DAY 1, June 28, 2023
The event was inaugurated by Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, who welcomed the participants from the grounds of the former Auschwitz camp using the application "Auschwitz in front of your eyes." He was joined by his deputy, Andrzej Kacorzyk, director of the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust.
WELCOME SPEECH OF ANDRZEJ KACORZYK, DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER
FOR EDUCATION ABOUT AUSCHWITZ AND THE HOLOCAUST
Honored Guests!
It is my immense pleasure to welcome you to the headquarters of the International Center
for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust at yet another International Educational Conference, which this year is titled "The Tools of 'Here and Now' in Teaching about 'Then' - New Technologies in Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust".
Welcome to the speakers who have accepted our invitation and will share their knowledge
and experience with us during panel discussions and presentations. You represent various countries and institutions, so we believe that we will be able to showcase both a broad perspective as well as a local context.
I would also like to welcome all the participants who, in such large numbers, have expressed their desire to take part in our event. Among us are representatives of museums and memorial sites, academic lecturers who deal with new technologies in their field, as well as teachers who work with the younger generation on a daily basis. We encourage all of you to engage
in discussions, both during the panels and presentations, as well as in private discussions. Your voices will be exceptionally valuable in our two-day debate.
I extend words of welcome to the Museum's directors. I also welcome both the team
from the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, who have been working intensively for several months on the organization of the conference, and all
the colleagues from the entire Museum involved in the preparation of this exceptional educational event.
For the first time, the International Educational Conference is taking place in the new headquarters of the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust. This is a historic building that was part of the camp complex, but after the war, it was not part
of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum for many years. It was only relatively recently transferred to the Museum for the purpose of adapting it to the needs of in-depth education conducted at the Memorial Site. We moved here in January 2020 with high hopes that the size of this building and the number of seminar rooms would allow us to accommodate many more people for various seminars or study visits than we could before. Unfortunately, due
to the coronavirus pandemic, the building that was supposed to be bustling with life was closed for many months.