Conservation work is underway at Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland on exhibits and camp buildings ahead of the 75th anniversary of the concentration camp's liberation in January 2020.
Every day, a team of twenty museum conservators work on the camp's buildings and thousands of prisoner items on exhibit, in order to preserve them in the exact state as they were found and maintain their authenticity.
Restoration of the crumbling walls of the prisoner barracks built on wetlands, often with used bricks is a major challenge, Andrzej Cyran, the camp's conservator says.
But for conservationists working at the camp's laboratory to restore prisoners' shoes, prostheses, glasses, hair or suitcases is more than a technical challenge, it is often a harrowing personal experience.
It is estimated that over 1.1 million Jews, Poles, Gypsies and people of other nationalities were killed at Auschwitz concentration camp, which was established by Nazi Germany in 1940.
Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet forces on January 27th, 1945 and the Museum estimates that next year's commemoration will see over 120 survivors and dozens of heads of state participate in the official event.
CONSERVATOR AT AUSCHWITZ MUSEUM, ANDRZEJ CYRAN, SAYING:
"Definitely the biggest problem we had were the walls which were falling apart and we had to deal with this. In practically every building we faced a situation where the layers were barely holding together and we wanted to conserve the building in such a way that our intervention here would not be visible."
MANAGER OF CONSERVATION STUDIES AT AUSCHWITZ MUSEUM, ALEKSANDRA PAPIS, SAYING:
"The items that remained in the camp were actually of inferior quality, having been heavily-used by their owners. The items are often made from materials whose composition is not entirely known, so the first stage is to identify what we're actually dealing with and how we can protect it."
DIRECTOR OF AUSCHWITZ MUSEUM, PIOTR CYWINSKI, SAYING:
"The authenticity of Auschwitz Birkenau is important only because it is a place that today is fundamental for the future of the world. This is not a place of memory in the sense of looking back at the past. No, this is a place to remind us, to make us aware of what kind of future we want to build. And if we know and understand this, that this is a sign for the future, then this authenticity is absolutely priceless."
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION CENTER ABOUT AUSCHWITZ AND THE HOLOCAUST, ANDRZEJ KACORZYK, SAYING:
“We want to present the words of former prisoners who have been celebrated on so many anniversaries of liberation that we should teach tolerance everywhere at school and at home. That life has such an extraordinary value. That every minute of human life is priceless”
10 окт 2019
