SITES AS SOURCES / Alex Maws

“The Austrian Memorial in the former death camp in Auschwitz was officially opened in March 1978, 40 years after Austria’s Anschluss to the National Socialist German Reich. Its depiction of the years 1938 to 1945 reflects a viewpoint which today is considered too one-sided, and which shows Austria to be simply the ‘first victim’ of the violent expansionist policy of the Nazi regime of terror, whilst not acknowledging the involvement of many Austrians in National Socialist crimes, in particular the Holocaust. Such a view of history no longer reflects the way present-day Austria understands its past: the recognition of a shared moral responsibility for the involvement of many Austrians in the crimes of National Socialism has led to a much more balanced view of historical events.”

“Auschwitz-Birkenau has become a symbol of the Holocaust and is used more widely as a motif for genocide. Images of the watchtower at Birkenau are used as a universal symbol of the Holocaust.” Kay Andrews (2010)

“Even tourist traps can yield unexpected benefits.” Andrew Charlesworth (1994)

“The material I prepared for the Journey related to the history of the places we would visit, both before and during the war. We would be in cities and towns which had experienced an important Jewish past, as well as destruction. We would also be making our way to the sites of ghettos, concentration camps and death camps, where the written and oral evidence that has survived was painful to read out. The plan was for me to read aloud from letters, documents and memoirs that related to what had happened at the places we were visiting or passing through.” Martin Gilbert, Holocaust Journey (1998)

“An authentic site is a memorial with its own history, and that a visit to that site can involve learning not only about the past but also how that past has been remembered and commemorated.” ITF Guidelines

SITES AS SOURCES / Alex Maws