International Youth Meeting Center in Oświęcim/Auschwitz

The International Youth Meeting ( IJBS ) in Oswiecim / Auschwitz, located on the banks of the river Soła between the center of the Polish town of Oswiecim ( Auschwitz German ) and the former concentration camp at Auschwitz. The facility is designed to develop knowledge of history and contribute to reconciliation between peoples.

History

The idea for the construction of the youth center came from the German poet and former manager of the Action Reconciliation Service for Peace, Volker von Törne. In the late 70s, early 80s the construction of the facility was very controversial. In particular, the location of the building, the architectural project, the operation and the institutional partners of the Action Reconciliation on the Polish side were contentious issues. Andreas Maislinger tried unsuccessfully in 1978 President Rudolf Kirchschläger to win support for an Austrian.

Thanks to the efforts and support of former inmates of Dachau concentration camp, Stutthof, Buchenwald and Auschwitz took place in December 1985 to a positive turning point in the negotiations. Especially Alfred Przybylski, a former prisoner No. 471 of the Auschwitz concentration camp and representatives of the Association of Polish Architects, supported the plans of the architect Helmut Morlok and contributed significantly to the realization of the project at.

After an amount of 4.6 million marks had been applied, could be reacted with the time being 2/3 of the building, finally took place in May 1986 the first sod. On December 7 of that year, a ceremonial handover of the Youth Meeting, until the entire project was completed in October 1998.

Great reputation in the German-speaking area became the means by the by Robert Thalheim - even in 1996/97 as a volunteer in Auschwitz - produced film at the end tourists, which was partly filmed in the youth center come.

Equipment

The International Youth Meeting Center in Oswiecim / Auschwitz consists of several pavilions and surrounded by a large garden. It has a forum, a multipurpose room, a library and four seminar rooms. Further there are about one hundred sleeping spaces, a camping and a sports court.

Offer

The stays of groups in the Youth Meeting usually last four to five days. In addition to tours of the concentration camp Auschwitz I, Auschwitz -Birkenau and Auschwitz III -Monowitz, or the remains of trips can be scheduled on specific topics in the environment (eg to Krakow ) and discussions with experts. In addition, the IJBS offers multi-day workshops for young people, seminars and training sessions for teachers.

The International Youth Meeting is also the operation site for the German Action Reconciliation Service for Peace, the German International Confederation (IB ) and the Austrian club memorial service.