Italy's culture minister Dario Franceschini has announced plans for a national museum dedicated to the Italian Resistance movement during World War II in Milan.

The museum, called the Museo Nazionale della Resistenza, has been in talks for a number of years, with ministers finally agreeing to add an additional €15m (US$16.7m, £12.5m) to the €2.5m (US$2.8m, £2.1m) budget, bringing the total to €17.5m (US$19.5m, £14.6m).

The museum will be dedicated to the memory of Italian anti-fascist rebels, also known as partigiano, and will be located in the Piazza Baiamonti, opposite the Fondazione Feltrinelli, a research institute, housed in a glass pyramid, which focuses on history, equality and citizens' rights. The museum will be housed in its own pyramid-style building designed by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron.

According to Paolo Pezzino, historian and head of the Parri Institute, which studies the liberation movement, the museum will offer multimedia displays, as well as physical exhibitions.

"The memory of those who fought to restore freedom to Italy must be preserved and passed on" said Italy's President, Sergio Mattarella. "Not to reproduce divisions, but to reinforce and spread awareness, especially among the younger generations, of the priceless value of democracy and freedom."