”
Heugh Battery Museum: ” We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with Sabaton as part of the History Rocks project, and we are in awe of their passion for history. By sharing that passion through their music, Sabaton reach so many people who would have dismissed history as boring. It isn’t just about the fundraising help that they so generously give, which we have benefited from and are really grateful for, but their strong message that history matters. Sabaton do this with passion, flair and humility, and we love them for that.”
The final list of participants in The War To End All Wars – The Movie includes an array of museums, mainly military museums, spanning 29 territories. The collaboration is a testament to the band’s dedication to providing an immersive and educational experience for their fans and history enthusiasts worldwide.
The War To End All Wars – The Movie will screen globally from November 4-19, 2023, encompassing the two weeks surrounding the historic date of Armistice Day (November 11). This year marks the 105th anniversary of this commemorative day.
In addition to sharing the final participation list, the band wishes to express their excitement as the global premiere draws near. Bassist and band manager, Pär Sundström, comments:
“We’re looking forward to sharing The War To End All Wars – The Movie with our fans and everyone who values history, and can’t wait to present it to the world and see what the reaction is! We hope that positive things come out of this and that museums benefit from this never-been-done-before project.”
Remaining confirmed museums participating in the History Rocks project are sorted by country below:
AUSTRIA
Peace Museum, Vienna
BELGIUM
Plugstreet 14-18, Comines-Warneton
Talbot House, Poperinge
Fort Liezele, Puurs-Sint-Amands
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
Homeland Museum of Gradiška, Gradiška
BRAZIL
Museu do Expedicionário, Curitiba
Museu Militar do Comando Militar do Sul, Porto Alegre
BULGARIA
Pazardzhik Regional Museum, Pazardzhik
Regional Museum of History Stara Zagora, Stara Zagora
National Museum of History, Sofia
CANADA
Heritage Lower Saint Lawrence, Métis-sur-Mer
Millet & District Museum, Archives & Visitor Services, Alberta
Rocky Mountain House Museum, Alberta
THEMUSEUM, Kitchener
The Military Museums, Calgary
CROATIA
Gradski muzej Varaždin, Varaždin
SIsak Municipal Museum, Sisak
Muzej vojne i ratne povijesti, Pakrac
CZECH REPUBLIC
Military Muzeum Generála Sergěje Jana Ingra, Vlkoš
Muzeum a vzdělávací centrum čs. legií/Československých legií, Prague
Patton Memorial Pilsen, Pilsen
Pěchotní srub K-S 5 & U potoka, Dolní Morava
Pevnost Dobrošov, Dobrošov
Vojenské muzeum Chuchelná, Chuchelná
DENMARK
Mosede Fort, Danmark 1914-18, Greve
Museum Skanderborg, Skanderborg
Sønderborg Castle, Sønderborg
ESTONIA
Valga sõjamuuseum, Valga
FINLAND
The Parola Armour Museum, Parola
Tornionlaakson museo, Tornio
FRANCE
Carrière Wellington: Mémorial de la Bataille d’Arras, Arras
Historial franco-allemand du Hartmannswillerkopf, Wattwiller
Musée des blindés et de la cavalerie, Saumur
Musée Pierre-Noël, Saint-Dié-des-Vosges
GERMANY
Anti Kriegs Museum, Berlin
Festung Königstein, Königstein
Flandernbunker / Mahnmal Kilian e.V., Kiel
Garnisonmuseum Ludwigsburg, Ludwigsburg
LVR-Niederrheinmuseum Wesel, Wesel
HUNGARY
HM Hadtörténeti Intézet és Múzeum, Budapest
ITALY
Forte Degenfeld, Pastrengo
Museo Nazionale Risorgimento Italiano, Torino
MALTA
Battlefront Malta hosted at Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, Paola
NETHERLANDS
Nationaal Militair Museum Soesterberg, Soesterberg
NEW ZEALAND
Whanganui Regional Museum, Whanganui
South Canterbury Museum, Timaru
NORWAY
Tirpitz Museum Alta, Alta
POLAND
Museum of Military Technology / Muzeum Techniki Wojskowej, Szczecin
Muzeum Górnośląskie / Upper Silesian Museum, Bytom
Muzeum Marynarki Wojennej / Naval Museum Gdynia, Gdynia
Muzeum Techniki Wojskowej GRYF, Dąbrówka
Muzeum Techniki Wojskowej w Zabrzu, Zabrze
Muzeum Twierdzy Kostrzyn / Fortressmuseum of Kostrzyn, Kostrzyn nad Odrą
Muzeum Wojsk Lądowych w Bydgoszczy/Army Infantry Museum, Bydgoszcz
Rzeszowskie Piwnice / Resov Cellars, Rzeszów
PORTUGAL
Museu do Ar, Pêro Pinheiro
ROMANIA
Alexandru Ioan Cuza" Palace of Ruginoasa, Ruginoasa
MNIR / National History Museum of Romania, Bucharest
National Military Museum King Ferdinand I, Bucharest
Palace of Culture / Complexul Muzeal Național „Moldova” Iași, Jud. Iași
SERBIA
Museum of Rudnik and Takovo Region (Музеј рудничко-таковског краја), Gornji Milanovac
National Museum in Leskovac, Leskovac
National Museum of Serbia/Народни музеј Србије, Belgrade
Zavičajni muzej Župe, Aleksandrovac
