News
Appeal for financial support for the Auschwitz Memorial
The period of the pandemic has proved exceptionally difficult for the Auschwitz Memorial, as it has been closed to visitors since 12 March and hence deprived of its primary source of financing. Therefore, we wish to ask everyone for whom the preservation of memory is important for financial support to allow us to continue with numerous educational, research, exhibition and publishing projects.
Over the last few months, we have found ourselves in an unprecedented situation. The budget planned for 2020 has collapsed. Nearly all substantive operations of the Museum have been limited. We have also reduced all investments to the necessary minimum. Thanks to special support from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, we have managed to maintain continuity of the institution and workplace; however, without additional funds, the implementation of our statutory operations is called into question.
Fortunately, conservation works to preserve the authenticity of the Memorial are not at risk, as these works are done thanks to external funds from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation. Due to the emergency, the Foundation decided to double its financial support in 2020.
On 30 and 31 May, the Museum underwent a trial re-opening for visitors. The primary goal was to test a new visiting format during the sanitary and epidemic restrictions. During this time, the Memorial was visited by almost 400 people, which is less than three percent of the number of visitors visiting at the same time last year. We are currently preparing the Museum for re-opening. This will probably happen at the beginning of July, as we hope that tourism will slowly begin to recover during the holidays.
However, it seems that the collapse in attendance will be of a long-term nature. This means we will not be able to finance numerous significant projects related primarily to education and research on the history of Auschwitz - both at the Memorial and online – or publishing or exhibition projects that bring the tragic history of Auschwitz closer to a global audience. That is why we sincerely ask your help and financial support for our mission.
“After the pandemic, the world will not be radically different, despite some ominous predictions. As before or maybe even more, we will need wise decisions based on the darkest experiences of our common past,” said Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński, Museum Director.
"In these difficult moments, we cannot squander our previous achievements or slow down our work to maintain and build remembrance that is the only remedy for future years, for generations and future times, that we wish to leave for our children and grandchildren. For years and decades, we have tried to help. Today we need actual help ourselves,” he added.
Donations can be made via our website donate.auschwitz.org or transferred directly to our bank account:
IBAN: PL 29 1130 1150 0012 1268 9720 0001
Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK S.A.)
SWIFT: GOSKPLPW
