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Memory obliges. Auschwitz Museum Report 2024
An English-Polish report summarizing the year 2024 at the Auschwitz Museum and Memorial was published. Director Piotr M. A. Cywiński dedicated his introduction to the essence of memory.
„Memory hurts.
Memory helps.
Memory guides.
Memory warns.
Memory raises awareness.
Memory obliges,” he wrote.
Ninety-six pages of this publication include information on the most important events that took place last year at the Museum and the analysis of attendance at the Memorial, which was last year visited by 1.83 million people.
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„Although this figure represents a slight increase, unfortunately, due to the aggression of Russia against Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, attendance has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels,” states the report.
90% of onsite visitors learned about the history of Auschwitz from Museum educators, and more than 60% were in organised groups. Some 320 guides lead tours at the Memorial in 20 languages.
„For the first time, two types of visits to the Museum were made available. In addition to the traditional onsite tours of the authentic former camp’s grounds, since January 2024, online visits are now also possible. The uniqueness of this format lies in direct contact with a guide who shows the site and explains the history of the camp,” one reads.
In 2024, nearly 500 volunteers and interns supported the Memorial, both onsite and remotely
„The newly opened Museum hostel is an important support for volunteer activities. The three-storey building, with 97 beds, is located next to the Visitor Services Center. Thanks to this facility, many more onsite volunteer projects can now be organised. The hostel also provides spaces for group work and individual activities,” one reads.
Over 2.6 million people engage with the Museum through its social media. „Follower numbers
on almost all platforms are growing dynamically. The exception in 2024 was the account on the platform X, where, due to controversies surrounding the former Twitter, more than 120,000 followers left—especially in November. In response to these changes, the Museum also created a new official account on Bluesky,” states the report.
Other subjects treated in the publication are conservation works conducted at the Memorial Site, new publications, new exhibitions, and exhibitions being developed, as well as new items in Museum Archives and Collections, the development of infrastructure, and directions of research activity.
„Most research focused on chronological findings related to compiling the new KL Auschwitz Chronicle. Thanks to these efforts, the Chronicle now includes details on transports to and from Auschwitz, significant events affecting the operation of the camp, key decisions by SS authorities, daily counts of camp prisoners, and the numbers of those who died or were murdered in executions, as well as brief summaries of escapes of prisoners,” one reads.
The financial statement and the list of donors who supported the Museum constitute another crucial element. A part of the report is information about activities of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation in the USA that, among other things, financially support the preservation of the authenticity of the Memorial.
The texts are accompanied by photographs presenting the most important events at the Memorial Site together with the reproductions of artefacts and archival documents.
The report is published a day before the 80th anniversary of the liberation of German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz.
