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Ladies and Gentlemen,On the 29th of March, acting upon a motion submitted by Professor Władysław Bartoszewski, I appointed you members of the International Auschwitz Council, the continuation of a council once established by the former Minister of Culture and Art, Izabela Cywińska. I wish to most cordially thank all those who have been members of the council for nearly a decade for their enormous, unselfish effort and dedication, for helping to solve so many problems and for alleviating the tensions and conflicts arising along the way.

On Monday, November 17, the 16th session of the International Auschwitz Council was held at the Chancellery of the Council of Ministers in Warsaw. The Subject of the session was, above all, the finances of the Memorial Site, as well as the definition of some conservation priorities.

The new Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum website has gone online at www.auschwitz.org. Professor Władysław Bartoszewski performed the ceremonial opening during a meeting of the International Auschwitz Council at the Chancellery of the President of the Council of Ministers in Warsaw. More than a million people a year visit the Auschwitz Museum website. The prime benchmark of its popularity is the fact that it has appeared among the first two or three results, and often as the first result, of Google searches related to Auschwitz.

Piotr M.A. Cywiński, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, found himself among the nominees for this year’s Totus Awards in the category: Achievements in the field of Christian Culture. It is the most prestigious Catholic award in Poland and is often referred to as the “Catholic Nobel Prize.” This year’s Award Banquet was held on Saturday, the 11th of October, at the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

The Munich Transport Company (MVG) has donated a Mercedes city bus to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. It will carry visitors between the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau sites, located 3 km. apart.

PKSiS Sells Transport Base to Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. The Oświęcim Motor Transport and Shipping Enterprise (PKSiS) and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum have signed an agreement for the purchase by the Museum of the PKSiS facility on ulica Więźniów Oświęcimia. PKSiS put the property up for sale, and special financial support from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage made the transaction possible.