Germany is to contribute a further 120,000 euro towards the office costs of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation. This was set out in a formal agreement concluded today (18 June) between Michael H. Gerdts, Germany’s ambassador in Warsaw, and Piotr Cywinski, the Director General of the Foundation and Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial.

Already in 2009 the German Government had contributed 39,300 euro towards the Foundation’s office costs. Today’s donation from the Federal Foreign Office is intended to help fund the Foundation’s office costs in 2010 and is in addition to Germany’s planned contribution of 60 million euro.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation was established in Warsaw in early 2009 on the initiative of its current President, State Secretary Władysław Bartoszewski. The Foundation aims to raise 120 million euro in capital assets, with the revenue being used to secure the long-term funding of conservation work at the Memorial. The Federal Foreign Office is the lead ministry for the German Government’s work with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation.