Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Research Articles

Analysis of the Surface of Historic Fabric from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum after Treatment with Ethanol Mist Used to Eliminate Microorganisms Harmful to Human Health

Analysis of the Surface of Historic Fabric from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum after Treatment with Ethanol Mist Used to Eliminate Microorganisms Harmful to Human Health

Archaeological Research on the Former KL Auschwitz I and KL Auschwitz II-Birkenau Site

For many years Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum has been conducting excavation works on the site of the former German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz II-Birkenau, related to the implementation of projects to preserve the authenticity and other ad hoc maintenance works, as well as those related to the extension of the necessary infrastructure network in the area of the former camp. These works, carried out in various parts of the former Birkenau, are subject to obligatory archaeological research. Over the years, a large number of reports on archaeological works have been collected. Researchers faced the challenge of accumulating dispersed archaeological information, mainly about the location of archaeological research sites and about the findings that were noted during the works. The chosen solution was the use of GIS software. Initially, this was QGIS, which is to be replaced by ArcGIS Pro over time. This makes it possible to place excavation sites in a generalised form on a map (contemporary or historical) or on a properly prepared aerial photo (for any year from the years available: 1944-2022). The outline of the excavation in the above-mentioned programs is interactive with the user. The description of the findings from a given place is added to it. The set of data thus prepared can then be filtered and selected, like in a popular spreadsheet. The amount of information on one map can be enhanced with underground infrastructure networks (as information about possible collisions) and road and construction infrastructure of the camp area which enables better orientation in the surroundings. Introduction of the possibilities of deeper analytics of large data sets is the main basis for outlining the possibilities of Geographic Information Systems.

Influence Analysis of Polyvinyl Alcohol on the Degradation of Artificial Leather with Cellulose Nitrate Coating Originating from a Suitcase Stored in the Collection of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim, Poland.

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of a protective layer of polyvinyl alcohol on the degradation process of artificial leather based on cellulose nitrate. Samples of the artificial leather were obtained from a suitcase dating back to the first half of the 20th century, not considered a historical artifact. The analysis involved Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Artificial aging was employed for the study. The artificial leather sample with a protective coating of polyvinyl alcohol on a cellulose nitrate base exhibited the lowest degree of degradation due to minimal chemical changes in cellulose esters. The obtained FTIR-ATR spectrum indicated significantly higher nitration of cellulose and, consequently, a lower degree of polymer degradation. The sample without the protective polyvinyl alcohol coating and the sample with the coating removed before artificial aging showed similar reactions.

The Holocaust in Polish and American culture. Deliberations, politics and watershed moments.

This article addresses issues related to Holocaust education in two emblematic sites: the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (A-BSM) and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in Washington, DC. Every year, these institutions are visited by millions of people, which contributes to their enormous impact on the memories of future generations. Their method of education, however, cannot be understood outside its historical, cultural and political context. Auschwitz contains the history of a former concentration and extermination camp, and the institution itself is also linked to the history of another totalitarian regime. In the United States, the National Holocaust Museum underwent years of deliberation over why the country should nationally commemorate Jewish victims, and why a memorial should stand on the National Mall in Washington, a place associated with American democracy. A broad view of the subject, as outlined in the article, not only allows for an awareness of what these centres are and how they educate, but it allows for an understanding of their perspective, excluding numerous criticisms that would seek to invalidate their discourse, while favouring criticism based on historical facts.

