WARSAW, 28 January (BelTA - China Daily) - Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Poland commemorated the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Wednesday almost fully online, with meetings with survivors, historical lectures and artistic impressions.
"This year's commemorations will look differently," Polish President Andrzej Duda said in a televised speech. "It's an unprecedented situation, with the coronavirus pandemic making direct meetings impossible. However, it is an important sign of the need to fulfill our duty towards the witnesses and guardians of the truth about the Holocaust."
The commemorations mark the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Polish institutions aimed at education and documentation of the holocaust participated by offering online events.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum started an online broadcast on social media, with the fate of the 200,000 children killed by Nazi Germany at the site as the main theme.
"This cannot be justified by any ideology, reckoning or politics," director Piotr Cywinski was cited on the website. "This year we want to dedicate the anniversary of liberation to the youngest victims of the camp."
Limited live events include honor guards and wreath-laying at various monuments throughout the country.
Auschwitz concentration camp was established by the Nazis in 1940. According to estimates, at least 1.1 million people lost their lives at the camp.
The concentration camp was liberated by the Soviet Army on Jan. 27, 1945, a day that became International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
