A donation of £ 60 million Fund for Auschwitz-Birkenau is in addition to 60 million euros donated by Germany, when the Fund was founded 10 years ago. Thus, the total amount is 120 million euros.

According to Reuters, half of the donations comes from the Federal government of Germany, and the other half from regional governments.

– Auschwitz memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) 6 Dec 2019

This is the first visit of Angela Merkel in Auschwitz-Birkenau during the 14 years of its leader at the event, dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Foundation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

To Merkel during the visit were joined by the Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki. In his official Twitter-account of the Auschwitz-Birkenau shared photos of the pair walking through the gate “Arbeit macht frei” at the Museum.

“Auschwitz is a Museum, but also the largest cemetery in the world… (memory) is the key to building the present and the future”, – said the Agency Reuters, Dr. Peter M. A. Cywinski, Director of the State Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau.

“Many of the buildings were not built to last long,” added Cywinski. He also said that the Fund needed from 18 million to 20 million zlotys ($4,62 million to $5.13 million) for conservation annual conservation.

– Auschwitz memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) 6 Dec 2019

“I want to show that these funds are created as a tool for the future for the next generation, for education. This is no way to point the finger at the country’s history, because it is not my role.”

Earlier this week, memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau announced record attendance in 2019, already exceeding the record attendance in 2018.

Photo: Twitter/Auschwitz-Birkenau

As a journalist, specializing in entertainment and attractions, BEA loves theme parks (mostly Disney) and is particularly interested in things Gothic, gruesome or fantastic nature.