Zavičajni muzej Ruma, Ruma
SLOVAKIA
Múzeum Slovenského Národného Povstania, Banská Bystrica
Slovakia Bytča The Wedding Palace in Bytča – hosted by Považské múzeum, Bytča
Spiš castle hosted by Slovak National Museum – Spiš Museum, Spišské Podhradie
SLOVENIA
City Museum of Ljubljana / Mestni muzej Ljubljana, Ljubljana
Park vojaške zgodovine Pivka /Park of Military History, Pivka
SPAIN
Museo Histórico Militar de Canarias, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Museo de Historia Militar, Malaga
SWEDEN
Aeroseum, Gothenburg
Arsenalen, Strängnäs
Garnisonsmuseet Skaraborg, Axvall
Hässleholms Museum, Hässleholm
Jamtli Museet, Östersund
Maritiman – Göteborgs maritima centrum, Gothenburg
Miliseum, Skillingaryd
UNITED STATES
AZ, Mesa – Mesa Public Library – Red Mountain Branch
CA, Irwin – General Robert W. Cone NTC & 11th ACR Heritage Center
FL, Punta Gorda – Military Heritage Museum
GA, Columbia – National Infantry Museum
MA, Hudson – American Heritage Museum
MD, Ellicott City – Howard County Historical Society
MD, Newburg – Maryland Veterans Museum at Patriot Park
MI, Jackson – Michigan's Military Heritage Museum
MN, Marshall – Lyon County Historical Society Museum
MO, Kansas City – The National WWI Museum and Memorial
NC, Fort Bragg – 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum
NE, Lexington – Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles
NH, Dover – Woodman Museum
NJ, Sea Girt – National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey
NV, Las Vegas – Las Vegas-Clark County Library District: Sahara West Library
NY, Albany – USS Slater – Destroyer Escort Historical Museum
OH, Ironton – The William C. Lambert Military Museum and Archive
OH, St Paris – Wright Stuff Squadron Living History Museum
SC, Greenville – Military History Center of the Carolinas
TN, Johnson City – Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site
TX, Amarillo – Texas Panhandle War Memorial
TX, College Station – Museum of the American G.I
UT, Lehi – Hutchings Museum Institute
VA, Fort Eustis – U.S. Army Transportation Museum
VA, Virginia Beach – Military Aviation Museum
WA, Davenport – Lincoln County Museum
WA, Oak Harbor – Pacific Northwest Naval Air Museum
WI, Eau Claire – Chippewa Valley Museum
WI, Madison – Wisconsin Veterans Museum
For more information on Sabaton and the “History Rocks” project, watch The National WWI Museum and Memorial’s recent interview with Pär Sundström here.
About the movie:
Following years of hard work and research, SABATON has created “The War To End All Wars – The Movie” in partnership with Yarnhub, an animation studio focused on historical content. This is a 67-minute long animated musical motion picture which is being released in English but will be made available with subtitles in a number of languages to cater to global audiences. The film vividly tells the World War 1 tales from Sabaton’s most recent studio album, “The War To End All Wars”.
Referring to the movie, Lora Vogt, National, Vice President of Education and Interpretation, from the WWI Museum and Memorial (Kansas, US) declares:
“Certainly, there is artistic licence taken in the movie, but what I found so extraordinary was the team’s choice of stories. What a wonderful vehicle Sabaton has made to show the diversity of individuals and engagements of the war. Really fantastic! We look forward to sharing it with our audiences.”
About Sabaton:
In the more than two decades since their launch, Swedish metallers, SABATON, have achieved quadruple-platinum sales, headlined major festivals and sold-out arena concerts across the globe, and earned a legion of loyal fans by carving out a reputation as one of the hardest working bands in rock. SABATON combines standout stage design and production with epic concept albums, linking real-life historical war events with classic kick-ass metal. To date, the band has released ten studio albums, amassed six Gold, two Platinum, and one four-times-Platinum awards, seen eight of its albums score Top 10 international chart status, and six claim the Top 5. The band has earned eight Metal Hammer/Golden Gods Awards nominations, taking home the award for “Breakthrough Artist” in 2011 and “Best Live Band” in three different years, and a Grammis nomination (Swedish equivalent to the U.S. GRAMMY) as Best Heavy Metal band. SABATON has also accumulated more than two billion streams across all streaming platforms.
Band Members:
– Joakim Brodén – Vocals/Keyboards
– Tommy Johansson – Guitar
– Chris Rörland – Guitar
– Pär Sundström – Bass
– Hannes Van Dahl – Drums
Social Media Links:
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All live images – Rob Wilkins