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Arbeit Macht Frei Sign Reassembled Oshpitzin—A Guide to Jewish Oświęcim Poles and Germans About Human Rights

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Arbeit Macht Frei Sign Reassembled Oshpitzin—A Guide to Jewish Oświęcim Poles and Germans About Human Rights O Ś WIĘ CIM ISSN 1899-4407 PEOPLE CULTURE HISTORY ARBEIT MACHT FREI SIGN REASSEMBLED OSHPITZIN—A GUIDE TO JEWISH OŚWIĘCIM POLES AND GERMANS ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS no. 30 June 2011 Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 30, June 2011 EDITORIAL BOARD: Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine EDITORIAL Conservators from the Auschwitz met to discuss the future of the Memo- From this month’s edition, we begin Memorial Site have reassembled and rial Site located in Ponary, Lithuania. the presentation of the guide Oshpitzin, restored the original sign, bearing the Among those joining in this discussion which has been prepared by the Jewish inscription Arbeit macht frei, which was was Dr. Piotr M.A. Cywiński, the di- Center. In the middle of this publication destroyed by thieves. In Oś you can rector of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State you will fi nd a map and a description of read about how the restoration work Museum. the fi rst of several buildings and sites, Editor: progressed as well as see photographs Human Rights Yesterday—Human thanks to which you can learn about Paweł Sawicki documenting the work that was done. Rights Today. The Resistance Movement the Jewish history of Oświęcim. In this Editorial secretary: Among other issues relating to conser- and Civil Courage—is the title of the Oś, we also publish an interview with Agnieszka Juskowiak-Sawicka vation, recent meetings devoted to this second meeting in the Polish-German David G. Marwell, the director of the Editorial board: subject were held by the Board of Trus- youth exchange, which can be read Museum of Jewish Heritage in New Bartosz Bartyzel tees of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foun- about on the pages of the International York, which is affi liated with the Jew- Wiktor Boberek dation and The International Ausch- Youth Meeting Center. There you will ish Center in Oświęcim. Jarek Mensfelt Olga Onyszkiewicz witz Council. In this issue you will also fi nd information about a seminar Paweł Sawicki Jadwiga Pinderska-Lech fi nd reports from both events. We also on forced migration of Germans and Editor-in-chief Artur Szyndler report on the meeting of experts who Poles. [email protected] Columnist: Mirosław Ganobis Design and layout: Agnieszka Matuła, Grafi kon Translations: A GALLERY OF THE 20TH CENTURY David R. Kennedy Proofreading: Beata Kłos During the spring season we will once Ślosarczykowa from the years of youth. from time to time, to spend time in the again—in the freshness and warmth— This historical narrative, a story about doctor’s home! Cover: Paweł Sawicki look at the palace on Jagiełły Street. We Maria, was heard by Mrs. Kunegunda These trips—but under what circum- Miejsce Pamięci Buchenwald have been there many times before— from Dr. Maria herself, during one of stances and at which point, we do not Photographer: both around and inside of it—so this the many neighborly meetings and con- know—were the beginning of an ac- Paweł Sawicki time it will be our last, farewell visit! versations. In the life of Mrs. Maria, who quaintanceship between Mrs. Maria and In today’s palace, once generally known was already married at the time, there the then very famous prose writer and as the “Mrs. Doctor’s Villa,” there lived, was a period where she traveled and playwright Tadeusz Rittner! This au- for a time, a well-known and regarded took many trips to various countries, es- thor’s work still appears in the theater PUBLISHER: Oświęcim pre- as well as post war teach- pecially to the Mediterranean area, such and in televised plays: In a Small house, er, named Kunegunde Etgens. She came as, Italy, Greece, the Balkans... The crea- Dumb Jakub, and Wolves in the Night.” Auschwitz-Birkenau from a family of teachers—her brother tive yield of these voyages, most prob- The nature or type of relationship, Mrs. State Museum was the headmaster of the school on ably resulting from the needs of Maria’s Kunegunda could not, or did not want Chrzanowska Street. After some time artistic soul and the desire to experience to talk about. Were they just acquaint- www.auschwitz.org.pl she left her home in the palace, and many sensations and emotions, was a ances, friends, was it an artistic relation- moved to the neighboring building, in rich collection of artworks painted by ship, or perhaps somehow intimate and other words, “to my building.” Neigh- the lady herself: landscapes of the Italian romantic? It was short-lived and it was PARTNERS: borly and social contacts were some- coasts and its islands, the panoramas of intense, just that... times frequent in nature and interesting, towns, and even