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“Visitor, observe the vestiges of this field and meditate: from whatever country you come, you are not a stranger. Let your journey have not been useless, that our death has not been useless. For you and for your children, the ashes of Oswiecim are worthy of warning: make the horrible fruit of hatred, of which he has seen traces here, do not give new seed, nor tomorrow, nor ever “.
This is the warning of Primo Levi, so that no one can ever forget; so that what has happened will never be repeated.
From the 1942 the concentration camp of Auschwitz Birkenau became the biggest center of the extermination of the Jews. The hallucinating symbol of one of the most terrible, and immense, genocidal in the history of humanity.
About 1,5 million prisoners from all over Europe have lost their lives in this place.
The State Museum of Oświęcim (Auschwitz) was founded in June 1947, and in the 1979 it was inscribed on the UNESCO list as a monument to the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
Getting to this area, about 70 km from Krakow, is not a trip. Quite the contrary. Visiting Auschwitz Birkenau is a blow to the heart; a punch in the stomach. We do not expect a visit but an experience that remains etched, indelible, in memory.
PRACTICAL INFO
HOW TO ARRIVE TO AUSCHWITZ
The museum is located at Oswiecim, at 70 kilometers from Krakow. You can arrive in total autonomy by public transport, or alternatively, with the many organized tours from Krakow (see the ticket section, below).
By train, from Krakow, you have to take the Regional line to Oświęcim, whose station is about 2 km from Auschwitz Birkenau. The ticket for a single journey costs 22 PLN per person. The journey takes about 80 minutes.
Once you reach the Oświęcim railway station, you can get to the museum by public transport and the special bus “Line M” (recommended). The latter is active every day from about 09:00 to 16:00; the ticket costs 4 PLN and can be purchased at the machines in the station. Alternatively, you can walk the approximately 3 km, counting at least 30 minutes of walking.
AUSCHWITZ BIRKENAU TIMETABLE
The Museum is open every day, including Sundays and holidays, with the following times:
- 07:30 – 14:00 December
- 07:30 – 15:00 January and November
- 07:30 – 16:00 February
- 07:30 – 17:00 March October
- 07:30 – 18:00 April, May, September
- 07:30 – 19:00 June-August
The timetable is related to the visit of the ex-Campo grounds.
The Information Office on ex-Prisoners, the Archive, the Collections, the Library, the administrative offices and other Sections are open from Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 15:00.
Closed January 01, December 25 and Easter Sunday.
TICKETS
Entry to the Museum, without a guide, is FREE. On the official website, and through the brochures distributed at the entrances, you can get an approximate picture of the place.
In our opinion, the GUIDED TOUR is advisable. Only in this way will you be able to know and understand this extraordinary place.
Guided tours are available in numerous languages. You can choose between the 3 and a half hour tour, at the cost of 80 PLN for a foreign language visit; or, alternatively, you can choose from 6 approximately hours, at the cost of 120 PLN per person, for a guided tour in a foreign language.
Admissions are subject to availability and limited number. We recommend that you book your guided tour in advance on the official website
Also the free visit need a free ticket to access. Also in this case it is preferable to book online in advance.
As mentioned, there are numerous tours organized for Auschwitz Birkenau that offer guided tours of the museum and transport. Through this link, at the price of 29.03€ approximately per person, you can buy the museum + transport ticket. It includes guided tour of the museum with earphones; vision of a documentary on the history of the fields; bus transfer service from the center of Krakow, at 18b Pawia street in front of the Mercure Hotel.
Admission to children and those under 14 is not recommended.
One Comment
Thanks for the article post. Will read on… Jacquline