The new, world-renowned exhibition at The Castle at Park Plaza, “Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away.” brings more than 700 original objects from the Auschwitz camp together in a heart-wrenching exhibition about the history of the Holocaust.
The exhibition provides extensive historical information and documentation of the event, but the personal details make it particularly striking. Viewers see shoes worn by small children who perished in the Nazi camp and the small personal items that people brought with them when wrenched from their homes. “Auschwitz” takes a sizeable historical moment and makes it deeply personal.
“The tragedy of Auschwitz told through this carefully curated exhibition forces every visitor to bear witness to this horrifying chapter of human history and build a future shaped by remembrance,” says Piotr Cywiński, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial. “From the commandant desk to the prisoners’ bunkbeds to the child victim’s shoe, these artifacts call upon guests to prevent the dehumanization of others by building a future free from antisemitism, racism, and all ideologies of hatred.”
The exhibition was organized by Musealia, a group that creates touring shows like this one, in cooperation with Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial. It’s presented here in Boston in partnership with World Heritage Exhibitions. Many artifacts are from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, but others have been loaned from institutions like the Yad Vashem in Israel and the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City.
Visitors will see concrete posts and barbed wire that created a perimeter around the camps, an SS gas mask worn while operating gas chambers, children’s dolls, clothing, and suitcases carried by Jewish prisoners who believed they were headed towards a fresh start. The Holocaust took millions of lives, and almost all of these objects were owned by people murdered in gas chambers, through starvation, and at the hands of torture.
“Within the echoes of history’s shadows lies a vital truth: to remember, to learn, and to honor,” says John Norman, president of World Heritage Exhibitions. “This showcase isn’t merely a display; it’s an unspoken promise to ensure the past’s darkest chapter resonates forever, etching an indelible mark upon our hearts.”
The exhibition runs at The Castle at Park Plaza through September. Viewings are expected to sell out, and the hosting organizations encourage viewers to book tickets ahead of time.
“Auschwitz” is not a comfortable experience, but it’s an important one. As the survivors of the Holocaust grow older and pass on, it’s essential to keep their history and testimony alive through projects like the “Auschwitz” exhibition and the Brookline-based Soul Witness film featuring interviews with local survivors.
“An exhibition this substantial and comprehensive on Auschwitz is unprecedented and is unlikely to ever be assembled again,” says Luis Ferreiro, director of Musealia. “It is also a moral urgency to remember those who lost their lives at Auschwitz. Listening to their stories and understanding how these events could happen is the best action we, as citizens of the world, can take against the reoccurrence of such a horrific event.”
