Summary

Media caption,

"We are here to pledge that we will never allow history to repeat itself"

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  1. Three generations of survivor's family warn against history repeating itselfpublished at 14:45 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 14:45 27 January

    Katya Adler and Kathy Long
    Reporting from Auschwitz

    Holocaust survivor Eva Umlauf (entre), her granddaughter Nadja (left) and son Erik (right)
    Image caption,

    Holocaust survivor Eva Umlauf (centre), granddaughter Nadja (left) and son Erik (right)

    Returning to Auschwitz is always an emotional moment for Eva Umlauf, who was just two-years-old when she was liberated. "I don’t know how it is possible for one human being to do this to another. It was so terrible," she says.

    The dehumanisation of Jews by Germans meant they "did not think we were people… They thought we were rats. And rats must be poisoned - exterminated."

    She says this anniversary is a warning because we live in "dangerous" times. “We have two wars, we have presidents who are dictators. We are afraid that history will repeat itself.”

    Eva’s son Erik and granddaughter Nadja have travelled from New York to be with her at the ceremony.

    Nadja, who hasn’t been here before, says there was a pit in her stomach when she arrived.

    "Being here reminds me of the importance of sharing her story. I feel as a young person, a heightened sense of othering; across race, religion, all lines."

  2. Princess of Wales to attend UK Holocaust memorial this afternoonpublished at 14:27 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 14:27 27 January

    Sean Coughlan
    Royal correspondent

    Close up shot of the Princess of Wales. Behind her a banner says Life-saving research in white lettering on a pink backgroundImage source, PA Media

    Catherine, the Princess of Wales, will be attending a Holocaust Memorial Day event in the UK this afternoon.

    It was already known that Prince William would be at the memorial, but it’s been announced that Catherine will be there alongside him, as she continues her return from ill-health.

    The event will bring together religious and civic leaders, as well as survivors of the Holocaust.

    The royals have been very committed to these commemorations. King Charles is taking part in the memorial at Auschwitz in Poland.

    Queen Camilla, at a reception last week hosted by the Anne Frank Trust, delivered a strong speech about the need to prevent prejudice.

    “Today, more than ever, with levels of antisemitism at their highest level for a generation; and disturbing rises in Islamophobia and other forms of racism and prejudice, we must heed this warning,” said the Queen.

    “The deadly seeds of the Holocaust were sown at first in small acts of exclusion, of aggression and of discrimination,” she said.

  3. Holocaust survivor 'taught us never to be a bystander in the face of violence and hate', says Kingpublished at 14:20 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 14:20 27 January

    King Charles IIIImage source, Reuters

    We can bring you some more now from King Charles III's speech at the Jewish Community Centre in Krakow, where he met with Holocaust survivors.

    When calling for the remembrance of the "six million Jews who were systematically murdered", the King also spoke of recalling the Sinti, Roma, disabled people, members of the LGBT community, political prisoners, "and so many others upon whom the Nazis inflicted their violence and hatred".

    "It is a moment when we recall the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed flourish, ignored for too long by the world," he said.

    The King also recalled the testimonies of survivors such as Lily Ebert, who passed away in October, saying she "collectively taught us to cherish our freedom, to challenge prejudice and never to be a bystander in the face of violence and hate".

  4. 'It was horrific, but I was empowered by it,' says daughter of Auschwitz survivorpublished at 14:03 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 14:03 27 January

    The daughter of an Auschwitz survivor has recalled how her mother told of her imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp.

    Anita Peleg says her mother, Naomi Blake, didn't speak of her experience in detail - until they went on holiday together.

    "I wasn't traumatised. I was snuggled up to her. She was calm. Some of it was horrific...but, in a way, I was empowered by it," Anita told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

    Ten young children under the age of 13 from Naomi's family were murdered.

    Naomi and her sister were able to escape a death march.

  5. Putin not welcome in Auschwitzpublished at 13:48 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 13:48 27 January

    Paul Kirby
    Reporting from Auschwitz

    World leaders and European royalty are attending today’s commemorations in big numbers, but Russia’s Vladimir Putin is very much not welcome here.

    Russia’s absence is in some ways a glaring omission, because Russian soldiers formed a large part of the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front and at least 230 soldiers lost their lives as they moved in on the Auschwitz slave labour camp at Monowitz fighting remnants of the German army.

    But Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Putin’s perversion of history to justify it, has appalled the international community.

    His words today are for a domestic audience but they appear calculated to anger Poles and Ukrainians too.

