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MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU FORMER GERMAN NAZI
CONCENTRATION AND EXTERMINATION CAMP

Workshops

Interactive classes conducted by the educators of the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust that supplement the visit to the former German Nazi Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp.

Each workshop is based on the active work of participants with testimonies, photographs or documents, complemented by historical texts. It aims at encouraging a deeper reflection about different aspects of the camp reality and, above all, the people who found themselves in this reality, pondering upon the individual dimension of the tragedy of Auschwitz, which encompasses the emotions and inner dilemmas of the people incarcerated in the camp.

Each workshop includes such elements as introduction to the topic, work in groups based on selected materials, presentation of the results and a recapitulative discussion led by an educator.

Duration of workshops: 1.5 h

Cost: PLN 365 in foreign language

Contact:
Visitor Services
Marta Ortman, Barbara Gębołyś-Warmbier, Katarzyna Bisaga
e-mail: study.visits@auschwitz.org
tel. (+48) 33 844 8096 lub (+48) 33 844 8101

History Captured in Artifacts

The workshop aims at presenting the history of the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz by analysing the history of selected objects belonging to deportees to the camp. Participants will get a chance to see some of ABSM’s unique collections in the form of photographs. Each object chosen for the classes is linked to a person's fate, which is the starting point for a conversation about the reality of the camp and the individual experience of Auschwitz.

Language: Polish, English, German

I am healthy and feel good - prisoner correspondence

The correspondence carried out by Auschwitz prisoners was in the form of propaganda and distorted the reality to which it referred. In this age of media and free communication, it is worthwhile to take a special look at this subject. The workshop participants will learn what correspondence between prisoners and their families looked like and who had the right to carry out such correspondence. They will analyse selected letters from the viewpoint of censorship and look at the fate of the recipients of the messages, i.e., the families of prisoners for whom this was often the only possible form of contact with their loved ones.

Languages: Polish, English, German

The individual in the face of camp reality

Participants in the workshop will explore the different types of attitudes represented by prisoners in the camp: morality, courage, solidarity, and the accompanying feelings: hunger, loneliness, humiliation. They will acquire knowledge about the topic from witnesses' accounts and information obtained during the tour. Individual experiences will become a springboard for discussion on the influence of camp reality on the behaviour of people incarcerated in the camp, sensitising young people to the issue of embedding specific camp experiences in the broader context of this distinct reality.

Languages: Polish, English, German

Trauma - life of former prisoners after the war

The moment of liberation was a turning point for the inmates when they had to face both the consequences of their own camp experiences and the reality of the post-war world. During the workshop, young people will hear stories from camp survivors about the trauma of the camp, its impact on their private and professional lives and how they dealt with the challenges of life after liberation.

Languages: Polish, English, German

They survived to live - the world after Auschwitz

During the classes, participants learn about the individual stories of survivors who, following liberation, committed themselves to work for a better world despite the camp's trauma and the challenges posed by post-war life. The discussion on life choices and the transformation of post-traumatic syndrome into action will contribute to the reflection on the impact of the Auschwitz and Holocaust experience on the post-war world and the influence of the individual on global processes.

Languages: Polish, English, German

Do not be indifferent! - the message of the Auschwitz witnesses

The workshop is a moment of reflection on the meaning of the history of Auschwitz in the contemporary world. Participants will have the opportunity to read the statements of former Auschwitz prisoners and discuss their messages for future generations. During the second part of the workshop, young people will reflect on the relevance of these messages and the possibilities for their own involvement in activities to improve the world around them.

Languages: Polish, English, German

Polish citizens in KL Auschwitz

The workshop is centred on the analysis of the life stories of six former KL Auschwitz prisoners, Polish citizens: Catholics, Jews, Roma, representing various social groups of pre-war Poland sent to Auschwitz for various reasons. The workshop draws attention to the varied national and religious structure of Polish prisoners in Auschwitz and provides an insight into the reasons for the deportation of Poles to the camp and touches on several aspects of camp reality. It is an opportunity to listen to the message of former Auschwitz prisoners, addressed to us, people living in the post-Auschwitz world.

Language: Polish, English

The (NOT)indifferemt. Assistance from the inhabitants of the Oświęcim area to prisoners of KL Auschwitz

The workshop is an opportunity to draw young people's attention to a group of over 1,000 inhabitants of the villages surrounding the Auschwitz camp that risked their lives and those of their loved ones to help the prisoners during the camp's existence with commitment and determination. This aid was carried out in secret, under conditions of conspiracy. It was expressed in various forms, such as providing food, medicines and bandages, warm clothing, help with secret correspondence, or even arranging clandestine meetings with the family. They also helped refugees from the camp.

Languages: Polish, English, German

Deportees from France to KL Auschwitz. 27 March 1942-27 January 1945 - workshops at the French exhibition

The classes focus on the fate of people persecuted in France during the Second World War and the Holocaust, with particular emphasis on the fate of people deported to KL Auschwitz. Through preliminary research of the exhibition under the guidance of an educator, participants will learn about the history of wartime France and the lives of people affected by Nazi persecution. The exhibition addresses issues such as the Holocaust and persecution of Jews in Vichy France and the occupied zone, the persecution of civilians and members of the resistance movement, including the fate of women and children, memory and commemoration.

