Auschwitz sees record two million visitors in 2016
UK Holocaust Educational Trust praised as a 'rolemodel of responsible education' by the museum at the former Nazi camp.
A record number of visitors walked through the gates of Auschwitz this year to learn about the history of the former Nazi concentration camp.
Nearly two million people from hundreds of countries visited the site of the extermination camp in occupied Poland where more than one million men, women and children died, the Auschwitz museum said.
Numbers surpassed the previous record – 1.7 million visitors last year – in October, the museum revealed, adding it will release full visitor figures in the new year.
Britain has long been one of the countries providing the highest number of visitors. Last year 220,000 went to the site, and English is the most popular language for its 283 guides.
Pawel Sawicki, spokesman for the Auschwitz memorial, said: “When you look at the attendance, the number of British visitors is always somewhere in the top three countries.
“It’s usually Poland first, which can be reasonably explained because the memorial’s in Poland. And then it’s usually the US and UK.”
Mr Sawicki praised the UK’s Holocaust Educational Trust (HET), which takes thousands of school children on trips to Auschwitz each year, as a “role model of responsible education” for other countries to follow.
HET chief executive Karen Pollock said: “Government funding to ensure young people visit Auschwitz is a strong endorsement of not only HET’s work but why the cause is important and why it’s important to see the site.
“It’s incredible that we may be one of the highest number of visitors. I think it is something to do with the fact we take 3,000 young people a year who otherwise would never be visiting, certainly not at that age – many of whom have never been on an aeroplane before.
“For them it’s a massive, eye-opening experience … then they come back and pass on the impact of that visit, that probably makes other people curious, as they talk to their parents, wider family and local communities.”
Ms Pollock added: “There are lots of incredible films and documentaries you often will hear or watch, lots of books constantly coming out, there’s a clear interest in that period.
“You’ve got a Holocaust gallery in the Imperial War Museum, you’ve got the Holocaust on the national curriculum, you’ve got the fact there were British people who helped save Jews during the Holocaust like (British Secret Intelligence Service officer) Frank Foley … all these things make it part of the fabric of who we are.
“And now we’ve got a Government that’s going to be ensuring we have a national Holocaust memorial right by Parliament. It couldn’t be more clear the subject plays an important role for us as a society, and I don’t think just historically.”
She added that the influence of visits from high-profile figures could have helped raise awareness about the importance of the memorial site.
Pope Francis visited earlier this year, and the England football squad went in 2012.
“You have people like Wayne Rooney,” she said. “It was on the front and back pages … I do wonder if, when you hear them say ‘This is important’, that plays a part in reaching wider audiences.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