Crossing Borders: Conceptualising National Exhibitions as Contested Spaces of Holocaust Memory at the Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum

This paper considers the presence and potential educational impact of national exhibitions within the Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum in Poland. It takes a constructivist, personal-theoretical approach, drawing from autoethnography to explore possible visitor experiences at two of the national exhibits. Through detailed reflection on the French exhibition (Block 20) and the Dutch exhibition (Block 21), the author conducts a thematic analysis on the content in order to consider the constructions and possible intentions of the narratives presented. This is used to consider how the (relatively unvisited) exhibitions might contribute to visitors’ developing understandings of the complex history of the Holocaust. Particularly, the author considers how the national exhibits might contribute to the education of young people at the museum, and, by extension, at other sites, memorials, or educational spaces. The paper concludes that the inclusion of these complex national narratives is vital in young people gaining an understanding of the Holocaust as a multi-layered event. The paper offers a model for enabling inclusive Holocaust Education that embraces: (1.) divergent historical narratives (such as those in the national exhibitions), (2.) young people’s emotional engagement and responses to those narratives, and (3.) the Holocaust (and its representations) as a ‘contested space’ of history.

Optimization of the Process of Eliminating Microorganisms Harmful to Human Health and Threatening Objects Isolated from Historical Materials from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland (A-BSM) Collection with the Use of Ethanol in the Form of Mist

The aim of the study was to assess the biocidal effectiveness and the effect of 80% and 90% ethanol applied in the form of mist on the surface of textile materials from historical A-BSM objects. The microorganisms used for the tests, namely, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum, were isolated from the surface of textile objects in the A-BSM. Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger were also used from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). Fabric samples were inoculated with microorganisms at a concentration of 105-106 CFU/ml. Ethanol in the form of mist was applied in concentrations of 80% and 90%. Airbrushes VL 0819 and VE 0707 were used for this purpose, where the pressure was 0.2 MPa and the PA HEAD VLH-5 nozzle with a tip of 1.05 mm in diameter was used. In order to achieve more effective disinfection after applying the ethanol mist, samples were stored in PE foil in the conditions of 21 °C ± 1 °C for 22 ± 1 h. After applying the ethanol mist, changes in the properties of the materials were assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The reduction in the number of microorganisms on modern cotton fabric after the use of ethanol in the form of mist at concentrations of 80% and 90% ranged from 93.27% to 99.91% for fungi and from 94.96% to 100% for bacteria, except for 74.24% for B. subtillis. On the historical fabric, after the time of application of 90% ethanol was shortened to 4 s, the microorganisms were reduced by over 99.93% and S. aureus was completely eliminated. After applying the tested disinfection technique, no changes in fiber morphology were observed on the surface of the model and historical cotton.

Hyperspectral imaging and directional reflectance for predicting interaction of laser radiation with biodeteriorated objects threatening human health

The aim of this study was an attempt to use hyperspectral imaging and hemispheric directional reflectance, supported by GLCM and quadtree decomposition methods, for non-invasive analysis of historical objects. The research was carried out to adjust the wavelength of laser light, which could be used for decontamination, to the characteristics of historical materials from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. Historical leathers and fabrics from original children's shoes are contaminated with bacteria at the level of 105–106 CFU/100 cm2 and 104 CFU/100 cm2 with fungi, on average, including microorganisms posing threat to the objects and people. Two proposed methods allowed for a quantitative, repeatable and absolute assessment of interaction of electromagnetic radiation with tested materials. The dependence of reflectance on the wavelength was roughly similar for all materials, i.e. slight fluctuations or gradual increase in the spectral range of 400–700 nm, then increase for 700–1700 nm and a decrease for 1700–2500 nm. In general, higher reflectance was recorded for historical fabrics than for historical leathers. The most suitable range of laser radiation for disinfection was set at 700–1000 nm. Irradiation with a diode laser (λ = 808 nm) caused statistically significant differences in the numbers of all tested microbial strains and reduction by 56.03–99.10%.

Słownictwo obozowe w przekładzie ustnym na terenie Państwowego Muzeum Auschwitz-Birkenau w opiniach tłumaczy i hiszpańskojęzycznych zwiedzających

Nazi Concentration Camp Vocabulary in Oral Interpreting in the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in the Opinion of Interpreters and Spanish-Speaking Visitors
 The article presents some of the results obtained as part of multi-stage research project that was carried out in 2018-2020. Its purpose was to collect information on interpreting performed for visitors at the Auschwitz- Birkenau State Museum. The article discusses the difficulty of translating the camp vocabulary when performing the above-mentioned interpreting. Thirty interpreters shared their views on the oral translation as well as 96 visitors, for whom the information during the tour was provided by a Spanish speaking interpreter.

