A duty to remember
June 20, 2009
Some 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were killed in the camp in southern Poland during World War II.
The foundation was set up after the Auschwitz museum made clear it was short of funds and called on the international community for help.
Tens of thousands of people visit the site of the Auschwitz Birkenau camp each year to find out more about the Nazi killing machine.
A very moving experience
Visitors take a several kilometer long walk down a vast empty field from the railway platform.
The victims were unloaded from trains there and sent to what remains of the wooden barracks and various crematoria where they were put to death.
In Auschwitz they also have a chance to listen to audio and video accounts by survivors.
Critics have long said that the Auschwitz museum should do more to preserve the remaining buildings and camp installations outside the main exhibition area.
Many visitors have pointed out that the barracks are in a dilapidated state and unless something is done soon, few structures will be left standing.
The Polish government has argued, however, that since Auschwitz Birkenau is an international memorial site, the international community should contribute to the cost of maintaining the site. So far, Poland has covered most of the expenses.
A duty to remember
At a meeting in Warsaw, a newly formed Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation has now been inaugurated. Its founder, former Polish foreign minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, himself a one-time Auschwitz inmate, has called on the world to help pay for the conservation of 155 buildings and some 100,000 objects on the site.
"I was an Auschwitz inmate at the age of 18," he said. "I'm now 88. I often wonder if anything will be left after us, or will there be nothing?"
"Auschwitz is a testimonial," Bartoszewski stresses. "For millions of people whose family and friends were wiped out in the camp, Auschwitz is a symbol for mankind, part of European history, and not only Polish or Jewish heritage."
Bartoszewski has appealed to Europe for help. German representatives are included in the council of the Auschwitz Birkenau Foundation.
The premier of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Jurgen Ruettgers, who is a member of the council, told the meeting that the camp must be preserved for future generations.
Germany has pledged one million euros to the foundation. Other contributions are expected from France, Italy, Britain and the Czech Republic.
Author: Rafal Kiepuszewski
Adapter: Gregory Benzow
Editor: Nick Amies