News
19 Million Zloty from the UE for the Conservation of Auschwitz
Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bogdan Zdrojewski and Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński have signed an agreement in Warsaw that will serve as the basis for the financing of conservation work at the Auschwitz site with European funds. The total amount of the grant is 19 million zloty. The applications submitted by the Museum received high marks—52 out of a possible 62 points—and ranked second in the category “The Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage of Super-Regional Significance.”
This funding will make it possible to carry out the conservation of two prisoner blocks at the site of the Auschwitz I camp and five wooden barracks at the Auschwitz II-Birkenau site.
The conservation work at the Auschwitz I site is necessary because of the replacement of the main Museum exhibition, parts of which will be located in the buildings being conserved. Before the new exhibition can be installed in the original camp buildings, however, specialized work must be carried out to permit the retention of as much of the original structure as possible, and to ensure the safety of future visitors.
“The conservation situation at the Birkenau site is much more challenging,” said Rafał Pióro, head of the Museum Conservation Section. “The barracks were built of non-durable material, and at this moment we are beginning a race with time to preserve their authenticity. Aside from the five barracks being preserved now, there are two more. However, we cannot forget that there are still dozens of brick barracks at this site, as well as enormous number of ruins that should also be conserved in the immediate future.”
A total of 28 cultural projects are obtaining European Union financing this year, out of 120 grant submissions to the ministry. “My ambition is for culture to be a leader in the absorption of European funds, so that the quality and efficiency of funding allocation in the cultural sphere can be as great as possible,” said Minister Zdrojewski.
