News

A precise digital map of the sites of the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau camps is the result of two days of airborne laser imaging by a specially equipped helicopter. The measurements and images will be used to make an orthophotomap, or geo-referenced aerial photo, which yields data about the terrain within the Museum grounds.

On Thursday, nearly 6 thousand Jews from over 55 countries around the world were joined by 1,600 Poles in paying homage and commemorating the victims of the Holocaust in the 17th March of the Living.

Entries that won prizes and honorable mention in the art contest titled People Did This to Other People were shown for the tenth time at the Youth Culture House in Tychy. The honorary patron was Dr. Piotr M.A. Cywiński, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, which was a co-organizer. Interest in the 10th-anniversary contest was enormous; the jury reviewed no fewer than 998 entries by young artists from Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Russia.

Starting in April, visitors to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum will be able to use a new headset-based guide system, which is being introduced because of the rising number of visitors to the Memorial. The new system makes it possible to maintain visitor service at a professional standard, even when many groups are touring the Museum simultaneously.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum on April 5. He paid his respects to the victims at the Death Wall in the courtyard of block 11, where the Nazis shot thousands of people. The Prime Minister, on a private visit, was accompanied by Museum Director Dr. Piotr M.A. Cywiński, who informed him in French about the history of Auschwitz.

The winners of the second "Withered Roses" competition, organized by the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust at the Museum, have been announced. The primary aim of the contest is to encourage and enhance historical awareness, while inspiring young people to learn about the history of the area where they live by searching for historical mementoes. Former Auschwitz prisoner August Kowalczyk was a special guest at the ceremony.