71st Anniversary of KL Auschwitz complex liberation
Last wednesday, that is 27th of January, was another, 71st anniversary of liberation of ex german nazi concentration camp KL Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Like each year, representatives of our Foundation paid their respects to the victims murdered in the concentration camps by symbolic placing flowers at the monument of „Fasciscm Victims” in the city park near Dworcowa street in Brzeszcze, which is located at the site of ex sub camp KL Auschwitz-Jawischowtiz, and also under the memorial plaque at the building of sub camp KL Auschwitz-Budy/Bór, former female penal company near Bór 67 street in Brzeszcze. In that simple, humble way we have shown our respect for those who died, but also those who survived the gehenna, and who today are witnessess of human tragedies which took place in every camp and sub camp. In the afternoon hours, like every year our Foundation took part in the main celebrations connected with 71st anniversary of KL Auschwitz complex liberation organized by the National Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau, which this year happened at the building of so called „Sauna”. Main topic of this year’s celebration was „Returns”.
In those celebrations under the patronage of polish president invited were around 80 survivors from the largest german camp, numerous delegations from the country and abroad. In Birkenau, among others, shown up President of Poland mr Andrzej Duda, President of Croatia mrs Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Anna Maria Anders – chairman of Council for Securing Memory of Battles and Martyrdom, representing Prime Minister of Poland Beata Szydło, representatives of national authorities, ambassadros and diplomats, representatives of clergy, regional authorities, workers of museums and memory sites. Special guests of the President of Poland were mrs Zofia Pilecka-Optułowicz, daughter of rtm. Witold Pilecki, and her grandson Krzysztof Kosior.
During the celebrations spoke President of Poland mr Andrzej Duda, who in his speech underlined the importance of holocaust education, „that it is this very education has to happen, that Auschwitz will be the present, that Auschwitz will stay in young people’s conscience in a such a way, that neither in our times, nor times of the next generations such a tragedy won’t have place”.
Next in orded spoke Halina Brzozowska-Zduńczyk, who ended up behind the barbed wires in Auschwitz straight from the uprising in Warsaw, and Aszer Aud, who was deproted to Auschwitz from liquidated in 1944 ghetto Litzmannstadt, giving the visible testimony and sharing with others his histories from the time of incarceration
Spokesmen were also ambassador of Israel Anna Azari, ambassador of Russia Siergiej Andriejew, and in the name of polish government Prime Minister mrs Anna Maria Anders, chairman of Council for Securing Memory of Battles and Martyrdom, daughter of legendary gen. Władysław Anders, and lastly the director of Auschwitz Museum.
Second part of celebrations happened under the Satue of Camp’s Victims at the area of former Auschwitz II-Birkenau, where clerics of different religions read together Psalm 42 from Second Book of Psalms, and the participants of ceremony, also the representatives of the Foundation, lit candles commemorating victims of Auschwitz.
27th of January is also Worldwide Day of Holocaust Victims Memory. On that occasion, our Foundation participated in a meeting organized by Italian Culture Institute in Cracow for the invitation of the Institute’s Director Ugo Rufino. Chairman of the Foundation presented a short lecture with mutimedia presentation. We have shortly introduced the Foundation itself, our latest achievements, and acquainted our italian friends with our two historical Memory Sites subcamps of KL Auschwitz and told them about our new exhibiton IG Farben Werk Auschwitz.
