Accessibility

Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement applies to the website of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim www.auschwitz.org.

• Website publication date: 2014-12-31
• Date of last major update: 2024-03-28

Status in relation to compliance with the Act

Non-compliance with the Digital Accessibility Act:

• text alternative (not possible for technical reasons and the very extensive nature of the website),
• no audio description for some multimedia (not possible for technical reasons and the very extensive nature of the website),
• information on the website in the form of attachments and scans is not available in its entirety in digital form.

Exclusions allowed in the Digital Accessibility Act:

• multimedia published before 23 September 2020,
• text and text + graphic documents published before 23 September 2018,
• documents created by another entity.

Preparation of the accessibility declaration

• Date of preparation of the declaration: 2020-09-23
• Date of last revision of the declaration: 2024-03-21

The declaration has been prepared based on a self-assessment carried out by a public entity. This website supports standard browser keyboard shortcuts.

If you have issues accessing the website, please contact us for assistance. The contact person is Łukasz Lipiński. You can reach him via:

• E-mail:
• Phone: +48 33 844 81 45
• SMS: +48 509 454 695

You can use the same method to request inaccessible information or file complaints about the lack of accessibility.

Everyone has the right to:

• comment on the accessibility of the digital site or its components,
• request the digital accessibility of the site or any of its components,
• request that the unavailable information be made available in some alternative form.

The request must include

• name and surname,
• contact details (e.g. phone number, e-mail),
• the exact website address of the digitally inaccessible element or content,
• a description of the problem and how you wish it resolved.

We will respond to request as soon as possible, no later than 7 days after receipt.

If we find this deadline too tight, we will inform you. In the update, we will provide a new deadline to rectify your reported errors or present the information differently. The new deadline will not exceed a 2-month timeframe.

If we cannot guarantee the availability of a digital website or content, we will provide access through an alternative method.

If our actions do not meet your expectations, you can file a complaint with our office's management or notify the Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman's website

The State Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau in Oświęcim

ul. Więźniów Oświęcimia 20, 32-600 Oświęcim

The entire area of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum is listed in the register of monuments. Due to the necessity of conservation protection and maintaining the historical authenticity of the site and its objects, the possibilities for their adaptation and adjustment to the specific needs of visitors are limited.

Car park (Więźniów Oświęcimia 55 Street, 32-600 Oświęcim)

In the parking lot in front of the Museum entrance, there are parking spaces for people with disabilities, as well as restrooms for individuals with special needs.

Visitors Service Centre (COO) and entrance to the Memorial Museum

The Visitor Service Center building is equipped with ramps for wheelchairs, and inside there is a platform for individuals with mobility issues, allowing movement between the building's levels. The Visitor Service Center also features floor paths for visually impaired individuals.

Restrooms for individuals with special needs are available in the building.

At the Museum, you can borrow a wheelchair or walker free of charge for use within the Museum. This need should be reported in advance by sending an email to: .

The need to use a wheelchair or walker can also be reported on the day of the visit at the ENTRY PASSES point. If no one else has reserved them, they will be made available.

Site of the former Auschwitz I camp

During the visit to Auschwitz I, significant distances need to be covered (approximately 1300 meters).

The tour begins with an almost 600-meter walk, part of which includes a tunnel nearly 300 meters long. Part of the tunnel gradually slopes upward, which may require extra effort to navigate. This is the longest section of the tour that visitors traverse without stopping during the first part of the Museum visit.

Due to the nature of the historical road and sidewalk surfaces at the former Auschwitz I camp, mobility for individuals with movement impairments is difficult and often requires assistance. The surface is uneven, and there are sidewalks that hinder smooth passage for wheelchair users.

Access to the historical buildings housing exhibitions is limited. The historical exterior stairs in front of the building entrances prevent the installation of permanent accessibility features (ramps, elevators) for people with mobility impairments.

The space inside the former camp blocks, particularly in the corridors, is limited, making wheelchair maneuvering difficult.
For safety reasons and evacuation concerns, the upper floors of the blocks and the basement of Block 11 are not accessible to wheelchair users.

Handrails leading to the upper floors are only on one side of the stairs.

Site of the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp

Entry from ul. Ofiar Faszyzmu 12

When touring the premises of Auschwitz II-Birkenau, extensive distances must be traversed.

The surface of the roads has numerous unevennesses due to their historical character, making movement difficult for people with motor impairments.

The site can be accessed through a passage within the historic Death Gate building, with a ground-level entrance. The Death Gate Tower is inaccessible to wheelchair users.

The Sauna Building is accessible via external ramps and a raised floor inside the building.

Most facilities consist of single-story wood and brick barracks with floors closely aligned with the ground level. Additionally, wooden platforms have been installed to even out the terrain and improve access to the open masonry barracks.

The brick barracks have limited space, making it challenging to navigate a wheelchair.

The Death Gate building and the vicinity of Crematorium III have toilets specifically designed for individuals with special needs.

"The Old Theatre" (the seat of the International Centre for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust)

ul. Leszczyńska 15, 32-600 Oświęcim

The building is equipped with lifts and a stair lift.

The entrance to the building is level with the ground (there are no steps or thresholds).

The doors leading to the halls and lecture theatres are wheelchair-accessible in width and have no thresholds. The building has toilets and parking spaces for people with special needs.

Audio-guide equipment with audio commentaries is available for rental in the building to enable a blind or visually impaired person to navigate the facility independently.

Entry with assistance and guide dogs

You can enter the building and all its rooms with assistance and guide dogs.

Other information

For more information on accessibility, including educational activities aimed at groups with special needs, see the "Accessibility" tab on our website: https://www.auschwitz.org/en/auschwitz-accessible-memory/

The entrance to the Museum with an assistance dog is possible upon presenting an appropriate training certificate and an up-to-date vaccination record (the dog must be kept on a leash), according to the ordinance of the Minister of Work and Social Policy as of April 1st 2010 on the issuing of certificates confirming the status of an assistance dog.

Reduced fee for the visit at the Memorial Site with educator is granted among others to persons with disabilities upon presentation of a document. The guardian of a person with disabilities has the right to obtain the Entry Pass free of charge – Entrance Cards are to be collected on the visit day at the Visitors’ Service Point in the entrance building to Auschwitz I.

The audio system used by educators at the Memorial Site is equipped with the option of additional reception amplification for people with hearing disabilities (so called induction loop).

Buses transporting individual visitors between both parts of the Memorial Site (between Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau) are equipped with special platforms installed in doors making it possible for people using wheelchairs to get on and off the bus.

Within both parts of the Museum it is possible to rent wheelchairs free of charge. Demand for the wheelchair should be submitted to reservation.office@auschwitz.org while booking the visit. On the visit day, it should be reported at the Visitors’ Service Point within the entrance building to Auschwitz I and then to Museum Guard staff members at the entrance to Auschwitz II-Birkenau.

Organized groups using their own transport can receive the consent for transporting visitors with movement disabilities directly to the entrance to the Museum (other visitors use dedicated parking spaces). The request for transport directly to the entrance to the Museum should be submitted in advance by e-mail (reservation.office@auschwitz.org) or phone and on the visit day, at the Visitors’ Service Point within the entrance building to Auschwitz I.

The Museum is in possession of guides in the Polish language (A3 format) including descriptions in Braille. Visitors can borrow the guide free of charge at the Visitors’ Service Point within the entrance building to Auschwitz I on the visit day.