creation of the Burgos Chairs is an extremely valuable support for the Institute's activities in Spain.
‘It is the beginning of the immense work we must undertake given the times we live. Russia's war with Ukraine is currently underway at the gates of Europe. Often, when we talk about human rights and values of education, it seems as though it is something unnecessary. However, many are now questioning if we are doing all that is required. The faculty in Burgos will be a unique tool to educate ourselves about our universal values in a European context, for this dialogue must start from within. The building of the European spirit must begin with ourselves. Then, we will change the world for the better,’ said Enrique de Villamor y Soraluce.
One of the projects underway in Spain is the presentation of the exhibition 'German Nazi Death Camp Konzentrationslager Auschwitz'. The exhibition, prepared by the Museum and translated into Spanish, presents all the crucial issues on the history of Auschwitz, including the genesis of the Nazi movement and the specific elements of the German terror system introduced in occupied Poland. To date, the exhibition has visited Guernica, Logroño, Oña, Burgos and Gijon.
During his visit to Spain, the Museum Director also took part - together with the Polish Ambassador Anna Sroka - in the opening of the exhibition “Mom. I don't want war” in Guernica. The exhibition presents children's drawings depicting the tragedy of war: Polish children from the Second World War and Ukrainian children from Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Institute undertakes international cooperation and offers, in close collaboration with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, numerous cultural, social and educational projects. The Institute aims to build and continually expand the network of people involved in diplomacy of remembrance at the Auschwitz Museum and to reach out to those who have never been to the Memorial. The Institute undertakes these activities in cooperation with institutions dealing with the Holocaust and extermination worldwide, educational and cultural institutions, associations, and individuals involved in the issue.
In conjunction with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Institute, the Museum is building a network of honorary ambassadors and consuls of the Memorial in various countries. Establishing local institutes is a further step that is extremely important for creating an ever more extensive network.
Spaniards have been among the most frequent visitors to the Memorial for years. Before the pandemic, over 100,000 people from Spain visited the Museum every year, and last year it was the second largest group of visitors after the Poles.