News
European funding for the headquarters of the International Education Centre
The headquarters of the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust will be located in the so-called Old Theatre building, which will be adapted for this purpose. The project received funding from the European Union within the framework of priority axis VIII Protection of cultural heritage and development of cultural resources under the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment for the period 2014-2020. Its total cost is over PLN 30 million. EU support will exceed PLN 20 million.
The decision to fund the project, as one out of 9 projects in the scope of protection of cultural heritage was adopted on 21 July 2016 by the deputy Prime Minister, minister for culture and national heritage Prof. Piotr Gliński.
In March this year, during nominating the members of the ICEAH Council, Prof. Glinski said: ‘The place we find ourselves today is the best place to search for these answers, to send a message into the world that good answers, although very difficult to find and sometimes even hard to accept, after all exist. This is the best place to educate about the obligations and choices of man. This is how I see the significance of the existence of the International Centre for education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust’
He also assured then of the full support of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for the project to adapt the building of the so-called Old Theatre into the headquarters of the Education Centre.
The new headquarters will house among others, a modern Auditorium, a multimedia lecture halls, an exhibition space, a library and workstations for independent research work.
‘A properly designed headquarters of the ICEAH is an essential tool for education. Upon commissioning, it will finally be possible to conduct the long-awaited introductory and evaluation activities, as well as supplementary classes for groups. The seminar spaces will be filled up with discussions, questions, dialogue and reflection. In the Old Theatre, it will be possible to listen to the testimonies of witnesses of history. The large conference room will transform into a place of important international conferences and debates,’ said ICEAH director and deputy director of the Museum Andrzej Kacorzyk.
The International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust was founded in 2005 and constitutes an integral part of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. It deals with the teaching of the history of the Holocaust and the Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. It teaches about the tragic fate of Jews, Poles, the Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and the fate of all other groups of victims incarcerated and murdered in Auschwitz.
The Centre for Education conducts activities aimed at pupils and students as well as teachers and pedagogues and representatives of different professions, including the socially “excluded” people. The Centre organizes among others study stays for the young people, conferences, educational projects, training, courses, and exhibitions as well as provides access to self-education materials on the Internet.
Only in the previous year, all specialized educational projects of the ICEAH was attended by more than 11 thousand participants, not including the more than 600 volunteers and interns from all over the world who help in the daily work of the Museum, and at the same time deepening their understanding of the Memorial and its history.
‘The education on the darkest moment in the history of mankind is today the basis for understanding the world and providing an insight of their own choices and responsibility. For this reason, year after year, more and more countries decide to support trips to the Auschwitz Memorial, hoping that this moment of reflection, reverberate on the civic and axiological attitudes of persons growing up to adulthood. The development of the ICEAH and the location of this institution in the Old Theatre opens great prospects for answers to this growing need. Especially in today's world, this investment is simply necessary,’ emphasized the director of the Museum Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński.
The building so-called the Old Theatre was built before World War II. It was part of the Polish Army barracks, where in the spring of 1940, the German occupant created the Auschwitz concentration camp. During the war, the building housed among others the camp warehouse. In the years 1984 - 93, it was the seat of the contemplative order of the Discalced Carmelite Sisters. Afterwards, it was leased to the Association of War Victims. After numerous hearings, the Regional Court in Oświęcim ruled in March 2002 that the Association should turn the building over to the Polish State Treasury. In April 2004, the State Treasury Department transferred the Old Theatre building to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.
The adaptation of the building could have begun several years ago. In 2007, its implementation was prevented by the lack of an adopted resolution on land use and zoning around the Memorial. It was only in 2009 thanks to the efforts of the Museum that the investment received the status of a public purpose investment, leading to the commencement of work. The Members of the International Auschwitz Council appealed then to the Polish Government to give the Museum the necessary financial support. This appeal was renewed in 2011.
In 2012, a donor was found who was ready to finance as much as 3/4 of the cost of the entire investment. Then, the Museum had put forward a request to the Governor of the Małopolska Province for the transfer of the building and the area around the Old Theatre. Due to a different interpretation of the regulations in terms of statutory ownership it was, however, impossible. Attempts to reach agreements on legal grounds lasted more than a year, as well as talks aimed at maintaining the interest of the sponsor. Inasmuch as a legal compromise was reached and the building of the Old Theatre was finally transferred to the Museum, the donor, due to the prolonged procedures, took the decision to withdraw from supporting the project. Its implementation will now be possible thanks to funding from the European Union.
