International Monument to the Victims of Fascism

International Monument to the Victims of Fascism

Międzynarodowy Pomnik Ofiar Obozu
50.03472°N 19.16897°E / 50.03472; 19.16897
Location	Auschwitz II-Birkenau
Dedicated date	16 April 1967
Dedicated to	victims of Fascism

The full extent of the monument; the tower is off-set to the right or north from the end of the railway lines

The International Monument to the Victims of Fascism (Polish: Międzynarodowy Pomnik Ofiar Obozu, lit. International Monument to the Victims of the Camp) is a commemorative monument in the Auschwitz II–Birkenau concentration camp in Birkenau (now Brzezinka) in southern Poland. It lies at the western end of the railway lines which cross the camp from the main gate. The monument was designed by Italian architects Andrea [it] and Pietro Cascella, and executed in collaboration with Polish and Italian artists Jerzy Jarnuszkiewicz, Julio Lafuente [it] and Giorgio Simoncini.^[1][2][3][4] Completion of the monument took about nine years.^[5] It was dedicated on 16 April 1967.^[6]: 228 Trees were planted behind the monument by the people of Brzezinka.^[7]: 61

History

Selection of the design of the monument was made through an international competition, which was conducted in two phases. The first phase was organised by the International Auschwitz Committee with the participation of the International Union of Architects, and was announced on 2 June 1956.^[6]: 194 The British sculptor Henry Moore was chairman of the selection committee. A total of 465 design proposals were received, from almost 700 architects and artists from 36 different countries. Among those who submitted designs were Carel Visser, Joseph Beuys and Max Lachnit [de].^[6]: 196

References

1. Silvia Lucchesi (2003, updated 2009). Cascella, Pietro. Grove Art Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T014558. (subscription required).
2. Giorgio Simoncini (2012). La memoria di Auschwitz. Storia di un monumento 1957–1967 (in Italian). Milano: Jaca Book. ISBN 9788816411319.
3. Franco Miracco (1991). Cascella, Pietro (in Italian). Enciclopedia Italiana, appendix IV. Roma: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. Accessed June 2021.
4. Alexandra Andresen (1991). Cascella, Andrea (in Italian). Enciclopedia Italiana, appendix V. Roma: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. Accessed June 2021.
5. Christopher Masters (6 June 2008). Pietro Cascella. The Guardian. Accessed June 2021.
6. Stefan Ludwik Aloszko (2012). Auschwitz: Art, Commemoration and Memorialisation: From 1940 To The Present (doctoral thesis). Plymouth: University of Plymouth. Accessed June 2021.
7. Krystyna Marszałek (editor) (2004). Preserving for the future: material from an international preservation conference, Oświęcim, June 23–25, 2003. Auschwitz: Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. ISBN 9788388526664.