Vlogging Auschwitz: new players in Holocaust commemoration

ABSTRACT Content creators on YouTube have started documenting their visits to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in vlog form. This social media format has enabled influencers to assume the role of popular historian, endowing their trips with a sense of moral responsibility. Critical tools should be applied not only to content analysis but also to metadata and various methods of curating visibility on the platform. Additionally, mechanisms of self-promotion and the fate of official narratives of commemoration in an era of user-generated content are of interest. Is this new cohort of popular history practitioners a welcome development in the field of commemoration?

Giving Voice to a Foxtrot from Auschwitz-Birkenau

The Collections Department of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum preserves a number of manuscripts of popular songs arranged by members of the Auschwitz I Men’s Orchestra. These songs, written with great care in black ink on Beethoven Papier brand music paper, often bear highly ironic, but also tragically relevant titles, such as “Letters That Never Arrived,” “Hours That One Can Never Forget,” “Sing a Song When You’re Sad.” In this article I describe the complex process of realizing a 2018 concert performance and recording of one of these songs, “Die schönste Zeit des Lebens” (The Most Beautiful Time of Life), based on a manuscript deposited in the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in 1975. Originally a 1941 popular song composed by the German film composer Franz Grothe with a text by Willi Dehmel, and scored for a jazz ensemble, it was arranged by the Auschwitz I prisoners for four first violins, five second violins, a viola, two clarinets, a trombone and a tuba. Through this dramatic change in orchestration, errors were occasionally introduced; in this article, I detail the analytical processes involved in correcting these errors and making “micro-interventions” in the score.

Communication en langues étrangères avec les visiteurs d’un lieu de mémoire : un sujet périphérique des études de traduction

After some general remarks on a contemporary basic map of Translation Studies, we present the results of a research on a peripherical topic in the field Interpretation Studies: interpreting in a museum setting. The museum concerned is the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, a former nazi concentration and extermination camp situated in Poland, a World Heritage Site, and a symbol of the Holocaust. The research is based on surveys conducted in 2017 and 2018 by Marta Paleczna among the camp’s visitors, guides, and interpreters. We discuss the interpreters’ main problems, which include translating camprelated and other specific terms, collaboration with a guide, the increasing number of visitors and time constraint, and their solutions, which include compressing the explanations given by a guide during the visit, taking over the role of a guide by the interpreter, and lengthening the explanation time by taking advantage of the trip to the museum and back.

Democratic pilgrimage: Swedish students’ understanding of study trips to Holocaust memorial sites

ABSTRACT This article focuses on Swedish students’ understanding of study trips to Holocaust memorial sites. Although about a quarter of all Swedish teenagers visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum each year, with the majority visiting as students as part of their school curriculum, this study is the first to examine these study trips from a student perspective. By applying critical discourse analysis, this article analyses 49 students’ reflections, written before, during, and after two study trips. The results suggest that the study trips’ discursive practice, which constitutes and is constituted by the study trips’ social practice, is regulated by a discursive order termed democratic pilgrimage. In addition, this article reveals two didactic deviations from previous research on study trips: the students’ positive feelings in relation to the Polish environment and the balance between victim and perpetrator perspectives. The latter creates tension within the students and is solved via articulations of democratic values.

