STUDY VISIT TO THE MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL SITE IN SOBIBÓR

On August 23, this year. The First Deputy Director of the Institute of War Losses, Dr. Agnieszka Kasperek, and the Chief Specialist of the Communication, Education and Publishing Division, Dr. Paweł Matwiejczuk, made a study visit to Sobibór.

They were guided around the museum by Łukasz Kukawski, who talked about the history of the place, its commemoration, archaeological work on the former extermination camp and preparations for the 80th anniversary of the SS-Sonderkommando Sobibór prisoners' uprising.

The Institute's employees had the opportunity to explore the new facility from the inside, see the permanent exhibition and walk around the area of the former camp and see the remainder of the extermination centre facilities, i.e. the railway ramp, the commander's house, the path to the gas chamber, the site of the mass graves and the square where Prof. Aleksander Peczerski gave the order to start the uprising.

According to estimates, 180,000 Jews were killed in the camp, mainly from Poland, but also from Slovakia, the Netherlands and France.

Despite the end of the summer holidays, there were many visitors at Sobibór that day, both tourists enjoying the local lake district and visitors from abroad: from France and Italy.