JANUARY 1945 AT AUSCHWITZ THE POLISH - GERMAN PROJECT HALLOWED BY THY NAME - no. 13 Janary 2010
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OŚWIĘCIM
I SSN 1899- 4407
CULTURE
PEOPLE
HISTORY
JANUARY 1945 AT AUSCHWITZ
THE POLISH – GERMAN PROJECT
HALLOWED BY THY NAME
no. 13 Janary 2010
Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 13, January 2010
EDITORIAL BOARD:
Oś—Oświęcim, People,
History, Culture magazine
EDITORIAL
On January 27, we are commemorat- evidenced in 2009, when 1.3 million deadly threat to the prisoners. Finally,
ing the 65th anniversary of the libera- people from all continents visited the the day of liberation came.
tion of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Con- memorial site. We recommend that you pay particular
centration Camp. This is an especially Last month, we published accounts of attention to the articles about the semi-
important date, ending the 1,689 days previous yearly commemorations; in nars at the International Youth Meeting
of the camp’s existence, created by Nazi the January issue of Oś we will remem- Center, which was about women dur-
Editor: Germany, which had the dual function ber the last days before the liberation. ing the Holocaust. On the pages of the
Paweł Sawicki of a concentration and extermination The camp was found in a state of cha- Center for Dialogue and Prayer, we are
Editorial secretary: camp. Auschwitz has become a symbol os. Thousands of prisons marched out publishing reports from retreats, dur-
Agnieszka Juskowiak-Sawicka for many religions, nationalities and through the gates on the evacuation ing which discussion revolved around
Editorial board: cultures, as well as a reference point for marches, the so-called Death Marches, praying to our God, as seen by two reli-
Bartosz Bartyzel many different currents of philosophy, documents were burned, and the cre- gions—Judaism and Christianity. Also
Wiktor Boberek
Jarek Mensfelt social sciences, and global politics. The matoria and gas chambers were de- included in Oś is a review of the play
Olga Onyszkiewicz world continues to try to understand— stroyed using explosives. In the end, the The Wardrobe, which was performed at
Jadwiga Pinderska-Lech with varying success—lessons learned SS escaped from the camp, however, for the Jewish Center.
Artur Szyndler from the history and experiences of those prisoners left behind this did not Paweł Sawicki
Columnist: Auschwitz. And most importantly, the mean peace; German units came to the Editor-in-chief
Mirosław Ganobis world remembers what this means as camps and the very last minute were a os@auschwitz.org.pl
Design and layout:
Agnieszka Matuła, Grafikon
Translations:
David R. Kennedy
Proofreading:
Beata Kłos
A GALLERY OF THE 20TH CENTURY
Cover:
MDSM On various occasions, from the need immediately—getting into the car, pastoral tranquility of this place...
Photographer: to guide some around this place because who wouldn’t have wanted to There was high grass, birch groves,
Tomasz Mól because of national or church related take a ride in a luxurious Lancia during rows of barracks, fences, and countless
commemorations, in different years and a time when the “kings” of our roads ruins. The memorial had not yet been
seasons—I have visited our Auschwitz were inelegant Warszawas, Syrenas, installed.
Museum. and Wartburgs?! After several hours, the couple,
PUBLISHER: I will describe the circumstances of one We are driving to Auschwitz I. The Adriano Tiberini and his wife Laura
of these visits. Italian couple—he, most likely middle, from Milan—because they finally
Auschwitz-Birkenau In the early 1960s, summer... with or higher class businessman and his introduced themselves—thanked us for
State Museum a cousin from Wrocław, who spent pretty wife, with whom I tried to the company. We exchanged addresses;
www.auschwitz.org.pl his vacation with us, we were taking a speak with in English—but our mutual they invited us, not knowing about our
walk, as we did every day, around our linguistic skills were almost non- passports, foreign exchange problems,
town. In the area, called Niwa, where existent—she walked silently and deep and material inability. After some time,
there currently is a roundabout, an thought past the Museum’s artifacts. At we received a small package from
PARTNERS: elegant car with Italian license plates first, they were confounded by the type Milan: in an elegant case a fountain pen
stopped near us. A handsome man and and shape of the camp’s buildings: not and two “Parker” pens, not available in
Jewish
Center an elegant lady, with Mediterranean brittle barracks, but a city of tenements. our market. We reciprocated by sending
looks, were its passengers. After trying Piles of hair, shoes, suitcases, and them an album about Polish art, which
www.ajcf.pl to communicate in different languages, prosthetic limbs did make an impression was printed rather well for the time.
the man in the car and my cousin on them. They especially showed their After that, there were a few more post
stumbled upon the French language, emotions in the crematorium building cards from their journeys around Europe
in which their exchange was fluent. and by the gallows on which the camp and ours—to the Bieszczady Mountains.
Center for Dialogue The travelers asked us if we wouldn’t commandant Hoess had been executed. However, just as everything—it ended,
and Prayer
Foundation guide them directly to the Museum In Birkenau, they took in its enormity. leaving a handful of good memories.
itself, an offer that we jumped upon They listened to the quiet and almost Andrzej Winogrodzki
www.centrum-dialogu.oswiecim.pl
International Youth
Meeting Center
www.mdsm.pl
IN COOPERATION
WITH:
Kasztelania
www.kasztelania.pl
State Higher
Vocational School
in Oświęcim
www.pwsz-oswiecim.pl
Editorial address:
www.kasztelania.pl
„Oś – Oświęcim, Ludzie,
Historia, Kultura”
Państwowe Muzeum
Auschwitz-Birkenau
ul. Więźniów Oświęcimia 20
32-603 Oświęcim
e-mail: os@auschwitz.org.pl
Grounds of the former Auschwitz camp. Photo from the “Gallery of the 20th Century Collection”
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Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 13, January 2010 Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
THE ATTENDANCE RECORD—1.3 MILLION
VISITORS AT AUSCHWITZ MEMORIAL
1.3
million people from all around the world have visited the Auschwitz Memorial in 2009. This is the
record in the 62-year history of the Museum. It’s very important that the majority of visitors are
young people—pupils and students. There were over 821 thousand of them—that is 120 thousand
more than in 2008. Auschwitz Memorial has been the most visited Museum in Poland for a number of years.
