Austria Commemorates the 80th Anniversary of Auschwitz Liberation
January 27, 2025, marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp. This milestone was being observed with solemn ceremonies in Austria and at the historic site in Poland, where world leaders, Holocaust survivors, and dignitaries gathered to honor the victims and reinforce the commitment to remembrance.
January 27, 2025, marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Air-Quad UG, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)
On January 27, 2025, the world marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, the largest Nazi extermination complex where over a million people were murdered before it was liberated on January 27, 1945. Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, Vienna Israelite Community President Oskar Deutsch, and other international dignitaries traveled to Poland to participate in the memorial ceremony held at the site of the former camp.
The event began with a welcome by Polish President Andrzej Duda, followed by a memorial service and a tribute to the victims and survivors. The ceremony underscored the importance of remembering the atrocities committed during the Holocaust and reaffirmed the commitment to ensuring such events never recur.
In his remarks, President Van der Bellen emphasized the necessity of preserving the memory of the victims and the events that transpired, stating, "It is our will and our obligation to keep the memory of the victims alive."The ceremony concluded with a homage to the victims and survivors, reinforcing the collective commitment to remember and learn from history to prevent the repetition of such atrocities.
According to ORF, A notable feature of the ceremony was the placement of a historical freight wagon, used by Nazis to transport victims, directly in front of the main gate of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Piotr Cywinski, Director of the Auschwitz Museum, emphasized the symbolic significance of this wagon, stating, "In such freight wagons, the German Nazis brought people here. These wagons connected ghettos and hiding places with the place of death."
In Austria, commemorations included a ceremony at Heldenplatz in Vienna, organized by the platform JetztZeichenSetzen. The event featured speeches from descendants of Auschwitz survivors, performances by a Jewish choir, and a wreath-laying ceremony. Organizers anticipate higher attendance this year due to the significant anniversary. The Vienna Israelite Community was represented by Vice President Claudia Prutscher, as reported by ORF.
Auschwitz-Birkenau has become a symbol of the Holocaust, where over 1.1 million people were murdered by the National Socialists, including tens of thousands from Austria. The camp stands as a stark reminder of the consequences of hatred and intolerance.