Preservation

Auschwitz_Visuals_09_Erhaltung
Everyday objects. Taken along on the final journey. The most important, the most necessary, the most beloved, the most valuable. The rest of their possessions could be sold, given away or left behind, but not these objects.

Today, they are all that remain. The people to whom they meant so much have practically disappeared. That is why these objects have become world cultural heritage. They were important to their owners. Today, they are invaluable to humanity. They show the traces of life and the traces of murder. The traces of humanity and dehumanisation. The traces of everything that has passed.

Our goal is not only to preserve the buildings and ruins of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp for posterity, but also every object found on the nearly 200-hectare site after its liberation on 27 January 1945. Every item of clothing, every piece of tableware, every suitcase and every letter. Even the smallest and most inconspicuous items had great intangible value for their owners. It is our duty to preserve these objects in order to honour the victims, commemorate their lives and make their unimaginable suffering conceivable.
Everyday objects. Taken along on the final journey. The most important, the most necessary, the most beloved, the most valuable. The rest of their possessions could be sold, given away or left behind, but not these objects.

Today, they are all that remain. The people to whom they meant so much have practically disappeared. That is why these objects have become world cultural heritage. They were important to their owners. Today, they are invaluable to humanity. They show the traces of life and the traces of murder. The traces of humanity and dehumanisation. The traces of everything that has passed.

Our goal is not only to preserve the buildings and ruins of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp for posterity, but also every object found on the nearly 200-hectare site after its liberation on 27 January 1945. Every item of clothing, every piece of tableware, every suitcase and every letter. Even the smallest and most inconspicuous items had great intangible value for their owners. It is our duty to preserve these objects in order to honour the victims, commemorate their lives and make their unimaginable suffering conceivable.
Learn more