Teaching at Holocaust memorial sites: Swedish teachers’ understanding of the educational values of visiting Holocaust memorial sites

The present article focuses on teaching and learning about the Holocaust in Sweden, conducted as study trips to Holocaust memorial sites. Although about a quarter of Swedish teenagers visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum each year, this study is the first to examine these Swedish study trips. Since there are no centralised systems for arranging these study trips, this study regards dedicated teachers as the main stakeholders. By deploying critical discourse analysis of transcripts of nine in-depth interviews with teachers, the study terms the discursive order of the teachers’ talk about the study trips ritual democratic catharsis. The teachers’ two main purposes are the use of the study trips as a vehicle for the social dynamics in the group to evolve in order to promote personal growth among the students, and the students’ learning about democracy and human rights. Their overarching didactic strategy of focusing on the suffering of the victims is meant to evoke empathy among the students, but lacks an explanatory aim. The study critically points out the teachers’ unreflected relationship to historiographic Holocaust content as a subject, making their teaching vulnerable to contemporary political influences, jeopardising the democratic purpose of these trips.

Irony and Identity: Music Manuscripts from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum

Irony and Identity: Music Manuscripts from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum

Lighting Candles in the Darkness: An Exploration of Commemorative Acts with British Teenagers at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum

Every year around 3000 British school pupils and teachers visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum as participants on a Lessons from Auschwitz Project organized by the Holocaust Educational Trust. Each visit ends with a memorial ceremony held at the end of the railway tracks at Birkenau. This article analyses interview and survey data from participating students and educators to explore their experiences of these ceremonies. The research findings indicate that the context and content of the ceremony are significant for both groups, with a general consensus that the ceremony is an important and appropriate way to end the day visit to Poland and the museum. The students’ responses also particularly raise issues around their emotional engagement with the ceremony and the impact it had on them in this way. In conclusion, this article suggests how similar reflective spaces might be created in other educational contexts at similar sites of memory.

Application of a Medical Diode Laser (810 nm) for Disinfecting Small Microbiologically Contaminated Spots on Degraded Collagenous Materials for Improved Biosafety in Objects of Exceptional Historical Value From the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and Protection of Human Health.

The research aim was to optimize the operating parameters of a diode laser irradiation for the effective disinfection of degraded collagenous materials. Historical leather shoes stored at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim (Poland) were the main study objects. Surfaces of contaminated small spots occurring on the degraded materials were sampled with moistened swabs and microbiologically examined using the molecular techniques MALDI-TOF MS, 16S rRNA, and NGS sequencing. The surfaces were colonized by bacteria with 106 CFU/100 cm2 and 104 CFU/100 cm2 by fungi, on average. Microorganisms of the genera Bacillus and Penicillium were predominant. The effectiveness of the laser treatment was assessed for the new and degraded collagenous materials against isolated environmental strains using four variants of exposure time and number of repetitions. 0.3 W/CW 2 × 2 min variant was the most effective and also did not noticeably change the color of the treated samples. The variant caused a reduction in the numbers of microorganisms by 96–100%. After 1 month, four types of leather were subjected to comprehensive physico-chemical analyses. SEM and FTIR techniques confirmed that laser irradiation in the selected optimal variant did not affect the surface morphology and collagen structure, while XPS technique enabled detection of subtle changes in non-historical protective coatings on the surfaces of tested degraded historical materials.

Prevention of SARS-COV-2 coronavirus spread at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland. The most visited Memorial site in the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (A-BSM) actions have been undertaken to effectively protect employees and minimise risk of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus spreading from the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic. The aim was to present the actions, instructions and procedures introduced at the A-BSM to provide information how to deal with pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in institutions taking care of cultural heritage before and after closure of the Museum for visitors and after reopening. The described activities were developed at the Museum by a specially established Expert Team. Groups of employees and places in which they were most exposed to contact with visitors and, as a consequence, at the highest risk of getting infected, were characterised. The employees were provided with personal protective equipment, and at the Museum site, devices essential for maintaining the microbiological cleanliness of the rooms, were placed. In the next stage, instructions and procedures for particular groups of employees were prepared. Visitors were educated about the need of taking precautions and were allowed to disinfect in several places at the Memorial Site. Steps to reduce attendance at this time has also been taken. Procedures for employees of the A-BSM were developed in such way that they can also be used after reopening of the Museum for visitors. The actions which ensured the microbiological safety of the A-BSM employees, brought satisfying results. In more than 21 days after closing of the Museum for visitors, no cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 were found among employees, despite a very high threat.