portraits. She also kept The villa, known as the palace today, Jewish full of diffi cult current issues, but also of a diary, but we do not know anything was thickly overgrown with vines and Center various stories and reminiscences. Well, about its contents. The watercolors and housed within itself this mysterious and www.ajcf.pl here is one of the historical tales—as it oil paintings of various sizes decorated enigmatic fi gure, of whom we know is so beautifully said today—a tale told her apartment and were—thanks to something, but not very much... by Mrs. Kunegunda and one I managed their quantity and colorful nature—the to remember, concerning Dr. Maria cause of my delight when I happened, Andrzej Winogrodzki Center for Dialogue and Prayer Foundation www.centrum-dialogu.oswiecim.pl International Youth Meeting Center www.mdsm.pl IN COOPERATION WITH: Kasztelania www.kasztelania.pl State Higher Vocational Schoolol in Oświęcim www.pwsz-oswiecim.pl Editorial address: „Oś – Oświęcim, Ludzie, Historia, Kultura” Państwowe Muzeum Auschwitz-Birkenau ul. Więźniów Oświęcimia 20 Photo: kasztelania.pl 32-603 Oświęcim e-mail: [email protected] Jagiełły Street, 1940s. Photo from Mirosław Ganobis’s collection 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 30, June 2011 Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum CONSERVATIONISTS AT THE MEMORIAL PUT THE ARBEIT MACHT FREI SIGN BACK TOGETHER he Arbeit macht frei sign over the historical gate of the Auschwitz I main camp has been put back together after being destroyed by thieves. Detailed analysis and expert advice enabled conservationists to restore it to Talmost exactly the condition it was in before the theft. Further measures will be taken to protect the inscrip- tion, which will probably be placed in the Museum exhibition in the future. important that the research by welding them with TIG, conducted on this object will which made it possible to have enormous signifi cance retain the maximum amount in the conservation of other of the original material as original metal objects from well as make very strong the camp in the future,” said welds. In order to obtain the Andrzej Jastrzębiowski. best visual effect, we applied The discovery of historical the fi nishing touches with a tubing with the same cross- laser. This method made it section and made from an possible to perform excep- identical alloy of steel was tionally precise spot welds, a great help in selecting thanks to which they are in the method for reassembly. effect invisible. That was “Thanks to this, we were able our objective. We wanted to carry out a range of tests to eliminate all the damage on the method of welding, infl icted during the theft, re- above all. This kind of ma- turning the sign to its origi- terial is very hard to obtain nal condition,” said Andrzej Sawicki ł today because low-carbon Jastrzębiowski. rimmed steel is hardly ever The conservationists will produced. With historical complete the job by carrying material of the same proper- out a fi nal examinations of Photo: Pawe ties we were able to choose the protective surfaces and Conservation works on the Arbeit macht frei sign with great precision the applying measures to pro- optimal method for joining tect the object from corro- “The theft and destruction of rial conservators were also of the various components. the components, the proper sion. In the future, the origi- the Arbeit macht frei sign was Andrzej Jastrzębiowski and Use of a borescope and a brazing, and the welding nal inscription will probably a symbolic attack on remem- Margrit Bormann. magnafl ux defectoscope technique and parameters,” be located in the new main brance. In this case it was not Conservationists fi rst set made it possible to identify said Żydzik-Białek. exhibition at the Memorial, only a matter of an object of about making a detailed the smallest fl aws in the met- The sign was straightened which is currently in devel- extraordinary historical sig- record of the state that the al, which were not visible to under the supervision of a opment. “Conservation con- nifi cance, but also one of the object was in, photograph- the naked eye. The protec- master locksmith with vast siderations and the overall most infamous slogans of ing it in visible, ultraviolet, tive coating was subjected experience in working vari- security of the object will totalitarian propaganda, an and infrared light. They to separate testing. All of ous alloys of metal. Two be decisive,” said Director especially powerful warn- also scanned it in three di- this made it possible to work complementary methods for Cywiński. ing today against the mad- mensions and analyzed the out a safe program for the welding were selected. “We ness of nationalism, racism, makeup and tensile strength conservation work. “It’s also fi rst joined the components Paweł Sawicki and antisemitism. The per- petrators nearly achieved their heinous goal, but they did not succeed,” said Mu- seum Director Dr.
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