News
Our Responsibility for Future Generations
A thousand copies of a special publication devoted to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation and the plans for a Perpetual Fund to cover the conservation of the Auschwitz Memorial are being distributed to people whose decisions can rescue the authenticity of Auschwitz for future generations.
The English-language Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation folder titled The Preservation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Our Responsibility for Future Generations can also be downloaded from the Auschwitz Museum website.
“By supporting the Fund, every government, institution, or private downer can help realize the mission of the Foundation. This may well be the only moment in history when, through our common efforts, we can enable future generations to create a different, better world in which a place like Auschwitz will be solely a witness to a tragic past. Let’s not miss this chance,” writes Professor Władyslaw Bartoszewski, chairman of the International Auschwitz Foundation and the Board of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, in his foreword.
The folder presents the most important planned conservation projects embracing above all the Auschwitz II-Birkenau site: the conservation of brick and wooden barracks and the preservation of the ruins and wooden guard towers. Additionally, the publication includes basic information on the mission, structure, and activities of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation. There are also photographs of the Memorial.
“This publication shows that good will and the commitment of concrete individuals makes it possible to make effective efforts to preserve the Memorial. We hope that everyone who picks up this document will think about how they themselves can help preserve the memory of the victims of Auschwitz, and what they can do to prevent such a tragedy from ever taking place again,” said Jacek Kastelaniec, Genral Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation.
The preparation of the publication was made possible by the Polish Guttenberg printers with the support of graphic artists from the British So Design Consultants. “When we found out that Auschwitz needed funding to help conserve and preserve what is left of the camp and its many artifacts, we offered our help to raise awareness of the cause,” said Steve Haskins, the creative director of So Design Consultants. “Our aim was to create a quality piece of work which would arrest and grab people's attention. The piece had to speak professionally and engage visually. Along with Peter Thorpe photographer we were allowed to capture the essence of Auschwitz-Birkenau at peace in the depths of winter. The snow laden landscapes project serene, layered backdrops on which we can hang key important messaging,” said Haskins.
