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Online Visit to the Auschwitz Memorial for European Parliamentarians
European parliamentarians took part on 15 April in a special online visit to the Auschwitz Memorial using the platform “Auschwitz. In Front of Your Eyes.” The event in Brussels was organized jointly with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation as part of the observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah.
The aim of the meeting was to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and to emphasize the responsibility of European institutions to preserve the memory of the Shoah. At a time when public attention is increasingly fragmented, the organizers stressed the importance of sustaining this memory and warned of the dangers of dehumanization, antisemitism, and indifference.
Among the guests at the European Parliament were the President of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation and Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński, as well as the Foundation’s Director-General Wojciech Soczewica, who also met with the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola.
The online visit allows participants to see both parts of the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp: Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau, from anywhere in the world.
The guide’s narration is delivered live, with the possibility of interaction. In addition, the educator uses multimedia materials, archival photographs, works of art, and testimonies of Survivors.
“It is our commitment to combat antisemitism in Europe with all the means at our disposal. That is why we worked across political groups to bring the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation to the European Parliament. This initiative like no other allows participants to experience this visit virtually and engage directly with guides on site. It is truly a unique learning experience and remembrance opportunity at once,” said Sabine Verheyen, First Vice-President of the European Parliament, who co-organized the event together with Vice-President Pina Picierno and MEP Oliver Schenk.
“Remembrance is never abstract. It becomes real when we see the names on the suitcases, the shoes of the victims and the traces of lives that were destroyed. Auschwitz shows us what happens when people are stripped of their dignity and reduced to numbers. Remembering the Shoah is therefore not only a moral duty; it is also a political responsibility. A democratic Europe can only remain strong if it defends historical truth, confronts antisemitism and rejects every attempt to relativise or forget the crimes of the Holocaust. To turn away from remembrance would be to turn away from the very foundations of our democracy,” emphasized Oliver Schenk.
“Auschwitz symbolizes the deepest fall of European civilization, against which the entire post-war European community’s efforts were built and the European Union was founded. Those who stand before the remains of Auschwitz should have a clear understanding of this. Democracy, human dignity, and freedom can never be taken for granted. Our task is not only to preserve the site but also to preserve the truth and pass it on to people who are willing to listen, so they can shape their moral responsibilities today,” stressed Director Piotr Cywiński.
“Auschwitz is not only a place of memory, but also a warning. Every generation must understand that hatred, exclusion and antisemitism do not begin with violence, but with words, indifference and the denial of human dignity. We are grateful to bring this message to the European Parliament together with our partners,” said Wojciech Soczewica.
The special platform “Auschwitz. In Front of Your Eyes,” dedicated to the Memorial, was developed through cooperation between the Museum, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, and the companies AppsFlyer and DISKIN.
The online visit is designed for groups such as schools, universities, educational institutions, museums, and companies. A group can participate together, using a single screen in a larger room, or individually, with each participant using their own device. Visits can be booked via the website visit.auschwitz.org.
All institutions wishing to arrange online visits for a larger number of groups on different dates are asked to contact the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation individually at: .
