Memorial site work by VW trainees in Auschwitz: experiencing history at first hand

Mayor Frank Klingebiel (center) welcomed the VW trainees who had taken part in the youth exchange program at the Auschwitz and Birkenau memorials, Christoph Heubner (8th from left; International Auschwitz Committee) and representatives of the Volkswagen company to the town hall.

During their stay, the trainees supported the memorial with the conservation work. They helped to clean the paths in the former main camp and clear the drains to enable the site to be drained. In Birkenau, they helped to replace the barbed wire, which is considered a symbol of the crimes committed there.

"I am grateful that young people got involved here," emphasized the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, Christoph Heubner. With this work, the young people are making a major contribution to the preservation of the Auschwitz memorial site and at the same time to the work of remembrance. After all, many of the contemporary witnesses who were able to report on this period from their own experience are no longer alive. It is therefore all the more important that young people are committed to the memorial and pass on their experiences.

"We must take care and be vigilant to ensure that something like this never happens again," emphasized Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel. "You have made your contribution to this with your trip to Ausschwitz and your commitment there," he praised the trainees. "Anyone who has ever been there knows about the horror of the walls, buildings, barbed wire and the slogan above the gate 'Arbeit macht frei' (work makes you free)." According to the Lord Mayor, the horrors of the Second World War were the Armageddon of Europe. It was particularly frightening that the extermination of people was strategically planned at the time. "In Salzgitter alone, 4,000 people lost their lives in this inhumane system, which we commemorate at a cemetery of honor as one of the central memorial sites."

The group spent two days in Salzgitter to follow up on their shared experiences. This included a tour of the VW plant and an exploration of the traces of Jewish life in Salzgitter and Braunschweig.

For 37 years, Volkswagen AG has offered young trainees the opportunity to take part in "memorial site work" in Auschwitz several times a year as part of its international youth exchange programs. Since 2008, seminars have also been held in Auschwitz with master craftsmen and managers from Volkswagen. Dennis Holz, sub-department head at VW, said: "This project is in Volkswagen's DNA." He himself took part in it as an apprentice and had experiences that have shaped him to this day.