US commits $15 million to aid restoration of Auschwitz

Krakow, Poland - Hilary Clinton announced that the US would commit $15 million to aid the preservation and restoration of the Auschwitz concentration camp located in southern Poland.

Visiting Poland this week to attend the celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Community of Democracies, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton made the announcement whilst in Krakow. The intention is that the US will contribute $15 million to help preserve the crumbling Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. The contribution comes as part of an international effort to restore and preserve the site which is slowly decaying from lack of up-keep. A statement from Hilary Clinton reads:

“Our contribution will help preserve the camp so that future generations can see for themselves why the world must never again allow a place of such hatred to scar the soul of humankind. I appreciate the members of Congress who have been supportive of this initiative and I look forward to work with them to secure this funding.”

The site at Auschwitz includes hundreds of thousands of documents and also personal belongings from those held there and from the camp itself but these now lie spread out across 200 hectares. The site also includes 115 camp building and 300 facilities now ruined. Much of the camp is in great need of major restoration.

Wikipedia Commons

Auschwitz crematorium

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Wikipedia Commons

The famous sign at the entrance to Auschwitz

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Germany has already committed 60 million Euros to The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation which aims to set up a pot of 100 million Euros in order to fund a 15 year maintenance plan. So far 67 million Euros have been collected.