News
Museum Guides Learn about the Jewish-Christian Dialogue
The annual training session for guides is underway at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświecim. According to Visitor Services Office head Antoni Stańczyk, the annual training session is intended to provide the guides with enhanced knowledge and improved methodology. The training includes lectures on the history and symbolism of Auschwitz, classes on technique, and practical exercises intended to improve the quality of guide services.
In February, the guides will meet with an eyewitness to history, former Auschwitz prisoner Stanisąw Hantz. They will also watch the uncut version of the Liberation Chronicle (a fifteen-minute excerpt from the documentary film is shown to visitors in the Museum film-screening room) and hear a lecture on "The Jewish-Christian Social-Religious Dialogue in the Context of Auschwitz."
In March, there will be a study trip to the sites of Auschwitz sub-camps in nearby localities. In that same month, English-speaking guides will take part in a panel discussion on specific issues in guiding groups of young people from Israel.
In April, the training will shift to Cracow, where guides will visit the Kazimierz district, the museum in the Old Synagogue, the site of the ghetto, the Eagle Pharmacy, and the Jewish Culture Center.
Last year, 149 guides provided services for almost 390,000 visitors—87% of all those who came to the Museum. The guides work in many languages: Croatian, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Slovak, and Swedish. Soon they will also offer guide services in Czech, Hebrew, and Portuguese.
