Admittedly, Visiting the Auschwitz museum gives one an opportunity to find a strangely familiar and unfathomable place. In the age of so many books, movies, and photographs, it is tempting for people to think that the museum is a movie set-death camp rather than a real historic site. In respect to this, it is pertinent to changes some aspects of the museum to make it more educative and resourceful to visitors. However, change is not always favorable. While changes to improve the present standing of the museum are necessary, it would be more rewarding if the idea does not compromise the authenticity of the museum.
Originally, the Nazis (who built the camp) failed to design a longtime master plan for the conservation of the site. Perhaps, their intention to preserve the camp was for short-term purposes. While changing the museum would extend its historical life, beautifying the objects or buildings is detrimental to the camp’s authenticity. Noticeably, some exhibits have been redesigned in the recent years. While this conservation approach may freeze time, it cannot stop time. In fact, updating the exhibitions to include more evidence on perpetrators rather than focusing on victims alone is an appealing approach at least from a single perspective. However, it is more interesting for visitors to learn from the original evidence without necessarily building connections to updated information. In fact, efforts should be focused on preserving the objects and not changing them in any manner. Simply, the site should speak for itself.
Agreeably, conserving the environment to prevent degradation of the camp because of the large numbers of visitors is a good idea whose time has come. While some changes such as opening up the roads to the museum would seem positive, others may lead to the loss of the historical appearance of the museum. While putting screens would ease the human pressure, it may not give people an opportunity to derive the historical relevance from the site. In fact, the screens will only modernize the museum and possibly make it beautiful while they make people miss the real experience.
In conclusion, it is important to slow down the deterioration of the Auschwitz museum. While updating the camp is a noble idea, it is essential to focus on preserving the objects and buildings and avoid beautifying or redesigning them. Therefore, authenticity brings more relevance than any other changes that are concentrated on the modernization of the museum.