“The importance of this Museum Director Dr. Piotr
place in the history of the M.A. Cywiński.
world cannot be overesti-
mated. It is difficult to un- The secretary of the Inter-
derstand the Europe today national Auschwitz Coun-
without a thorough knowl- cil Marek Zając believes
edge of Auschwitz history. that the record number of
It is also difficult to under- visitors gives us a power-
stand our own contempo- ful hope. “It is the hope
rary responsibility, if we that the tragedy of the con-
do not listen to the tragedy centration and extermina-
of the Holocaust and pris- tion camps will continue
oners of the concentration to force us to ask the fun-
camp. That is why I do ap- damental questions, that it
preciate the increase of the will shape the attitude of
number of young visitors. resistance against evil and
The future of our world is the need to be good in next
in their hands”—said the generations”—he said.
The list of top ten countries
from which visitors come
Visitors has not changed much.
at Auschwitz “We must certainly notice
Memorial in 2009 the increase of the number
by country of visitors from Poland—
compared to 2008 it is over
Poland 553 000 140 thousand more. There
Photo: Paweł Sawicki
were also more visitors
United Kingdom 75 000
from Israel (18 thousand
Italy 63 900 more), Italy (20 thousand
Israel 62 400
more) as well as from
France, Norway and our
Germany 57 900 southern neighbors from
the Czech Republic and Slo- Visitors at the Auschwitz Memorial
France 48 300
vakia”—said Andrzej Ka-
Czech Republic 43 500 corzyk, the head of the Visi- by guided groups worked because of the protection of would not understand
Slovakia 42 900 tors Services Section. really well. We will proba- authentic site of the former this symbol of the atroci-
bly act similarly in the peak camp, but also because of ties of the 20th century. It
Norway 40 300 “The statistics from non- months of 2010, since such a the safety of our visitors”— is worth remembering that
USA 39 800 European countries are also system means greater com- said director Cywiński. the most visited museum
interesting. Probably due to fort for visitors. However, in Poland is also a world
South Korea 35 400 the economic crisis and the we must be aware that if the “We should be grateful to leading exemplary institu-
Sweden 27 100 depreciation of the dollar, attendance would increase all the people who take care tion in terms of education
we had less visitors from in the future by i.e. half a of the Memorial. Without activities and preserva-
Spain 26 700
the American continent, but million people, we will have the daily involvement of the tion”—said Marek Zając.
Hungary 18 200 there is a constant growth of to introduce a completely Museum staff, so many peo-
the number of visitors from new system. It’s not just ple from around the world Paweł Sawicki
Australia 13 500
Asia. In 2009 the Auschwitz
Netherlands 11 700 Memorial was visited by 35
Ireland 11 000
thousand people from South
Korea, 8 thousand from Number of visitors at the Auschwitz Memorial (2000-2009)
Belgium 10 000 Japan, 5.6 thousand from
Japan 8200 China and 4.8 thousand
from Singapore”—added 1 300 000
Danemark 6600 Andrzej Kacorzyk.
1 200 000
Canada 6600
Due to the huge interest in 1 100 000
China 5600 the summer months the or- 1 000 000
Singapore 4800 ganization of the visits at
900 000
the Memorial was changed
Austria 4400 temporarily at the former 800 000
Slovenia 4000 Auschwitz I camp, where 700 000
the main exhibition is locat-
Finland 3700
ed. During the peak hours 600 000
Greece 3700 only groups with a guide 500 000
could enter the site—in-
Croatia 3400 400 000
cluding the groups made
Romania 3100 up of individual visitors. 300 000
1 220 000
1 130 000
1 303 800
Portugal 3000 200 000
“The solution that in certain
541 800
989 500
927 000
492 500
699 700
578 700
Other countries 66 100 hours the site of Auschwitz 100 000
Together 1 303 800 I camp could be visited only 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 13, January 2010
JANUARY 1945
T
his year is the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the former Nazi German Concentration and Death Camp
Auschiwtz-Birkenau. Usually, we focus on the liberation itself and the date 27 January. We will examine what
January of 1945 was like, based on the Auschwitz Chronicle, authored by Danuta Czech.
5 January 1945 to the railroad siding, from
(Friday) where it was transported to
the Gross-Rosen concentra-
In block 11 in Auschwitz, the tion camp. The prisoners
last Katowice Gestapo police bored holes in the sides of the
court (Standgericht) hearing crematorium and gas cham-
was held. Around 70 Poles ber buildings. They were
were sentenced to death— meant to be later filled with
men and women. They were dynamite.
shot the next day in cremato-
rium V in Birkenau. The head office that kept
Photo: Collections Department
records of the prisoner
7 January 1945 population within the camp
(Saturday) (Standesamt II) received
orders to pack up prisoner
In the Auschwitz women’s documents (death books and
camp, four Jewish women prisoner files) and load them
were hanged: Ella Gartner, into a vehicle. The SS men
Roza Robota, Regina Safir supervised the female pris-
and Ester Wajsblum. They oners that were made to do
Death march in the work by Zbigniew Otfinowski
were sentenced to death for this job.
helping prisoners—meme-
bers of the Sonderkomman- 17 January 1945 18 January 1945 Abbruchkommando, along In every office documents
do who worked in the Birk- (Wednesday) (Thursday) with 30 Sonderkommando and camp books were being
enau crematoria—to make prisoners, who were left in destroyed and burned.
the 7 October uprising possi- 31,894 male and female pris- In the early morning, the crematorium V without SS su-
ble. The help consisted in de- oners of Auschwitz-Birkenau evacuation of prisoners from pervision and secretly joined 19 January 1945
livering to the Sonderkom- stood in their respective the women’s camp in Birk- the evacuation column—fear- (Friday)
mando stolen explosives and camps for the last evening enau began. In short intervals ing they would be murdered
ammunition from the Union- roll call. and accompanied by SS men, in the camp. The evacuation In the morning, at Auschwitz
Werke warehouses, in which columns of 500 women with route led through the fol- I, II, III the only prisoners that
three of the women hanged Due to Richard Baer’s, Ausch- children were led out of the lowing towns and villages: remained were those who
worked. This was the last witz SS garrison and camp camps. 5345 female prisoners Oświęcim, Rajsko, Brzeszcze, were unfit to evacuate the
execution at the Auschwitz commandant’s, decision left the camp that day. Góra, Miedźna, Ćwiklice, camp and a few dozen who
camp. the evacuation, he ordered Pszczyna, Kobielnice, Kryry, stayed behind to help the sick
personally chosen by him Around 800 prisoners were Suszec, Rudziczka, Kleszczów, prisoners.