Irradiation with medical diode laser as a new method of spot-elimination of microorganisms to preserve historical cellulosic objects and human health

The aim of the study was to optimise operating parameters of a diode laser (810 nm), that could be used to effectively disinfect very small, microbiologically contaminated spots on historical cellulosic objects from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, and thus limit unnecessary treatment of whole objects. The scope included: assessment of microbiological contamination of the historical materials using culture-dependent (MALDI-TOF MS, 16S rRNA sequencing and macro- and microscopic observations) and culture-independent (NGS sequencing) molecular methods; optimisation of laser irradiation based on the assessment of biocidal effectiveness against 14 microbial strains and determination of changes in colour, and evaluation of the impact of optimal laser variant on the optical (colour measurement spectrophotometry), morphological (SEM), structural (FTIR) and chemical (XPS) properties of the model and historical materials. The small spots were colonised with microorganisms harmful to the objects and posing a threat to human health. The best variant of laser parameters was: 0.3 W of power, continuous wave mode, 2 min of exposure and 2 repetitions, which resulted in 92.17–100.00% reduction in the number of bacteria and complete elimination of 5 out of 6 strains of filamentous fungi, and at the same time it did not have an adverse effect on the colour, morphology, structure and degree of oxidation of the tested materials. A slight increase in the surface polarity was not related to cellulose, but protective substances.

Microorganisms colonising historical cardboard objects from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim, Poland and their disinfection with vaporised hydrogen peroxide (VHP)

In the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim, Poland (A-BSM) a new research has been started on the use of vaporised hydrogen peroxide (VHP) as a disinfecting agent. The aims of the study were: to identify microorganisms inhabiting historical cardboard using molecular methods (MALDI-TOF MS, 16S rRNA genes sequencing and next-generation sequencing on Illumna platform); to establish the effectiveness of VHP disinfection (300 ppm, 20 min); and to evaluate the impact of VHP and ethylene oxide (EtO) on the physico-chemical properties of the new and historical cardboard (spectrophotometrical colour measurements, SEM, FTIR and XPS), including changes after accelerated ageing. On the surfaces of the historical objects containing cardboard 104–105 CFU/100 cm2 of bacteria and approximately 103 CFU/100 cm2 of fungi were detected. The predominant were: Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus megaterium, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium cladosporioides and Penicillium chrysogenum. VHP disinfection under the conditions of performed tests resulted in a reduction of 99.61–100.00% for bacteria and 98.82–100.00% for fungi. The surface morphology, cellulose structure, chemical composition and perceptible to the naked eye colour of the new and historical cardboard were not changed after application of VHP in a tested dose and following EtO disinfection.

Uncovering the illegible: multi-analytical approach to reveal paint stratigraphy of corroded signposts from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum

Object discoveries from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (PMA-B) in Poland challenge the efforts to preserve paint on corroded steel supports. The objects have been exposed to outdoor weathering conditions and then buried for about 65 years. This caused severe damage, such as corrosion and paint delamination. The fragile condition of such cultural heritage objects makes their preservation difficult and comprehensive studies for paint conservation are lacking. Additionally, a thorough investigation of used materials is needed to put objects produced by forced labour in historical context. In this study, we analysed signposts from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (Poland) collection to gain information about used materials, the object’s genesis as well as damage phenomenology. Literature research suggests that the signposts may be produced within the former German NAZI concentration and extermination camp. Inorganic constituents were identified using elemental analysis, such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and scanning electron microscopy coupled to an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM–EDS). Organic matter was analysed utilizing vibrational spectroscopic instrumentation Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Our results include the use of synthetic organic pigments (SOPs) and binders, which were newly emerged paint materials at that time. The study highlights the need for conservators to have detailed understanding of composite materials and demonstrates the need for further investigation concerning painted steel objects.