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Conservation of wooden prisoners’ barracks of Birkenau completed

The conservation process of half of a wooden prisoners’ barracks of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz II-Birkenau has been completed. The historic building returned to the Memorial in 2013, after over 20 years of loan to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C.

The fragment of the barracks was connected with its other half that remained on the site of the former camp in its original location. Thanks to the conservation works, the historic building will be available to visitors, especially study groups.

In 1990, the eastern half of the barracks was loaned to the USHMM in Washington. In the years 2009-2012, the western part of the barracks that remained on its original site was subjected to conservation process within the framework of a project co-funded by the European Union. Upon return, work began to develop a full conservation programme, which began in 2015, thanks to funding by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation.

‘Our most important task was to preserve historic wooden elements. It included cleaning, disinfection, and where necessary reinforcement. The historic tarpaper in the panel walls was also subjected to conservation. The layers of paint and installation markings on the wooden elements were cleaned and secured. Metal elements were also subjected to conservation,’ said Anna Łopuska head of the Master Plan for Preservation.

‘The hearth and chimney were also preserved, and the latter structurally reinforced. Cavities in the concrete floors were cleaned, disinfected and supplemented. After assembling the barrack and securing the roof, a lightning protection system was installed throughout the building,’ added Łopuska.

Barak no. 30 in the BIIb section of the Birkenau camp (Familienlager Theresienstadt) is the only wooden barrack, which survived at this fragment of the camp which was operation from September 9, 1943. During the operation of the camp, the barrack together with barracks no. 28 and 32 housed the camp informalry, designed for both men and women.

Barrack no. 30 housed two hospital wards: internal medicine ward for women with children (from the east) and the infectious diseases ward (from the west). The original painting made by the inmates on the brick chimney of the barrack remained intact.