15 January 1945 members of the camp staff to taken from the sub-camp Jani- Żory, Rogoźne, Rój, Rybnik,
(Monday) start evacuating prisoners in nagrube and rushed on foot to Świerklany Dolne, Marklo- Allied air forces once again
columns—mercilessly liqui- the Gross-Rosen concentration wice to Wodzisław Śląski. bombed the IG Farben Indus-
The number of prisoners at dating those prisoners who camp. Only 200 extremely ex- trie plant.
Auschwitz-Birkenau was tried to escape during the hausted prisoners reached the In the evening all the prisoners
15,325 males and 16,421 fe- evacuation and those who destination. of the Monowitz concentration The sub-camps of Gleiwitz III,
males. The SS garrison con- tried to stay behind. camp (Buna) were gathered at Gleiwitz IV, Hubertushütte,
sisted of 2,474 men, as well Every so often, a column of the roll call square. Thousand Hindenburg, Charlottegrube,
as of 56 women. The sub-camps of Sosnowitz prisoners left the Birkenau person columns were formed, Althammer, Neustadt and
and Neu-Dachs were evacu- camp. In the afternoon, the to each a nurses unit was at- Fürstengrube were evacuated.
Work unit 104B (Abbruch- ated. last column left, consisting of tached. Their path led through
kommando Krematorium), Camp doctor, Josef Mengele about 1,500 people. The col- Bieruń, Mikołów, Mokre The Red Army entered Ja-
working on dismantling dismantled his laboratory in umn consisted of prisoners Śląskie, and Przyszowice to worzno, bringing freedom
the crematorium equipment, camp BIIf, taking with him from the penalty company Gliwice. to around 400 prisoners who
consisted of 70 prison- the materials he gathered (Strafkompanie), consisting of were left behind in the Neu-
ers, former members of the from his experiments on around 400 prisoners including The sub-camps of Gleiwitz II, Dachs sub-camp, being that
Sonderkommando. The dis- twins, dwarves, and disa- young prisoners and 70 pris- Tschechowitz, Golleschau they were unfit to be evacu-
mantled equipment was taken bled individuals. oners from the crematorium were evacuated. ated on foot.
Photo: Archive
Photo: Archive
A transport of evacuees from Auschwitz, January 24, 1945 Werehouses in Birkenau on fire
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 13, January 2010 Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
In the morning, a unit of Otmuchów, Ząbkowice 22 January 1945
the SS entered Birkenau’s Śląskie, Świdnica, and (Monday)
BIIf camp hospital and took Strzegom to the Gross-
away those prisoners fit for Rosen concentration camp, In the morning, a unit of the
labor. The work they were where the prisoners arrived SD once again came to camp
given was to carry corpses, on 2 February 1945. During BIIf in Birkenau to arrest
which had not been dealt the march, the SS murdered Andreyev, who was sleeping,
with for a week, to the area around 800 prisoners. and 5 other Soviet POWs ac-
around crematorium V. cused of firing guns. After
There, the bodies were piled Auschwitz main camp leading them behind barrack
Photo: Archive
in pyres that the SS men set prisoners came to the Birk- number 14, they were ar-
alight. enau camp with news that ranged in front of a ditch full
at their camp the SS ware- of water and executed.
20 January 1945 houses contained so much
(Saturday) food, that it could possibly 23 January 1945 A film frame from the liberation chronicle
last several months. Im- (Tuesday)
The commander of Office mediately, a group of pris- Libiąż was liberated. In the camp. A half hour later, the
WI (Deutsche Erd- und oners was organized who, Prisoners of the sub-camp sub-camp Janinagrube there entire unit arrived and hand-
Steinwerke GmbH-DEST) in with carts, made their way Laurahütte were evacuated; were around 60 prisoners, ed out the bread that they had
Oranienburg informed the to the said warehouses, they were loaded into train who were left behind during to the sick. The unit promised
commander of the group of from where they brought cars that were waiting on the the evacuation due to the ter- to send army doctors to the
W offices in the SS-WVHA two slaughtered pigs, tins rail platform near the metal rible state of their health. The sub-camp. The same day,
that due to war associated of meat, condensed milk, foundry. As the train traveled Poles who lived in the vicin- a military doctor, whose rank
events the Auschwitz camp macaroni, and other food through Silesia, it stopped in ity of the camp were the first was captain, arrived in Mono-
had been evacuated on 18 stuffs. So much food was a forest near the Rzędówka to offer help to the prisoners. wice and started to organize
January 1945. brought, that it could last train station. There, lay the The gravely ill were taken to relief. All together, out of the
for one month for both the corpses of prisoners in the hospitals and those in better 850 sick left behind during
Nervous units of SS were male and female camps. Be- striped camp uniforms. On or- health were left at the sub- the evacuation from the sub-
wandering around the Birk- cause of this, a kitchen was ders of the escorts, the prison- camp, where they slowly re- camp, over 200 prisoners died
enau camp. In the morning, organized in Birkenau. ers had to remove the striped turned to good health. on 27 January.
one of the units entered the uniforms from the corpses, as
BIIe women’s camp and or- The evacuation of the Golle- well as gather up the camp At 14:00 a unit of SD arrived In the afternoon, Soviet sol-
dered the prisoners to make schau camp was completed. soup bowls that were thrown at the women’s camp BIIe, as diers headed toward the
the SS men dinner, giving The last group of 96 sick about. The corpses were most well as the men’s camp BIIf region of the Auschwitz
them fresh poultry and a and exhausted prisoners, likely those of prisoners from in Birkenau, and ordered all Stammlager and Birkenau
pig. They didn’t eat the din- as well as four prisoners’ the Güntergrube sub-camp, Jews to come out of the bar- camp; the first of them en-
ner, however, because they corpses who died during who were murdered while racks. In camp BIIf, Kapo countered resistance put up
received orders to quickly the evacuation, were sent they were being transported Schulz, identified and forced by retreating German units.
march and escape. After they in sealed freight cars to the the same route the previous Jews out of the barracks. The In the direct fighting to liber-
had left, some of the healthi- sub-camp Freudenthal in day. The evacuation transport Jews were taken outside the ate the camps of Monowitz,
er male and female prisoners Czechoslovakia. 29 January, continued through Katowice, camp gates, around 150 males Auschwitz-Birkenau, town of
pried open the gate to camp the train station manager in Moravska Ostrava, and Vi- and 200 females. Several Jews Oświęcim and its surround-
BIIe and entered the camp Zwittau informed the di- enna to the Mathausen con- were taken behind the Block- ings, all together 231 Soviet
manager’s office (Blockführ- rector of Oscar Schindler’s centration camp. The journey führerstube barrack and shot. soldiers lost their lives—two of
erstube) and started to ran- ammunitions factory in lasted five days and nights, those were killed just outside
sack the interior. Suddenly, Brüssen-Brünnlitz, a sub- during which 134 prisoners Another SD unit entered the the Auschwitz Stammlager
they noticed an approaching camp of the Gross-Rosen lost their lives. Auschwitz Stammlager. All gate. One of them was Second
SS unit, so they returned to concentration camps, that sick prionsers were told to Lieutenant Gilmudin Bad-
the camp. at the train station in Zwit- 1,200 prisoners were taken leave the blocks and come ryevich Bashirov.
