International youth meeting place in Oświęcim / Auschwitz

The International Youth Meeting Center (IJBS) in Oświęcim / Auschwitz is located on the banks of the Soła River between the center of the Polish city of Oświęcim (German Auschwitz ) and the former Auschwitz concentration camp . The facility serves to impart knowledge of history and to contribute to reconciliation between the peoples.

history

The idea for the establishment of the youth meeting center came from the German poet and then managing director of the Action Reconciliation Service for Peace , Volker von Törne . In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the construction of the site was very controversial. Above all, the location of the building, the construction plan, the operation and the institutional partners of Aktion Sühnezeichen on the Polish side were disputed points.

In 1978, Andreas Maislinger tried in vain to win Federal President Rudolf Kirchschläger for Austrian support.

Thanks to the commitment and support of former prisoners from the Dachau , Stutthof , Buchenwald and Auschwitz concentration camps , there was a positive turning point in the negotiations in December 1985. Alfred Przybylski , former inmate No. 471 of the Auschwitz concentration camp and representative of the Association of Polish Architects, particularly supported the plans of the architect Helmut Morlok and thus made a significant contribution to the realization of the project.

After an amount of 4.6 million D-Marks had been raised, with which two thirds of the construction work could initially be carried out, the groundbreaking ceremony finally took place in May 1986 . On December 7th of the same year the ceremonial handover of the youth meeting place took place until the whole project was completed in October 1988.

The facility achieved great fame in German-speaking countries through the film, produced by Robert Thalheim - himself in 1996/97 as a volunteer in Auschwitz - at the end of tourists , which was partly shot in the youth meeting place.

Furnishing

The International Youth Meeting Center in Oświęcim / Auschwitz consists of several pavilions and is surrounded by a large garden. It has a forum, a multi-purpose room, a library and four seminar rooms. There are also around one hundred places to sleep, a tent and a sports field .

offer

The groups' stays in the youth meeting center usually last four to five days. In addition to visits to the concentration camps Auschwitz I , Auschwitz-Birkenau and Auschwitz III-Monowitz or their remains, trips to the surrounding area (e.g. to Krakow ) and discussions with experts on specific topics can be planned. In addition, the IYMC offers workshops lasting several days for young people, seminars and advanced training for teachers.

Volunteers from the International Youth Meeting Center offer a historical walk through the city.

The International Youth Meeting is also used site for the German Action Reconciliation Service for Peace , the German International Federation (IB) and the Austrian Association memorial service .

Awards

2014: German-Polish Foreign Minister Prize

literature

R. Pyritz, M. Schütt: Auschwitz as a task. 25 years of the International Youth Meeting Center Oswiecim (Auschwitz) . be.bra Verlag, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-937233-92-5 .

Web links

Individual evidence

50.039166666667 19.213888888889Coordinates: 50 ° 2 ′ 21 ″ N , 19 ° 12 ′ 50 ″ E

[1] Andreas Maislinger, International Youth Meeting Center Auschwitz. In: Critical Christianity, December 1979.

[2] Historical walk with volunteers from the youth meeting center

[3] Volkswagen congratulates the International Youth Meeting Center in Auschwitz on the German-Polish Foreign Minister Prize ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )