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55th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz Concentration Camp and the City of Oswiecim

Ceremonies marking the 55th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and the city of Oswiecim were held on January 26 - 27, 2000.

The schedule:

January 26, 2000 - Cracow

20:00 - Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Janusz Kohut's Auschwitz Oratorium "Droga nadziei (The Road of Hope)" performed by the Choir and Orchestra of the Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice and soloists, conducted by Miroslaw Jacek Blaszczyk.

January 27, 2000 - Oswiecim

11:00 - Birkenau - International Monument to the Victims of Fascism "The Murdered Do Not Need Despair, But Rather Reflection and Commemoration"
Anniversary ceremonies with the participation of:
Former prisoners of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, the President of the Polish Republic, government officials, the diplomatic corps, local government officials, the Polish Army, clergy, and invited guests.

13:00 - Kosciuszki Square
Ceremony marking the liberation of the city of Oswiecim

14:00 - Wysokie Brzegi Street (near the hospital)
Laying the cornerstone of the Auschwitz City Memorial Hospice

16.15 - Church of St. Joseph the Worker
Ecumenical service. Prayers of six denominations and a requiem by Thomas Hettwer (Germany), performed by the choir of the Katolische Schule Liebfrauen, Berlin.
The Honorary Patron of the ceremonies marking the 55th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and the city of Oswiecim was Aleksander Kwasniewski, President of the Republic of Poland.