tau there was a freight car from the Eintrachthütte sub- near the gate with the sign
21 January 1945 containing Jewish pris- camp. “Arbeit macht frei”. German At 3:00 in the afternoon, the
(Sunday) oners. Schindler ordered citizens were told to stand first groups of Soviet recon-
the freight car to Brüssen- In the afternoon, an SS unit in the front, behind them the naissance troops entered
The evacuation of the Blech- Brünnlitz. Because the hing- arrived at the BIIf camp in- rest of the non-Jews, and fi- the camps in Brzezinka and
hammer sub-camp started. es and locks on the wagon firmary in Birkenau, and or- nally the Jews. The Jewish Oświęcim, where the liber-
For the road, each prisoner were frozen, it was opened dered prisoners to bring the and non-Jewish prisoners ated prisoners joyfully greet-
received 800 grams of bread, using a piece of equipment bodies of the Soviet POWs who could not walk were ed them. After removing the
a portion of margarine and called “Autogen”. Half of shot by crematorium V. The left aside, separately. While mines from the surround-
artificial honey. Around the prisoners were found bodies were piled on a pyre. the prisoners were being di- ing area, soldiers of the 60th
4,000 prisoners from Blech- dead in different positions, That evening, the SS men vided into groups, a vehicle Army of the First Ukrainian
hammer, as well as from sitting, kneeling, from, and set the pyre, containing the full of SS men arrived. After Front, brought freedom to
other Auschwitz sub-camps standing, either frozen or POWs and prisoners, ablaze. exchanging a few words, the the prisoners still clinging to
left the camp. Their march starved to death. Several Next, they set fire to the 30 leader of the SD unit ordered life. At the main camp lay 48
led though: Koźle, Prud- dozen died after spending a warehouse buildings in the the prisoners back to their and in Birkenau 600 bodies
nik, Głuchołazy, Nysa, few days in the camp. Effektenlager. Prisoners in blocks. The SD unit hurriedly of male and female prisoners,
camp BIIf formed a team of drove away, along with the who were either shot by the
healthy prisoners whose job SS men. SS or died in the last days of
was to make sure that the the camps existence.
wind didn’t spread the fire 26 January 1945
to the camp infirmary, sepa- (Friday) The moment Red Army sol-
rated from the Effektenlager diers entered Auschwitz I, II,
by a few dozen meters. At 1:00 at night, a unit of SS and III there were over 7,000
whose job was to destroy sick and exhausted prisoners
25 January 1945 criminal evidence blew up in these camps. According to
(Thursday) crematorium number V in findings by Dr. Otto Wolken,
Birkenau, which was the last who stayed at the camp as a
SS-Gruppenführer Richard one left standing. doctor and was one of the first
Glücks, head of office D in organizers of help for prison-
the SS-WVHA received the 27 January 1945 ers and was one of the first to
medal “Deutsches Kreuz in (Saturday) safeguard evidence that docu-
Silber” for organizing war mented the crimes committed
defenses by managing 40,000 Saturday, at around 9:00 in by the SS at Auschwitz-Birk-
Photo: Archive
SS men, who guarded 15 the morning, the first Soviet enau, there were: 1,200 sick
large concentration camps soldier from the reconnais- prisoners in Auschwitz, 5,800
and over 500 sub-camps that sance unit of the 100th Infan- in Birkenau, of which 4,000
in total held around 750,000 try Division appeared at the were women, and 600 sick
Over 200 children were liberated at Auschwitz prisoners. hospital in the Monowitz sub- and ill in Monwitz.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
International Youth Meeting Center Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 13, January 2010
EUROPEAN CONVERSATIONS
WITH WOLFGANG TEMPLIN
O
n December 4, the International Youth Meeting Center
in co-operation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation
in Poland and the House for Polish-German Co-Opera-
tion invited German dissident, Wolfgang Templin. The meet-
ing, entitled 1989. Fall of the Iron Curtain. Berlin without the Wall.
Europe without walls? took place as part of the series of European
Conversations at the IYMC.
Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Lively discussion, in which
in Hungary that had been the Polish-German audience
striving for years. He empha- participated, complimented
sized that“ everything start- the important topics raised
ed in Gdańsk, and the role by Wolfgang Templin. The
Photo: Bartłomiej Senkowski
of Solidarity in the process of special character of this meet-
democratic change in Europe ing was the consequence
cannot be overemphasized.” of the array of participants:
a group of police officers
Another part of the discus- from Düsseldorf, a group of
sion were the repercussions young people from Rostock,
in Europe tied to the events the citizens of Oświęcim and
of 9 October 1989. Emphasis the surrounding county, as
was placed on the paradox well as volunteers and em-
Photo: Bartłomiej Senkowski
Wolfgang Templin was born that the fall of the Wall was ployees of the IYMC.
in 1948 in Jena (in former accompanied by tension and
East Germany). He studied, a rift in German-German re- The European Conversations at
among other things, philoso- lations, which had an impact the IYMC are a series of meet-
phy. In the 1970s he was a on, among others, the differ- ings that have taken place a
young communist activist ing economic situations and number of years, to which
and secret collaborator with disputes about the poltitics the IYMC invites well known
the Stasi (1970-1974). At the of history, as well as in the personalities and authorities Wolfgang Templin
beginning of the 1980s, he context of the vetting and ac- from the world of culture,
left the party and became in- countability for the period of politics, and social life. Dur- Ishiguro, Professor Reinhold nalist, writer (of works Pas-
volved in the human rights communist dictatorship. ing the discussions, current Würth, art expert and phi- senger and Holiday on the
movement in East Germany. issues are discussed along lanthropist, Professor Józef Adriatic), author of radio
He co-founded the opposi- An interesting issue was the with their problems and Szajna - former prisoners programs and reports. The
tion group “Initiative for double entanglement of East threats, as well as opportuni- of the concentration camps organization of European
Peace and Human Rights Germans: both in the Nation- ties and hopes. Participants of Auschwitz and Buchenwald, Conversations at the IYMC
(Initiative Frieden und Men- al-Socialist past (40 years of European Conversations have painter, screenwriter, direc- has been supported from its
schenrechte). East German historical lies and silence), as so far been: Prime Minister tor, and playwright, as well beginning by the Town and
authorities forced him to well as in active participation Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Hans as Zofia Posmysz—prisoner County of Oświęcim.
move to West Germany. Af- in the structures of the police Koschnick, British writer of Auschwitz, Ravensbrück,
ter the changes in 1989, he re- state. or Japanese descent Kazuo and Neustadt-Glewe, jour- Leszek Szuster
turned to his roots and took
part in the group “Alliance
90” (Bündnis 90). To this
day, he works on shedding
light on the history of Easter
Germany. He does so as a re-
searcher and in co-operation
with the Federal Commis-
sioner for the Stasi Archives
(BStU). On the 6 November
2009, this opponent of the
East German regime re-
ceived the Dialogue Prize.
