New Visitor Services Center Opens at Auschwitz Museum on June 15th, 2023

Starting June 15th, the Auschwitz Museum will introduce a new Visitor Services Center situated at 55 Więźniów Oświęcimia Street. The journey through the Museum will commence from this location. After exploring the Memorial, visitors will find their way back to the building via unique, subterranean passages​¹​.

The Visitor Services Center, which has been established in buildings with historical ties to the camp, is now open to the public. This fully accessible infrastructure caters to the requirements of individuals with disabilities. Several areas within the Center have been designated for the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust. Moreover, a dedicated area providing information about the victims of the German Nazi camp Auschwitz has been set up, as stated by Andrzej Kacorzk, the director of ICEAH​¹​.

With the completion of the Center, the approach route to the Museum will be altered. It is recommended to reach Więźniów Oświęcimia Street via Legionów Street (from DW 933) after the aforementioned date​¹​. The GPS coordinates for the new location are as follows: 50°01'47.2"N 19°12'17.3”E or 50.029763, 19.204816​¹​.

This comprehensive project comprises an entrance building that accommodates a bookstore and a restaurant, a parking area for buses and cars, a luggage storage space, and restrooms. The cinema hall, where an introductory film can be viewed, has been renovated as well​¹​.

Adjacent to the center, a state-of-the-art three-storey hostel is under construction. This lodging will be made available to volunteers, interns, and individuals participating in extended study tours, conferences, and seminars in the future​¹​.

The funding for these initiatives has been secured through the European Regional Development Fund of the Polish state budget under the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment 2014 - 2020, contributions from Ronald S. Lauder and Joel and Ulrika Citron, a specific grant from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and the Museum's own funds​¹​.

The project has effectively forestalled the ruin of the historic building that formerly functioned as the slaughterhouse and dairy during the camp's operation​¹​. The initiative, titled "Increasing access to cultural resources by extending the tour of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum to include the post-camp space of the Schlachthaus and Molkerei buildings and the reconstruction of the cinema hall", received co-funding from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the European Regional Development Fund under the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment 2014-2020. Its primary goal is to safeguard cultural heritage and nurture cultural resources​¹​.

sourced from the official Auschwitz Museum website