Auschwitz Birkenau Museum and Memorial A hub for education, remembrance and contention
What is the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and This museum and memorial has been constructed in what was once the Nazi concentration camps known as Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau. It has dedicated itself to Holocaust research and the memory of it s victims. Memorial?
During the allied evacuations of Auschwitz prisoners from January 17th 21 st, 1945 SS soldiers were ordered to destroy camp records and blow up the crematoria and gas chambers that were located in the depths of the camp. Their goal was to destroy as much evidence of the camp as possible. Because of the Nazi efforts to destroy the camp it has made the conservation efforts of the camp extremely difficult. Through funding and massive conservation efforts this Museum holds one of the most extensive archives of both camp and holocaust related artifacts in the world.
The collection belonging to this museum is extremely extensive. It includes but is not limited too 3,800 suitcases, over 12,000 kitchen utensils, 390 camp garments, and roughly 4,100 works of art- half of which were made by prisoners of the camp. The collections are made available via photocopies or microfilm not only to researchers, historians who are working on projects related to the Holocaust and the camp but also to journalists and film crews. This archive is an incredibly important aspect of this Museum and Memorial, serving to draw both international attention and visits to it.
Apart from guided tours and offers for students to study here abroad on related topics the museum also offers E-learning and exhibitions relating to the holocaust.
Beyond it s obvious goal of education, it is important not to forget this museum is not only recognized as a world heritage site but is also a critical site of remembrance. On January 27 th, 2018 the 73 rd anniversary of its liberation ensued. Over 60 camp survivors gathered at the museum and memorial to commemorate the anniversary. They were joined by the President of the Republic of Poland. As an artistic symbol of its liberation, art was displayed by a former camp prisoner, David Olère.
Cross Controversy Because it serves as one of the most publicly known Holocaust memorials it has struggled to make decisions on what to include in it s displays and exhibitions, as what to leave out. Because of it s location in Poland it s largest struggles have been with the Polish church as well as Polish nationalists. In 1998 Polish nationalists attempted to honor it s fallen Polish Catholic Resistance Fighters by erecting 152 crosses in the main camp of Auschwitz. By 1999, after much protest, the crosses were removed. The controversy was sustained by the debate between a primarily Jewish memorial and Poland being a Catholic territory. During the heat of the debate Polish Catholics had threated to put up a cross for each year that Poland had been considered a Catholic nation.
Love Sets You Free Protest In 2017, protesters with vague motives took off their clothes, chained themselves together at the main gate of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. They were also presumed to have murdered a sheep during the stunt, however it is unclear if the sheep was already dead. The protestors filmed the demonstration via drone before their subsequent arrest. One of the protestors has since mentioned in an interview that the demonstration was meant to be a commentary on how no one has learned any lessons from the Holocaust. The museum took to the internet where it was met in agreeance with the public that the use of the memorial for any means other than remembrance and education was simply abhorrent.
Cooling Showers In 2015 during a ruthless heat wave the museum decided to install cooling showers near the entrance. This caused quite the debate amongst the public, many calling into question how appropriate it was to have cooling showers outside of what once was a concentration camp, while others said it was a publicity gimmick to bring attention to the site.
Moving Forward Up from approximately 100,000 visitors in 1946 to over 1 million in 2007 the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial continues to achieve it s purpose of contributing to public memory in spite of it s struggle with what appropriate remembrance is to different people both locally and globally.