News
A million visitors the Auschwitz Memorial in 2016
More than a million people have already visited this year - until mid-July - the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial. Never before in the history of the Museum has attendance been so high in this period.
‘In the previous year, the premises of the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp was visited by a record 1.72 million people. We recorded a million visitors then at the turn of July and August, that is a little later than this year,’ said Andrzej Kacorzyk, deputy director of the Museum, responsible among others for the logistics of admission to the site of the former camp.
‘We still have a couple of months left to the end of the year. However, all the indications are that this year will be a record year in terms of attendance. This is not only the result of comparison of data for the past years, but also the unprecedented interest in visits to the Auschwitz Memorial by participants of this year’s World Youth Day in Cracow,’ added Kacorzyk.
An estimated 300 thousand persons, wishing to visit the premises of the former camp have already registered on the special website created for this purpose. As a result, from 20 - 28 July and 1 - 3 August 2016, the Memorial will only be opened to participants of the World Youth Day (WYD). A special route has been prepared for them.
Due to the huge interest and conservation protection requirements, the interior of the historic buildings will not be open for visitors. The route has been planned in such a way that the pilgrims will be able to see the most important places both on the site of the former Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau, while the most important subjects in the camp history will be presented by an outdoor exhibition. Each visitor will also receive a special information leaflet. Publications on the history of Auschwitz have also been prepared for WYD pilgrims – including history books and memoirs – available in Polish, English, Spanish, Italian, French and German.
The huge number of visitors to authentic sites of the former camp brings with it many challenges including the safety of both people and historical objects. Hence, we kindly ask all who plan to visit the Memorial Site to use of the Internet site visit.auschwitz.org, where in addition to booking a tour date; they can also acquaint themselves with the terms and conditions of visiting the Museum.
Please note that due to safety requirements on the grounds of the Museum it is prohibited among others to light candles and grave candles beyond the designated areas, and it is also not allowed to carry items that may pose a threat to life, health and safety. Smoking of cigarettes and e-cigarettes is totally prohibited in the entire premises. The maximum size of bags and backpacks allowed into the Museum premises is 30x20x10 cm.