While leading talks with
his German guest, Leszek
Szuster, introduced Wolf-
gang Templin’s biography,
and highlighted how little
is known of the opposition
against East Germany in
the consciousness of Poles,
as well as the real need to
“debunk” the stereotypes
of Polish-East German re-
Photo: Bartłomiej Senkowski
lations. During the meet-
ing, there was a discussion,
among other things, about
the change in the mentality
of Germans following the
fall of the Berlin Wall. Tem-
plin said that the symbolism
of this event was crowned by
the democratic opposition in Openning the meeting
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 13, January 2010 International Youth Meeting Center
TWO PEOPLE, ONE PHOTOGRAPH
THE POLISH-GERMAN
PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT
O
n November 23 we welcomed yet another group of seminar participants at the doors of the IYMC. To-
gether with a group of German youth from Zedenik, near Berlin, and young Poles from Siemiatycze, we
started a seven-day project entitled: Two People, One Photograph.
This third artistic project were observing, document- is a meeting with a former
has been done in co-opera- ing gestures with the cam- Auschwitz prisoner. Invited
tion with the Model—Art— era and, creating portrait to speak this time was Wil-
Space—Remembrance Project. photos. The title Two People, helm Brasse, who worked
This time, photography One Photograph is the short in the camp records depart-
was to play the biggest role: explanation of the project’s ment as a photographer and
the taking of photos was to concept. The Polish-German took pictures when ordered
make it possible for young pairs received one cam- by the SS to do so. The
people to personally come era and worked together young people were moved
in contact with history, con- throughout the entire work- by the fact about how the
front it on the site of the shop from searching for concentration camp experi-
former Auschwitz-Birkenau themes, choosing pictures, ence and the work he did
camp and to learn to cope to the form of presentation there had an impact on the
with the learned facts. of their work. Each pair, in postwar life of Wilhelm
the end, created their own Brasse, who never returned
Brigit Kammerlohr, artist work. As a result, the ex- to his passion—photogra-
from Berlin, taught the par- hibition was created in the phy.
ticipants the secrets of pho- photomontage style and the
tographic techniques and pictures were cut out for Much of what we know
led the workshop in such newly created dioramas. about concentration camps
a way that the young peo- The photos in the dioramas comes from historical pho-
ple could find within them- tell us about boys and girls, tographs. That’s why we
selves both the artist and Poles and Germans, about also decided to take a look
photojournalist. During the their contact with and un- at the documentary photo-
project, photographing was derstanding of history, as graphs, which are found in
to become a passion for each well as their meeting here. the collection of the Ausch-
of the participants. witz-Birkenau State Mu-
During projects: either the seum Archive. During the
The photography was to ful- photography or earlier workshop, the young partic-
fill many functions during ones—such as the writing ipants were confronted with
the several-day program: workshop, the September the question of the link be-
the camera functioned as a one about artistic freedom tween the photograph and
tool for getting to know and that included young peo- the object, the moment, and
discovering the authentic ple taking part in theatrical situation that has been cap-
site, while at the same time work—art is never the only tured. The participants tried
searching for and finding, goal but only a pretext to to categorically present cop-
in the context of this place, get to know history, meet ies of the historical photos
another person. The fin- other young people, and get from the perspective of why that I want to remember about the pictures together to my lik-
ished photos showed the to know their differing per- they were taken, as well Auschwitz and remember those ing, trying to create some kind
experience and emotions spectives on history. Once as who was photographed who lost their lives here. I was of a story and at the same time
of the participants. At the again this type of work has and who the photographers able to take photographs of ob- show my feelings at the given
same time, the integrating proven itself to be an effec- were. Next, participants re- jects, people, those that were time.
aspect of the meeting of tive educational help. ceived information in the important to me, and then put Teresa Miłoń-Czepiec
young Poles and Germans form of documents, prisoner
was not irrelevant. The Artistic work cannot be a testimony, as well as histori-
photography was excel- substitute for real historical cal research that gave them
lent at playing the role of a knowledge, so the program more information about the
middleman, communicator also includes a tour of the topic of a group of related
between the participants, Museum. An especially im- photographs.
who while photographing portant part of the program
The participants, prepared
in this manner, could visit
the terrain of the former
concentration camp and
look at the pictures famil-
iar to them from the exhibit
from a different perspec-
tive. At the same time, they
were equipped with single
use cameras: they could
photograph the objects,
which were the backdrop
to their personal experi-
ences and emotions. One of
the participants following
the seminar wrote: Creating
a collage of photographs, I had
taken myself, helped me show
that, which was so terrifying
in the camp. Simultaneously,
I could show my sorrow and
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 13, January 2010
AUSCHWITZ AND THE HOLOCAUST FROM
THE PERSPECTIVE OF WOMEN
T
he history of women in concentration and death camps has so far been collected and studied in a fragmentary
way. Women and men in the camps found themselves in the same living conditions, however the level of
terror that existed there differed for the various prisoner catagories, and the prisoners’ sex also determined
how it was experienced.
The seminar Auschwitz and differences, we analyzed
the Holocaust from the Perspec- what shapes our identity
tive of Women, which took and what role “gender”
place 21-29 November 2009, plays in it.
was organized by the IYMC
for the fifth time. This year, “Gender” refers to the so-
23 students from Poland cially shaped roles of women
and Germany were invited and men, which are assigned
to work together during the according to sex. In Polish,
seminar. The topic of the the word “gender” is often
seminar was connected to explained as the identity
research, which is opening of the sex. The role of the
new and wider perspec- sexes depends on the exist-
tives in how women’s fate ing socio-economical, po-
is viewed with the backdrop litical, and cultural context.
of the history of National So- Other factors also have an
cialism and the Holocaust. influence on it, for example,
Here, two questions can be social class, sexual orienta-
reflected upon—the ques- tion, and age. Sexual roles
tion about the role of women are ingrained and can differ
and their involvement in the greatly between cultures, as
apparatus of the Nazi regime well as within a single cul-
and about the meaning of ture. Sexual roles are malle-
their presence in the struc- able, however biological sex
Photo: Paweł Sawicki
ture of concentration and cannot change.
death camps.
