Each year, as the world remembers the horrors of World War II, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau serves as a solemn reminder of the past.
The site, once a symbol of Nazi terror, stands today as a memorial to the over one million lives lost there, most of whom were Jewish.
Survivors, many now in their 80s and 90s, return to pay tribute to those who did not make it out.
This year, approximately 50 survivors will gather at the former concentration camp in Poland to mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation by Soviet forces on January 27, 1945.
They will be joined by world leaders, including King Charles III, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Romania’s Minister of Culture, Natalia-Elena Intotero, will also be in attendance.
1.8 million visitors traveled to Auschwitz in the past year
The focus of the commemoration will remain on the survivors, whose testimonies continue to serve as a warning to future generations.
Jona Laks, who was taken to Auschwitz in 1944 along with her sisters, describes the camp as a place designed solely for killing, according to Digi24.
Now 94 years old, she recalls the moment of selection, when a simple order determined who would live and who would die.
She was separated from her twin sister and sent toward the gas chambers, only to be saved at the last moment when a Nazi officer intervened.
Due to the advanced age of many survivors, organizers have set up a heated tent over the infamous "Gate of Death" at Birkenau, allowing them to participate in the ceremony without being exposed to the cold.
The event will begin with a wreath-laying ceremony at the "Wall of Death" in Auschwitz I, where thousands of prisoners were executed.
The main commemoration will take place at Birkenau, also known as Auschwitz II, the site of mass executions and crematoria.
Unlike previous anniversaries, no Russian officials have been invited to this year's event. Despite the Soviet Union's role in liberating Auschwitz, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to its exclusion from international commemorations.
Auschwitz-Birkenau was one of six extermination camps built by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland.
Alongside Jews, the camp held Polish political prisoners, Soviet prisoners of war, Romani people, and others deemed enemies of the Nazi regime.
Among those killed were an estimated 70,000 non-Jewish Poles, 21,000 Romani people, and 15,000 Soviet prisoners.
Over 1.8 million visitors traveled to Auschwitz in the past year.
The remains of gas chambers and crematoria, destroyed by the Nazis in an attempt to cover their crimes, continue to stand as a stark reminder of the atrocities committed.
Survivors, like 94-year-old Liliana Segre of Italy, have dedicated their lives to ensuring that these stories are never forgotten.
