Auschwitz Museum Responds to Mist Shower Critics

Auschwitz Museum responds to mist shower critics

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Auschwitz Memorial / Auschwitz Museum[/caption]Auschwitz Museum responds to mist shower critics saying that the showers do not depict those used by the Germans and were put up in response to the massive heat wave in Poland. Vice News stated:Some visitors to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland this weekend were appalled to find that officials running the memorial had installed mist-showers — reminiscent of the sprinklers used in the notorious death camp's gas chambers —at the entrance to site's museum.Museum officials said Monday that they had installed the mist showers over the weekend to help visitors cope with the heat, which had topped 90 degrees. But for some visitors, the devices brought up painful associations.Read the whole story at Vice News.As stated by the Auschwitz Memorial / Auschwitz Museum on their Facebook, the following response was given:"Since there are articles about the mist sprinklers at the Auschwitz Memorial entrance published, and you also send us messages on Facebook, some explanation is needed:Because of the extreme heat wave we have experienced in August in Poland, mist sprinklers which cool the air were placed near the entrance to the Museum. They are located in one place - near the area where a queue of people who collect the entry cards to the Memorial is formed. This is a place in the open sun and without any possibility of hiding in the shade where sometimes you need to stand for quite a long time since the Memorial is visited by thousands of people every day. The sprinklers are installed on the days of highest temperatures and removed when the temperature drops.

Among visitors there are many people who come from countries where such high temperatures as we have this summer in Poland do not occur. Something had to be done, as we have noticed cases of faints among people and other dangerous situations. Therefore we had to do everything we could to minimise the risks connected with the heat and high temperatures. The safety and health of visitors are our priority during the period of extreme heat. Cooling air have been really helpful to visitors in this difficult situation.And one more thing. It is really hard for us to comment on some suggested historical references since the mist sprinkles do not look like showers and the fake showers installed by Germans inside some of the gas chambers were not used to deliver gas into them. Zyklon B was dropped inside the gas chambers in a completely different way - through holes in the ceiling or airtight drops in walls."

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