In the Polish-German groups
During the seminar, partici- we discussed our experienc-
pants analized the topic both es so far connected with the
from the perspective of the topics of National Socialism
female perpetrators, as well and the Holocaust, with em- Zofia Posmysz, former prisoner of Auschwitz
as victims of National So- phasis on the differences in
cialism. They also had the family narratives, historiog- to what degree, the category
extraordinary experience to raphy, and pubic debates in of “gender” play a role in the
speak to a witness of histori- Poland and Germany. These definition of perpetrator and ZOFIA POSMYSZ
cal events, Zofia Posmysz, activities allowed us to build responsibility for National
former prisoner of Ausch- between ourselves an at- Socialist crimes? Is includ- Zofia Posmysz (born in 1923 in Cracow) is an author
witz, Ravensbrück, and mosphere of mutual trust ing the category of “gender”
of four books about Auschwitz: Pasażerka (1962),
Neustadt-Glewe, who after and understanding, which justified in research on Na-
the war became a respected led to more intense work on tionalism Socialism and the Wakacje nad Adriatykiem (1970), Ten sam doktor M.
writer and radio journalist. the topics during the entire Holocaust? (1982) and Do wolności, do śmierci, do życia (1996).
week of the seminar. Be- A long time passed before Zofia Posmysz decided to
The seminar started with fore lectures, presentations, We started the analysis from write her first novel about the camp. After the time
friendship building and in- tours, film viewings, analy- the perspective of female spend in camps—from Auschwitz she was evacuated
tegration activities for the sis of archival documents, perpetrators. The first lecture to Ravensbrück, and then to Neustadt-Glewe—she
Polish-German group: get- and meetings with wit- was given by a political sci- tried to make up for the lost time and complete her
ting to know each other in nesses to history, we asked entist from the University of education. When the war broke out Zofia Posmysz was
the context of one’s biogra- ourselves: what role did the Leipzig, Dr. Elisabeth Kohal- a student of high-school of commerce. The arrest and
phy, similarities and differ- category of “gender” play hass, who shed light on the imprisonment (first at Montelupich prison in Cracow,
ences between us consider- in the racial assumptions of place women held in Ger- and then concentration camps) interrupted her illegal
ing social and background National Socialism? Did, and man society during National education. As she could not find work in Cracow after
Socialism and with particu- the war, she moved to Warsaw. She graduated in 1946
lar emphasis on motivations, and later received her diploma of Polish Philology at
tasks, and responsibilities of Warsaw University. She started work at the literary
women in the structure of the section of Polish Radio. She has worked on numerous
NS regime and in the Gestapo. radio plays and features that later became a starting
Participants of the seminar point of interesting extended pieces of literature. Theme
were next acquainted with of the camp first appeared in a radio play Pasażerka
the biography of selected SS which later, after many changes, was published as
female overseers, and their a book in 1962.
role and duties in the Ausch-
witz concentration camp
structure. Halina Jastrzębska concentration camp, lectures witness to events, Zofia Pos-
from the State Museum on forced prostitution in the mysz.
Auschwitz-Birkenau did a Third Reich, among others,
presentation on this topic. and individual work with With great interest, partici-
The victims’ perspective archival documents showing pants listened to Joanna Os-
opened with the showing of women’s participation in the trowska’s lecture, a PhD from
the extremely realistic film camps and in the resistance Jagiellonian University Jewish
entitled The Last Stage, made movement near them, deep- Studies department in Cra-
Photo: IYMC
in 1947 by a former pris- ened the knowledge of the cow, on the subject of: Prostitu-
oner Wanda Jakubowska. participants and prepared tion as forced labor for women in
A study tour of the former them for a meeting with a Nazi concentration camps.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 13, January 2010
FRAGMENT OF DR. ELISABETH KOHLHAAS’ LECTURE
(…) If we want to measure the willingness to leave factory was established in Elsass. had belonged to Jews and position, and work relieving
degree of women’s participa- and office jobs to further In this school, following the Poles, they supported and them of responsibility. For
tion in the National Socialist their professional careers (…). guidelines, specifically cho- educated them in the spirit most of these women, they
regime and their contribution These activities, outside the sen women were prepared to of National Socialism, organ- work they did in the service
to the politics of repression home, shaped women’s role work in the professional and ized preschools, and taught of the Gestapo were not du-
and racial policy, we must in the system (…). private sphere within the so- in schools. It is impossible to ties that were performed in
look through the magnifying called Sippengemeinshaft SS determine the exact number extraordinary circumstances.
glass at their activities in the Today, we know that during Heinrich Himmler, the leader of these women. This would have been the
public realm: especially their National Socialism women of the SS, wanted to form a fe- norm for them; normal work
professional activities and were active subjects, respon- male SS unit that was unques- Finally, recent research on that gurenteed a good salary
those relating to the mobiliza- sible and active in a wide and tioning, loyal, and brimming the topic of so-called female and a stable job in the secu-
tion for war (those German varying spectrum. That is, with the ideals and spirit of Wermacht helpers (Wehr- rity services, was attractive
women, who did not suffer in the spectrum, which was National Socialism. machthelferinnen) should be work. The women working
repression and functioned as far wider than the sphere of mentioned. This was a large in the Gestapo were not the
“Aryan” women in that so- marriage and motherhood as- The female SS unit was to be a group, we can assume, that deciding actors in the work-
ciety. [Volksgemeinschaft − signed to women. In almost sort of convent within the Sip- it consisted of around 500,000 ings of the organization. They
note E. P.]) every place where repression pengemeinschaft SS—in total, women functioning as typ- took part in the functioning
and murder took place wom- around 3,000 so-called female ists, telephone operators, te- of the police apprentice from
Research on the history of en were present. SS helpers. Recently, there legraphers, and supported a lower level. They had a se-
women on this topic took off have also been discussions— the Wehrmacht during the cure place in this organiza-
at the beginning of the 1990s. The focus of research in recent taking into account the per- war in all of Europe. These tion, which could not have
Earlier, that is in the 1980s, years is the issue of women spective of “gender”—about women are considered to functioned without them.
research into women’s his- and the SS, especially those women who took part in the have taken an active and indi- They also made decisions in
tory caused an eruption of a who worked as SS female German occupation in East- rect part in the war. Recently, the position of subordinates
so-called “female historian’s overseers in concentration ern Europe. Elisabeth Har- an interesting text was found about the spheres of activities
dispute”. This had to do with and extermination camps, vey’s work should be noted describing the work of these and the possibilities of deci-
the morally based question: primarily in the women’s here on the subject of the so- women, as the phenomenon sions made.
