Record support from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation for preserving the authenticity of the memorial site

In 2023, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation (ABF) donated a record sum of PLN 27.5 million to the museum for conservation work. The total support provided by the ABF to date amounted to almost PLN 126 million, and the value of the foundation's endowment fund exceeded EUR 177 million in 2023.

"The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation provides almost all of the funding for conservation measures at the memorial site. The establishment of a stable, long-term financing mechanism has enabled the formation of a competent team of experts, the implementation of measures on an unprecedented scale, and the launch of the master plan for preservation," said the president of the foundation and director of the Auschwitz State Museum, Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński.

Among the most significant works completed in 2023 were the conservation of two brick barracks, a kitchen and a latrine on the Birkenau site; work on the ruins of the gas chamber and crematorium III, focusing on the underground parts of the facility and the parts of the reinforced concrete structure preserved in the former furnace room; the conservation of 50 suitcases, 1,200 shoes, 800 enamel items, 30 textile objects and 2,000 archaeological artefacts, as well as the conservation of selected layers of paint in blocks 11, 15 and 18 in Auschwitz I.

Conservation measures were initiated for the brick building of the former bathhouse in the Birkenau women's camp. As part of Building Information Modelling (BIM), models for 45 brick barracks in the BI area of the former Birkenau camp were developed. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was developed to simplify the creation, exchange and management of maps, applications and geodata.

In 2023, the Foundation initiated additional funding for a project to preserve 8,000 shoes belonging to the youngest victims of Auschwitz. This was done in collaboration with the International March of the Living, the Next Generation Foundation and various private donors.

The Foundation also signed an agreement with Taiwan to continue a special scholarship programme for female restorers from Ukraine in 2024. These women were forced to leave their homes due to Russian aggression against their country and have since found employment at the museum.

"Now that the conservation work has reached the desired pace, the foundation has launched additional fundraising campaigns to support educational projects. The funds for this do not come from the foundation's endowment," explained the foundation's director general, Wojciech Soczewica.

One of the first educational programmes financed by the ABF is the development of the "Auschwitz. In Front of Your Eyes" platform, which offers guided live online tours of the memorial site.