The Polish government is calling on other countries to help support the newly-founded Auschwitz-Birkenau foundation, which hopes to raise 120 million euros to maintain the site of the former Nazi death camp.
Liberated 65 years ago, the Nazi concentration camp is one of Eastern Europe's most visited sites and most fragile. It is a conservation challenge like no other.
Auschwitz-Birkenau was one of the Nazis' most notorious concentration camps. It operated from 1940 until 1945, when it was liberated by the Soviet Union's Red Army. After World War II, it was estimated that more than a million people died at Auschwitz. Since 1947, the Polish government has maintained Auschwitz, which lies about 40 miles west of Krakow, as a museum and memorial. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a distinction usually reserved for places of culture and beauty.
The camp site and the state-run museum covers nearly two square kilometers and includes many buildings and ruins from when the camp was operational. The Auschwitz camp itself covers 50 acres. In addition, Birkenau, a satellite camp about two miles away, sprawls over more than 400 acres.
Public interest in the camp has never been higher. Visits have doubled this decade, from 492,500 in 2001 to more than one million in 2009. But Auschwitz—with its 155 buildings and hundreds of thousands of artifacts—is deteriorating.
Can Auschwitz Be Saved?
A view of Auschwitz site is seen through Arbeit Macht Frei sign on the main gate of the camp as the first visitors come in the morning,,,
(The photograph was taken less then a week before it got stolen. Right now is being recovered in Auschwitz conservation laboratory)
Young visitors photograph a guard booth in Auschwitz
Visitors in Auschwitz on the yard of Block 11 are seen posing for a picture in front of infamous Wall of Death
A group of young visitors is seen in one of the wooden barracks in Birkenau.
Auschwitz, block 4. A visitor is seen in front of the glass-case filled with hair which were found in Auschwitz-Birkenau. According to scientists hair contain Zyklon B which was used to kill prisoners in gas chambers.
Auschwitz I, Block 11 – The death block
Visitors are seen in the basement if block 11. This building had several functions, but was used above all as the camp jail. The SS placed men and women prisoners from all parts of the camp complex in the basement cells. These were people suspected of and under camp [READ MORE]$('#captionMore65715c21402e5').tipsy({html:true, fallback:
"Gestapo investigation for, among other things, involvement in the camp resistance movement or attempting to escape. Prisoners sentenced to death by starvation or stays in the dark or \"standing\" cells were also held here. It was in the cellars of this block, as well, that the SS carried out tests on mass killing with Zyklon B before the start of the operation for the total extermination of the Jews.", maxWidth: '500px', fontSize: '12px', delayIn: 500, delayOut: 3000});
A reflection of visitors is seen in the glass over the shoes seized from murdered prisoners which are exhibited here.
Auschwitz I, Block 5 – A part of permanent exhibition - Physical evidence of crime.
Tourists' signatures on the wall of KL Auschwitz entrance
Reflections of visitors is seen in the window of a brick barrack in Birkenau camp site
Preservation efforts at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Workers of Auschwitz conservation lab renovate a pot used in the kitchen of KL Auschwitz. Auschwitz conservation lab is one of most advanced in the world due to the fact there is a rare need elsewhere to work over 20th century's artifacts but rather on older ones [READ MORE]$('#captionMore65715c214054e').tipsy({html:true, fallback:
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Preservation efforts at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Conservation of prisoners' health records in Auschwitz conservation lab.
Auschwitz conservation lab is one of most advanced in the world due to the fact there is a rare need elsewhere to work over 20th century's artifacts but rather on older ones which need less [READ MORE]$('#captionMore65715c21405c1').tipsy({html:true, fallback:
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Preservation efforts at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Conservation of prisoners' health records in Auschwitz conservation lab.
Auschwitz conservation lab is one of most advanced in the world due to the fact there is a rare need elsewhere to work over 20th century's artifacts but rather on older ones which need less [READ MORE]$('#captionMore65715c214064a').tipsy({html:true, fallback:
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A reflection of visitors is seen in the glass over the prostheses seized from murdered prisoners which are exhibited here.
Auschwitz I, Block 5 – A part of permanent exhibition - Physical evidence of crime.
A visitor wearing the flag of Israel is seen in front of the ruins of gas chamber and crematory in Birkenau.
A tourist photographs the main SS guardhouse annd rail entrance to Birkenau, known as the Death Gate. Here trains from all over Nazi occupied Europe traveled with their human contents to be, in large part, murdered in the gas chambers of this, the biggest killing center in the Nazi system.
Preservation efforts in Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Interior of one of the barracks in KL Auschwitz I. This block is not open to visitors due to bad condition of the building.
Preservation efforts in Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Interior of one of the barracks in KL Auschwitz I. This block is not open to visitors due to bad condition of the building.
Preservation efforts at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Workers of the museum cut down trees which may fall on the barracks.
Silhouettes of visitors are seen through the barbed wire fence on the foggy morning in Birkenau
A bus with visitors arrived at Birkenau camp site
Careless visitors are seen balancing on the rail track which was the major vein leading to the heart of the Nazi massive murder system from all over Europe; north, south, east, and west.
This rail track is considered to be one of the most significant symbol of this Death camp.
Visitors enter men's quarrantine camp in Birkenau.
A group of young visitors and their guide are seen in front of the main SS guardhouse and rail entrance to Birkenau, known as the Death Gate.
Visitors leaving one of the permanent exhibition - Extermination are seen through the door of block 4 in Auschwitz
A visitor in Auschwitz poses for a picture between barbed wire fences which used to be electrified. The street seen behind her runs almost through the entire width of the camp.
A winter landsacpe of Birkenau is seen from the main SS guardhouse over the gate to the camp. Winter was the most diffiuclt time for prisoners in Birkenau.
Maria Stroinska KL Auschwitz survivor
A landscape of Birkeanu site is seen through barbed wires. On the left side of the photograph leftovers of wooden barracks can be seen (chimneys build of bricks). After the war people from destroyed villages in close proximity of the camp used the wood of the barracks to rebuild their houses.