Did women play an active concentration camp in Raven- called people’s political serv- of “the expansion of wom- The participation of women
role during National Social- sbrück. The Waffen SS em- ice (“volkstumpolitischer Ein- en’s help”. This shows that in the National Socialist sys-
ism and can they share the ployed these women. They satz”) performed by young women’s contribution to the tem was different than that of
responsibility for National were not members of the German women fascinated Nazi regime, the Holocaust men. They took on different
Socialist crimes? The assump- SS, which is why we mainly by the ideology. Harvey’s re- and the war remained in the activities, women worked as
tion was contrary to that call them SS female overse- search is entitled Women and classically feminine sphere of subordinates in the hierarchy
women should be seen first ers (SS Aufseherinnen). The the Nazi East. Agents and Wit- assistance, but the definition and their work was character-
of all as victims of extremely research has lead to the crea- nesses of Germanization. of that assistance in terms of ized by less physical violence.
patriarchal and oppressive tion of a new and permanent National Socialism strongly These contributions consisted
system. exhibition on the subject of These girls and young wom- changed, taking on a patho- not only of bureaucratic ac-
these women’s service at the en worked in preschools, as logical form. tivities. These conclusions
At the start of the 1990s the Ravenbrück Memorial Site. teachers, advisers in villages lead us to consider women’s
perspective on the history In total we are talking about that were in the territories Another interesting group clearly shared role as per-
of women changed about around 4,000 SS female over- incorporated into the Third worthy of attention are wom- petrators. In the case of men
how they are seen during the seers. The newest research Reich and the occupied Polish en employed by the Gestapo. and women operating in the
times of National Socialism. also describes the so-called fe- territories, where the goal This group of women con- Nazi dictatorship, includ-
Historian Gisela Bock put male SS helpers (SS Helferin- was the practical implemen- tributed to persecution and ing those women working in
this changed perspective this nen) and wives of SS men. Re- tation of the policy of Ger- Nazi racial policy by doing the Gestapo, the statement
way: It is apparent… that in search is currently available manization. They belonged to seemingly trivial profes- by Hanna Arendt is justify-
most cases, the active partici- about a group of specially the League of German Girls sional work. These women able: In the Third Reich, there
pation of women in National ideologically trained women: (BDM) and National Socialist were clerks in offices and in were not many people who
Socialist racial politics was in the spring of 1942, a female Women’s League (NS Frau- the administration. It would whole heartedly supported
part of their activities outside SS group was formed, the so- enschaft), or they did service be a mistake to treat women the later crimes of the regime,
the home: their leading role called female SS helpers corps in the east as students. They working in the services of the however, there existed a huge
in women’s and girl’s organi- (SS Helferinnenkorps). To helped the so-called Volks- Gestapo only as cogs in the number of those who were
zations, their better or worse achieve this goal, a training deutsche take residence in machine. At the same time, absolutely ready to support
professional activity, or their center for female SS liaisons the “cleansed” homes that we would trivialize their role, the regime. (…)
The seminar ended with a trail of Cracow’s Polish and IYMC, participants started thanks to the financial sup- The seminar was made possible
trip to Cracow, where rep- Jewish emancipated women. to prepare a Polish-German port of the Polish-German through the financial support
resentatives of the Women’s Following the end to the in- publication, which will ap- Co-operation Foundation. of Polish-German Youth
Space Foundation led us on a tensive seminar work at the pear in September of 2010, Ela Pasternak Co-operation.
Photo: IYMC
Photo: IYMC
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Jewish Center Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 13, January 2010
THE HOLOCAUST THROUGH THE EYES
OF YOUNG PEOPLE—A DIFFERENT
PERCEPTION, BUT THE SAME MESSAGE
PART 2. OPINIONS OF FOREIGN VOLUNTEERS ABOUT THE REMEMBRANCE
OF THE HOLOCAUST IN FRANCE AND AUSTRIA
D
uring the recent commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War
we noticed how differently those events are viewed in different European countries. This inspired me
to discuss this with seven volunteers representing four European countries. I wanted to get an answer
to the question of how the subject of the Holocaust, as well as other events that occurred during the World
War II are seen in their countries. I was also interested in the way the general influenced perception in their
given countries the impact of volunteering at the memorial site.
Understanding of the vari- rently work in Oświęcim the unknown. In his opin- were to approach the Ger- sistance).
ous events of the past, the as volunteers—the first two ion, their attitude was in- man occupiers. “After the When the Second World
so-called culture of memo- in the Jewish Center and fluenced by the views and liberation, it turned out War ended in France, there
ry, depends on the extent the third at the Auschwitz- politics of far right political that all the citizens were were many trials against
as well as form of public Birkenau State Museum. parties. He heard about the against the occupation and collaborators, who were
exposure of the specific his- Jewish Center in Oświęcim were willing to fight,”says found guilty; among them
torical event. The next most Thomas studied foreign from an acquaintance and Thomas. In his opinion the were members of the Vichy
important element shaping languages, with an empha- decided immediately to building of national iden- government. Museums and
the culture of memory is the sis on inter-cultural rela- devote his time to political tity in France is too concen- anniversaries commemo-
way that the role of a given tions and international co- education within the Euro- trated on emphasizing the rate the heroic deeds of the
society is looked at histori- operation, in his hometown pean Voluntary Service. So, merits of the brave people population active in the re-
cally. This causes the rise of of Lille before he became this “newly minted” gradu- who stood up to the terror sistance movement and the
a variety of national myths. a volunteer at the Jewish ate came to Oświęcim. The of World War II. Ignoring many victims of Nazism. In
The culture of memory also Center. While studying he tragedy that took place in the fact that in addition to addition to the commemo-
depends on evolutionary also worked as a city tour Auschwitz clearly shows “wicked collaborators,” ration on January 27 of the
changes, which can in effect guide. In his work he met where racism and xeno- the majority of society was International Holocaust
be a breakthrough in the many tourists from various phobia can lead—and that completely passive and in- Remembrance Day, France
way history is perceived. countries and often had to is how Thomas justifies the vested all their energies in commemorates the anni-
The second part of this ar- answer many questions choice of this place. taking care of only them- versary of the deportation
ticle about a nation’s cul- about the large number of selves—“just to survive.” of French Jews by the Vichy
tural memory is based on foreigners in Lille. These In France, during the Sec- government. This occurs on
conversations with Thomas questions, mainly from ond World War, people After losing the battles in a Sunday in mid-July, and
(France), Daniel (Austria), young people, gave the didn’t really have a clear 1940, France, until the Al- recalls the victims of rac-
and Sebastian (Austria). impression of hostility to idea what they were sup- lied invasion, remained ist and anti-Semitic crimes
These young people cur- foreigners and the fear of posed to do and how they passive and divided. The of France. („La journée na-
Vichy government was tionale à la mémoire des
brought into being and victimes des crimes rac-
controlled the “free” part of istes et antisémites de l’État
France, while cooperating français”). Remeberance of
with the German occupier. the Holocaust is on a large
Under the leadership of the scale in France, which is
deputy prime minister and noticeable both in art, as
Marshal Philippe Pètain, well as in history lessons.