Language: Polish, English, French

Betrayed Citizen. Remembering the Holocaust Victims of the Hungarian Jews - workshops at the Hungarian exhibition

The classes focus on issues related to the situation of Hungarian citizens of Jewish descent during the Second World War and the Holocaust. Through preliminary research at the exhibition under the guidance of an educator, participants will learn about the wartime history of Hungary and the lives of people affected by Nazi persecution. The exhibition refers to issues as the introduction of anti-Jewish laws in Hungary, the "labour service", German occupation, ghettos and deportations, the persecution of Hungarian Roma, the policy of the Arrow Cross Party, rescue of Jews through diplomatic channels and the Jewish resistance movement. 

Language: Polish, English

 

Children in KL Auschwitz

The topic of children and adolescents in KL Auschwitz will be discussed in the most holistic way possible, going beyond the strictly historical and factual level. The presentation will be divided into "thematic blocks", corresponding to three areas we wish to influence simultaneously: knowledge, skills, attitudes. In the area of knowledge, the participants' attention will focus on the fate of children in the camp, their origins and reasons for imprisonment. The skills area will deal with the memory of the camp's youngest victims, its preservation and interpretation. In the attitudes domain, the presentation will encourage the audience to reflect on the conclusions stemming from children's camp experiences.

Languages: Polish, English, German

The Eleventh. Don't be indifferent - workshop summarising the visit to the Memorial (anti-discrimination)

During the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Marian Turski quoted the words of Roman Kent (a former prisoner of Kl Auschwitz-Birkenau) about the need to introduce yet another, eleventh commandment - "Do not be indifferent". But what is the lesson of Auschwitz for the young generation? Can we relate past experiences to the contemporary world of young people and the inequalities they face? The workshop is primarily intended as a space for reflection on these issues. The starting point for consideration is Auschwitz and its history - in this way, this concrete historical knowledge becomes the basis for stimulating reflection and drawing conclusions in the participants, which can be applied to the understanding of certain phenomena taking place today (e.g., conscious reflection on current issues related to human rights and inequality).

Languages: Polish, English, German

The extermination of European Sinti and Roma - workshop at the Roma exhibition

Workshop activities in block 13 of the national exhibition focus on issues related to the persecution and extermination of the Sinti and Roma. During the class, participants work under the guidance of an educator, learn how to conduct an exhibition search query and present their findings to the group. The classes cover three main thematic areas: the persecution of Sinti and Roma in the Third Reich in the 1930s, i.e., racial ideology, marginalisation of the population, and deprivation of civil rights; The extermination of Sinti and Roma in occupied Europe; the Roma family camp at Kl Auschwitz, the so-called Zigeunerlager.

Languages: Polish, English, German

Sport in KL Auschwitz

The workshop aims to familiarise young people and adults with the function of sport as a means of survival in the camp and as a form of torture used on KL Auschwitz prisoners. In the course of the activities, prepared using paintings, drawings, photographs and the memories of male and female prisoners, participants will reflect on the definition of sport, how it may have affected prisoners' lives, and how gymnastic exercises were used to bully prisoners.

Languages: Polish, English, German

Workshop activities in the archives

Workshop activities in the Archives focus on issues drawn from the rich resources of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Archives, i.e., documents, accounts, and photographs. In this activity, participants work under the guidance of an archive employee, learning how to carry out preliminary research and present their findings to the group. The classes are conducted in Polish, English and German and cover the following subject areas:

  • "The fate of women and children in KL Auschwitz"
  • "The organisation of writing chambers in KL Auschwitz"
  • "Children and young people in KL Auschwitz"
  • "Camp music and orchestras"
  • “The Resistance Movement in KL Auschwitz"
  • "Preliminary research on people from the town - searching for traces of residents of the town deported to Auschwitz - based on surviving documents"
  • "Methods of reconstructing the identity and fate of prisoners based on a joint project of the ABSM and Arolsen-Archive"
  • "KL Auschwitz crew as seen through documents"
  • “The Sonderkommando”
  • "Female supervisors in KL Auschwitz"
  • "Escapes from KL Auschwitz"
  • "Pseudo-medical experiments in KL Auschwitz"
  • "Organisation of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp Administration"
  • “Extermination of Jews in the Auschwitz camp”
  • „Medicine in KL Auschwitz”
  • "The evacuation and liberation of KL Auschwitz"

Questions about the Holocaust - a concluding activity in the Reflection Room in Block 27

A visit to the Auschwitz Memorial often leaves visitors with a question: how was this even possible? Several factors influenced the Holocaust mechanism. During the classes, participants will be able to listen to Holocaust Survivors and experts from various fields who try to answer difficult questions about the Shoah. They will serve as a starting point for discussing the causes and consequences of the Holocaust.

Languages: Polish, English

The fate of women in KL Auschwitz

The workshop on the fate of women in Auschwitz aims to draw attention to the different fates of female prisoners in relation to male prisoners, taking into account biological and psychological aspects. The activities will maximise the involvement of those taking part by introducing elements of peer and participatory education. As a result, learners will assimilate knowledge faster and create space for reflection on the material discussed. During the workshop, people will work in groups to analyse the fate of women by creating an exhibition based on available source materials (archival photographs, documents, fragments of memoirs in written and video form, and works of art). The final stage of the activity will be the creation of a joint image/portrait of women - female prisoners of Auschwitz.

Languages: Polish, English, German

Escapes from KL Auschwitz

The workshop focuses on prisoners' escapes from KL Auschwitz in the context of the camp reality. The workshop is based on analysing several selected escapes that will provide insight into their motives, course and consequences.
To conclude their task on the topic, the participants will reflect on the moral dilemmas faced by the refugees.
During the activities, participants work under the guidance of an educator.

Languages: Polish, English, German