    While praising the “Soviet soldier” for crushing the Nazis, Putin fails to point out that Ukrainians were part of the Red Army in Poland. He talks of the fight against the return of “neo-Nazism” – a slur he has often used against Ukraine’s government.

    And he talks of the Red Army revealing the truth about the murder of millions of Jews, Russians, Roma and others, failing to mention the 70,000 Poles murdered at Auschwitz.

    It’s no wonder Putin hasn’t been invited to Auschwitz.

  6. Today's events take place in two Auschwitz sitespublished at 13:30 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 13:30 27 January

    A map showing where Auschwitz II and Auschwitz I are from a satellite view

    You may have noticed references to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II Birkenau in our reporting this morning. That's because the Auschwitz complex is made up of more than one camp - in fact, there were more than 40 sub-camps.

    Auschwitz I came first, and repurposed already existing barracks to house the victims of the Holocaust in 1939. And as the war progressed, Auschwitz II - Birkenau was built as more people were sent there.

    Birkenau is far bigger, and is now mostly destroyed, after the Nazis tried to cover up evidence of their atrocities

    This morning's wreath laying was in Auschwitz I, while the main ceremony at 15:00 GMT is in Birkenau.

  7. King: 'As the number of Holocaust survivors diminishes, it's our job to remember'published at 13:20 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 13:20 27 January

    Britain's King Charles III visits the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) in Krakow, Poland on January 27, 2025Image source, Getty Images

    The King just visited the Jewish Community Centre in Krakow where he's meeting Holocaust survivors.

    In a speech, he says "as the number of Holocaust survivors regrettably diminishes with the passage of time, the responsibility of remembrance rests on our shoulders".

    "The act of remembering the evils of the past remains a vital task," he says.

    In Krakow, "from the ashes of the Holocaust, the Jewish community has been reborn," he adds.

    The King supported the creation of this centre after visiting Krakow in 2002 and hearing of the need for it, and speaks of his "immense pride" opening the centre a few years later.

    Centres like this are "how we recover our faith in humanity," he says.

    King Charles greeting a crowd of people lining the streetImage source, Getty Images
  8. At the home of the Nazi commandant who lived with family next doorpublished at 13:10 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 13:10 27 January

    Paul Kirby
    Reporting from Auschwitz

    Rudolf Höss was ideally suited for the job of commandant at the sprawling Auschwitz complex. A committed member of Hitler’s brutal SS guard, he had already spent six years working at the Dachau and Sachsenhausen concentration camps in Germany.

    He arrived at Auschwitz in 1940 with his family and moved into a house just outside the camp walls with his wife Hedwig and his children.

    While he turned Auschwitz into a factory of murder, in collaboration with the head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, he lived a banal family life at 88 Legionow Street, overlooking the River Sola.

    The Höss family home had to be extended to three storeys in 1943 when they had a fifth child - and it became the subject of last year’s critically acclaimed film Zone of Interest, which showed how life went on in the house oblivious to the evil taking place next door.

    It has now been bought by the US-based Counter Extremism Project and last night they opened its doors. From the upstairs windows you could see right inside the camp. But for the trees, you could also have seen the gallows where Höss was hanged in 1947.

    House next to a large tree on the perimeter of AuschwitzImage source, Getty Images
  9. Watch: Footage from inside Auschwitz after liberationpublished at 12:59 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 12:59 27 January

    Today is 80 years to the day since Auschwitz was liberated, as the Allies advanced across Europe at the end of the Second World War.

    We can bring you some footage from the camp, as it was liberated:

    Media caption,

    Video inside Auschwitz after liberation

  10. King arrives in Poland for 'deeply personal pilgrimage'published at 12:49 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 12:49 27 January

    Daniela Relph
    Senior royal correspondent, reporting from Auschwitz

    Prince Charles wears a long black coat as he stands at the bottom of the plane stepsImage source, Reuters

    The King has arrived in Poland ahead of the commemorations later today.

    He will visit a Jewish community centre and give a short speech at a charity event where he will stress the collective duty we all have learn the lessons of history.

    This will be the first time a British monarch has visited Auschwitz. Queen Elizabeth II visited Bergen-Belsen during her reign but not Auschwitz.

    The King's trip is far from a regular royal engagement for him.

    Palace sources have described his visit to Auschwitz as a "deeply personal pilgrimage". They talk about it being "poignant" and "profound".

    It is emotive language that reflects the value the King puts on hearing the testimony of Auschwitz survivors shared in the place where the horrors of Auschwitz took place.

  11. The memory of Holocaust is fading, says Zelenskypublished at 12:34 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 12:34 27 January

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is confirmed to be coming to the ceremony later.

    In a post on X, he says the Holocaust must "never be repeated, yet, sadly, the memory of it is gradually fading".

    "We must not allow forgetfulness to take root. And it is everyone's mission to do everything possible to ensure that evil does not prevail."

    The president arrived in Poland this morning, and yesterday attended a memorial event in Kyiv:

    Zelensky holding a red candle and walking forwards, as other people wearing dark clothing stand behind himImage source, Getty Images
  12. 'The last time I saw my parents before they were murdered'published at 12:28 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 12:28 27 January

    "Can you see the smoke? That's where they are. They are all killed."

    This is what Holocaust survivor Yisrael Abelesz was told, after he asked those who'd been there longer when he would see his parents again.

    Abelesz and his older brother were sent to a concentration camp, after which he never saw his parents and younger brother again.

    "Day and night there was smoke...we knew that they were burning human beings," he says. You can watch part of his interview above.

  13. Why is it difficult to quantify how many people died at Auschwitz?published at 12:20 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 12:20 27 January

    SS guards sought to hide their crimes as Soviet troops closed in, and tried to destroy their extensive prisoner records - making it hard to fully quantify the number of victims.

    Academic studies since agree that in total close to 1.3 million people arrived at Auschwitz. About 1.1 million of them died there.

    Jews from all across Nazi-controlled Europe made up the vast majority of the victims. Almost one million Jewish people were murdered at Auschwitz.

    One specific example was Hungary's Jewish population. In the space of just two months, between May and July 1944, Hungary transported 420,000 of the 437,000 Jewish people it sent to Auschwitz.

    A group of Hungarian Jews in tattered clothes wait next to the rail track at Auschwitz camp, the brick turret at the end of the tracks visible in the top far left of the image. Prisoners in striped shirts and trousers can be seen waiting around as Nazi officials give ordersImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Hungarian Jews arriving at Auschwitz in June 1944

    So many Hungarian Jewish people were killed in such a short time that victims' bodies were dropped in pits near the camp and burned. Tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews were sent to Auschwitz every day.

    Three quarters of them were killed on arrival. Some 75,000 Polish civilians, 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war, 25,000 Roma and Sinti, as well as Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals and political prisoners were also put to death by the German state at the Auschwitz complex.

    More: Who are the missing million?

  14. Heated tent being prepared for main ceremonypublished at 12:02 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 12:02 27 January

    An enormous heated tent has been erected over the "Death Gate", as the entrance to Birkenau is known.

    This is where today's memorial ceremony will take place at 15:00 GMT, and where survivors, relatives and dignitaries will gather.

    Although daytime temperatures have reached well above freezing and much of the snow has melted, many of the elderly survivors are now too frail to stay in the open for long.

    We've got some photos of the tent and preparations:

    A huge white tent is pictured in the background and several people wearing jackets and hats walk in front.Image source, Getty Images
    A huge tent with lights above. Rows of chairs are inside, in front of the entrance to the camp. Dozens of people are inside the tent.Image source, Getty Images
  15. German memory culture under the spotlightpublished at 11:52 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 11:52 27 January

    Jessica Parker
    Reporting from Auschwitz

    A man rides his bike past two digital screens at a bus stop. The signs are black and white and show a woman holding a sign saying #WeRememberImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Signs in Germany show the speaker of the Federal Parliament encouraging people to remember the Holocaust

    In Germany - where the Nazis rose to power - there’s what’s known as a Culture of Remembrance. It’s a commitment to confront, and to take responsibility, for the Holocaust.

    But German memory culture - despite being well established - isn’t without its critics. There are figures on the far right who have sought to recast the country’s Nazi past or even downplay it.

    There’s an argument that, in essence, Germany has become weakened by dwelling too heavily on the Third Reich era - and should rediscover a broader sense of national pride.

    Over the weekend tech billionaire, Elon Musk, dialled into an election rally of the far right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party and said there was "too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that".

    Those arguments are, however, deeply controversial.

    The AfD rally quickly sparked criticism including from Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who noted it had happened just ahead of the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz - one of the Nazi camps that implemented the organised mass slaughter of Jews.

    Today the German ambassador to the UK, Miguel Berger, said Germany’s commitment to remember the past was about an historic rather than "individual guilt" - and crucially there is a responsibility to learn from the past.