who was sympathetic “What I would have pre-
to Hitler, they signed a ferred to from my teachers,
ceasefire on June 22, 1940 however, would have been
and gave up nearly 2/3 of an explanation of how such
French territory to be un- unforgettable crimes could
der German occupation. have even taken place. In
In 1942 they “recruited” general, how did people
thousands of forced labor- such as Hitler rise so quick-
ers to work for the Third ly to power in such a short
Reich and helped register, amount of time and make
arrest, and deport Jews the anti-Semitic policies,
who lived in France (the so hostile to humanity, so
deportation of French popular?” said Thomas.
citizens who were of the These words can be aimed
Jewish faith was moved to at history teachers in all
1943). Already in October countries.
of 1940 in Vichy, there was
a host of discrimatory laws Toward the end of the in-
in place against French terview, Thomas stated
Jews. Most French were, proudly that public lies
of course, against this and about the Holocaust, as
answered the call of Gen- well as racist and anti-Se-
eral Charles de Gaulle, metic excesses are severely
who, from London, ap- punished in France. He is,
pealed for an uprising. As however, disappointed
a result, from May of 1943 that ever since September
Photo: Babsy
various insurgent groups, 11, 2001, there has been a
cooperated with the Na- rise in attacks on Jewish, as
tional Resistance Council well as Muslim institutions,
Center of Remembrance in Oradour (Conseil National de Ré- and that the conflict in the
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 13, January 2010 Jewish Center
Middle East has escalated. a long period of time, the
These incidents are used “victim myth” dominated
by far-right populists, who society—that Austria was
use them to lay blame on the “first victim” of Nazi
the Muslim minority group aggression—was finally
and other immigrants. somewhat put into perspec-
tive at the end of the 1980s.
The volunteers from Austria A deciding moment turned
are of the opinion that dur- out to be a major scandal,
ing the Second World War, that involved presidential
their society was mainly on candidate, later president,
the side of the perpetrators. Kurt Walheim, who during
Twenty two–year–old Dan- the Second World War was
iel and nineteen–year–old an officer in the Wermacht
Sebastian decided to vol- and took part in war crimes
unteer in Oświęcim—the in the Balkans. Sebastian
former at the Jewish Center and Daniel feel that since
and the latter at the Ausch- the time of the scandal, re-
witz-Birkenau State Mu- membrance of WWII seems
seum. Both feel a historical to be more alive and far
responsibility to work in reaching.
these types of institutions.
The Second World War, The young volunteers em-
in all its horrifying detail, phasize that the culture of
is not just present in their memory is properly treated
grandparents’ or great- in Austria. It is significant
grandparents’ stories, but to note the fact that virtu-
Photo: Rachel
also a part of their country’s ally every student is re-
political culture. quired to visit the site of the
former concentration camp
The effects of the Austro- at Mauthausen. In addition,
Hungarian Empire and the the International Holocaust Holocaust Memorial in Vienna
“great depression” that Remembrance Day is com-
swept the world caused memorated there, and for
the rise in political extrem- reflection there are also a
ism in the inter-war period. number of memorials, plac-
After Mussolini came to es of national remembrance,
power in Italy in 1935, the exhibits and documentary
country became more iso- films that are available all
lated from other countries, year long. The subject of the
while strengthening its con- Holocaust also affects the
tacts with Hitler, the influ- alternative culture scene.
ence that the Third Reich Daniel notes however, that
had on the spheres govern- sometimes artists use pro-
ing (Austria) grew. After vocative subjects, looking
Austrian nationalists found for “cheap exposure.”
themselves in key political
positions, the annexation Daniel believes that in
of Austria into the Third Austria, not everyone is
Reich could happen with- yet prepared to face his-
out a conflict. Many Aus- tory head on. In some small
trians accepted this event towns there are protests
positively. In the following against building stones
years, German Nazis mur- of remembrance (Stolper-
dered around 65 thousand stein), which were men-
citizens of Jewish descent, tioned in the last article.
as well as 12.7 thousand Indeed, not everyone saw
who were against the re- this act of commemorating
gime and insurgents. Over the victims of Nazism as
8 thousand Roma and Sinti, necessary. Sebastian points
homosexuals, and disabled out that people, especially
individuals, were also not the older through their own
spared. Around 100 thou- direct or indirect support
sand people took part in for the SS, are reminded of
the fight against Nazism, their guilt. He mentioned
but some seem to forget that there has been a pub-
that a large percentage of lic debate recently in Aus-
the population worked for tria concerning the sense of
the occupier. War criminals punishing of elderly and of-
can also be found among ten sick war criminals. This
Austrians. Even the civilian discussion was brought
population took part in at- about by the case of John
tacks on the Jewish minor- Demjanjuk, who was ac-
ity. Many citizens quietly cused of co-operation with
hoped that through nation- the Nazis. Daniel, summing
al organization, but also, up, notes that in Austria be-
“by their own initiative” cause of their participation
they could improve their and often unspoken, public
own financial situation. opinion on the distinction
between perpetrators and
After the end of the Second victims of conflict is divid-
World War in the wave of ed. As opposed to Austria,
denazification, over 200 other European countries
high-ranking SS function- can feel that they were vic-
aries were put before the tims of Nazism to a greater
court and removed from degree.
government functions. For Julia Preidel
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15You can also read
