If you have never made or cannot make the trip to Auschwitz, or would just like to learn a little about some of the individuals that perished there, I highly recommend two online 'exhibits' that the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum have created for the Google Cultural Institute. This is currently a project containing 42 different virtual exhibits related to 20th century history. You can find the home page of the Cultural Institute by clicking this link.
The first exhibit created by the Auschwitz Museum is titled 'Tragic Love at Auschwitz'. It documents and explains the famous attempted escape made by lovers Edward Galinski and Mala Zimetbaum in 1944.
Click here for this exhibit.
The second is called 'Before They Perished...' and looks at a few families that were deported to Auschwitz, most of which did not survive. The photographs displayed were found in Birkenau after liberation, presumably from the Kanada workhouses were victims' belongings were sorted. Most of these photographs are now on permanent display in the Sauna building in Birkenau.
Click here for this exhibit.
In addition to these, the Google Cultural Institute has exhibits about Auschwitz and the Holocaust created by Yad Vashem in Israel, and others about important figures such as Anne Frank. Just follow the timeline on the home page to find them, or use the 'Search' option.
I hope that you can learn and reflect from these wonderfully-designed online exhibits. Further information on exhibits and evidence in the Museum's collection can be found on the Auschwitz Museum website.