  16. Documentary was a reminder of how lucky I am to be alivepublished at 11:44 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 11:44 27 January

    Daniel Wittenberg
    BBC producer

    The railway line in AuschwitzImage source, Amos Wittenberg

    Visiting Auschwitz with my uncle and cousin for a Radio 4 documentary marking this anniversary was a moving reminder of how lucky I am to be alive.

    Lucky that my grandparents were able to escape Nazi rule, fleeing the fate of the six million murdered Jews.

    Lucky to have the chance to hear – and now share – the story of three members of our family who weren’t so fortunate: my great-great-grandmother Regina, her daughter Sophie, and Sophie’s husband Josef, all killed at Auschwitz.

    We also went to the old synagogue in Holesov, a small town over the border in Czechia, whose Jewish community was wiped out in the Holocaust. My great-great-grandfather Yakov, who died in 1937, was its last-ever rabbi.

    The synagogue only survived because it’s hidden in a cellar beneath residential flats. For more than 80 years, though, it has mostly stood empty - a museum and, to my mind, a monument to a vanished community.

    What you can’t see in Holesov is the vibrant life that once filled its Jewish homes and meeting places, or the unimaginable loss left behind.

  17. Italian PM remembers country's complicity in Holocaustpublished at 11:19 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 11:19 27 January

    Meloni wearing a black coat, white shirt, with short blonde curled hair, looking forwardsImage source, Getty Images

    "Eighty years ago, the horror of the Holocaust revealed itself to the world in all its terrifying force," says Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a statement.

    She says the Holocaust is "a tragedy without parallel in history".

    Speaking of Italy's role in the war, she says that Hitler's plans "in Italy also found the complicity of the fascist one, through the infamy of the racial laws and the involvement in the roundups and deportations".

    It is an "extraordinary lesson," she says, and warns that antisemitism has now "taken on different forms and spreads through new tools and channels". It must be fought, she adds.

  18. 'I heard the words: you will be saved'published at 11:07 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 11:07 27 January

    Anita Lasker-Wallfisch in a brown jacket, white shirt and black trousers sits down on a beige leather chair. She's illuminated by a floor lamp placed to her right, with a smaller black lamp underneath, a small wooden table covered in personal objects to her right

    At 99, cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch is the only surviving member of the Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz.

    The orchestra was set up by the SS working at the Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp. Members would perform marches for the morning and evening parades of camp workers.

    When Lasker-Wallfisch arrived at the extermination camp in 1944, one prisoner asked her "what did you do before the war?"

    "I said I used to play the cello and she immediately said there’s an orchestra here that needs a cellist. She went to find the conductor," she tells the BBC Two's The Last Musician of Auschwitz.

    "Here I was, stark naked and here she was asking me, ‘who did you study with?’ It was rather incongruous," she adds. "I heard the words, ‘you will be saved”. She said someone would come for me and I would have an audition."

  19. Clear skies over Birkenau ahead of afternoon eventpublished at 10:44 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 10:44 27 January

    Jessica Parker
    Reporting from Auschwitz

    There’s a clear sky over Auschwitz II-Birkenau now as the morning mists have cleared.

    We’re overlooking the site that the Nazis started building in late 1941, expelling the local Polish population in the process.

    Birkenau was as an extension to Auschwitz camp that the German occupiers had already set up about three kilometres away.

    It was here where the Nazis would install four gas chambers - as well as crematoria - in order to carry out the calculated slaughter of Jewish people.

    This afternoon, Birkenau is where the main ceremony will take place with world leaders, politicians and survivors.

    A field with several watch towers evenly dotted along a fence line .
  20. 'Let us never forget,' says Macron after event in Parispublished at 10:35 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
    published at 10:35 27 January

    Emmanuel Macron lays a wreath of flowers at the Paris Holocaust MemorialImage source, Reuters

    As the ceremony began in Poland earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron was at the Shoah Memorial in Paris where he laid a wreath and studied a memorial listing the names of 76,000 French Jews who died in the Holocaust.

    He was then shown part of a new exhibit called Les Immortels, which pays tribute to the last survivors.

    Macron, who will now head to Auschwitz for this afternoon's commemoration event, posted a message on X, saying: "Let us never forget the millions of victims of the Holocaust.

    "Let us fight tirelessly against antisemitism and hatred, in the name of all those who perished. Let us be the memory of their memory."

    Macron looking at a wall of names, he look solemn and wears a black suitImage source, Reuters