43RD SESSION
OF THE INTERNATIONAL AUSCHWITZ COUNCIL
Auschwitz Memorial
The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage Marek Krawczyk, who awarded the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture “Gloria Artis” to Council member and Holocaust Survivor Ada Willenberg.
Members of the International Auschwitz Council observed a minute of silence in memory of Abraham Foxman who passed on 10 May, the longtime director of the Anti-Defamation League, committed to combating antisemitism and fostering Christian-Jewish dialogue.
Director Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński, summarizing developments at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum over the past six months, emphasized that visitor numbers had returned to pre-pandemic levels. The requirement for individual visitors to reserve entry passes exclusively through visit.auschwitz.org has been successfully implemented.
“Until recently, a major problem involved various companies from Kraków bringing visitors in the early morning hours and charging very high fees while making them queue for entry passes. We have now managed to stop these unfair practices, and visitor attendance has not suffered in any way. Eliminating this procedure was very important to us,” emphasized Director Cywiński.
Online guided tours continue to expand and are increasingly being used by representatives of large international companies. Last year, participants included, among others, ministers responsible for culture in the German federal states, Members of the European Parliament, and, in an unprecedented one-time event, approximately 200,000 Italian students simultaneously taking part in an online visit to the Memorial.
Among the most important events held at the Museum, the Director mentioned the 81st anniversary of the liberation of the camp, during which the tradition of avoiding political speeches was maintained.
“This decision was very well received throughout the world. For the first time in January, we also invited an actor to participate in the commemoration event, through whose interpretation the words of a witness to history were heard. Michał Żebrowski read excerpts from the camp notes made by Załmen Gradowski. It was
a successful initiative that we would like to continue during future anniversaries,” emphasized Piotr Cywiński.
The Director also highlighted the excellent cooperation with the Polish Television, thanks to which a professional television signal is available to audiences worldwide. The significance of the television production is demonstrated by the fact that the live broadcast of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz reached at least 950 million viewers, excluding internet streaming.
Speaking about educational activities, the Director emphasized the enormous importance of the new headquarters of the International Center for Education about
The 43rd session of the International Auschwitz Council was held on 12 May 2026 at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. The session was chaired by Prof. Dariusz Stola.
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