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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 1990)
Page 14 The Battalion Monday, February 19,19| Decay threatens remains of concentration camp Curators fear future generations will forget horrors OSWIECIM, Poland (AP) — If the masses of human hair turn matted and the piles of inmates’ shoes fall apart, museum conserva tors wonder how future generations will know the horror of the Ausch witz concentration camp. Alarmed by the worsening condi tion of the barracks, gas chambers, crematoria and archives of victims’ belongings, a team of Western spe cialists has volunteered to map out a preservation effort that could cost up to $40 million. The Culture Ministry of the new non-Communist Polish government also has formed a commission to change the 35-year-old museum ex hibition, which highlights the Soviet army’s liberation of the camp but mentions the Holocaust only in pass ing. “If nothing is done, in 10 to 20 years, this site will be practically non existent,” Frank Reiss, vice president of the New York-based Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, said. “It is fall ing apart. It is in urgent need of re pair.” The foundation struck an agreement with the government-run museum to provide technical advice and raise funds for the preservation. It sent a team of experts, including the chief conservator from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, to assess the damage in December. “The tens of thousands of pairs of shoes .... if you touch them, they fall to dust,” Reiss said. “The ruins of the gas chambers ... they have to be E reserved — but as rums, not put ack together Hollywood style.” Nazi Germany built the Auschwitz concentration camp and the adja cent Birkenau death camp in south ern Poland to carry out Adolf Hit ler’s “Final Solution.” Estimates of the number of people killed there range to 4 million, mostly Jews from across Europe. Victims also included Gypsies, homosexuals and political prisoners. Partly demolished as the Red Army approached, Auschwitz was liberated on Jan. 27, 1945. The camp remains much as it was left: the sign reading in German “Work Makes You Free” above the gates, the train tracks bisecting the vast ex- f »anse of Birkenau and ending feet rom its destroyed crematoria. Inside a brick barracks at Ausch witz is a museum exhibit opened in the mid-1950s. The masses of hair, piles of shoes and mounds of eyeg lasses, artificial limbs, suitcases and baby clothes give the human toll a vivid dimension. The museum staff, headed by for mer inmate Kazimierz Smolen, has struggled with the beautifying effect of ever-growing grass, the soothing sound of birds singing and the gov ernment’s limited resources to main tain the camp’s hellish authenticity. It is left largely to the silent testi mony of the names on the suitcases and a separate, less-visited exhibit supported by foreign lewish kkiu^m to remind visitors that the can-lTT existed mainly to exterminatejewj iVOf The Polish and inteinatioj)^ , “ teams face difficult conservan I; problems, such as how to preserX barracks built by inmate laborers. | “We cannot just replace the bJ racks with new timber or strengtM the roofs with concrete, as thenij tell us later that we have falsified] all,” Marszalek-Mlynczyk said. Pollution and a rainy climatealy) make things worse, Smolen said. Still, there is no imminent dan® to the artifacts, the museum directi said. His staff of 175 already has 89 preservation program in though with limited funds. Rec sponsored by Mickey D's Arcade™ Now open at the Univ. Dr. Location WASf ■avel, tf Went fro ol Czecl Honths, flush on Eur< s to visi Havel ening lanada c nspicu |ip to M The C I presi ■ter a pt || lister ol Is Jakes lent. I Now t Ire takei r June at will ore tha Havel lot to 1c jent in a ins a st: lat of F orth. “Czech f.S. aid. onomic : v »! V.,, ' : Hi EntrieSiOpen: February 12 Entries Close: February 20 Preseason Softball Entry Fee: $10 per team Tourney Dates: Feb. 22-24 Softball Entry Fee: $30 per team Play Begins: Sunday, Feb. 25 No Entry Fee! Free Throw Contest Date: Wednesday, Feb. 21 No Entry Fee! Horseshoe Singles Play Begins: February 27 $ REC SPORTS NOW HIRING $ ARTIST Rec Sports needs a student with artistic ability to provide drawings, cartoons, flyer artwork, and t-shirt designs. Applications will be taken through Feb. 19 in 159 Read. For more information call P.J. Miller at 845-2302. JOIN TAMU OUTDOORS IN... COPPER CANYON, MEXICO. Tired of the same old Spring Break vacation? Sure, everybody loves the beach, but why not get away to the mountains, see some of the most beautiful scenery in North America, and share a meaningful experience with nine other participants who, like yourself, are seeking new adventure. We'll begin our journey from Presidio on the border, where we’ll take a bus to Chihuahua, Mex ico. From there it's k famous "Train Ride into Sky," the Chihuahua/Pa. cific Railway known tc many as the Eighth Won der of the World. Indian guide (interpretei will be on hand to answei your questions) will us in our descent intoCop-ft BILL h per Canyon, where we'l Ra >T A crisis camp and backpacktbee|rrefom or four days in this beauti ful wilderness of the Si- m are i xas fac rnatori; id Mom erra Mad re Mountains, | Aggies Rains f ^^^^^laries, f TAMU Outdoors sponsors camping trips, kayak workshopiito core pool di; PUBLICITY ASSISTANT Do you have good writing skills and a knowledge of page layout on Macintosh? Augment your skills making cash and gaining experience in the area of public relations. Call P.J. Miller at 845-2302 for more information. PHOTOGRAPHERS If you have black-and-white darkroom experience as well as an understanding of the fundamentals of photography, you might have have what it takes to be a Rec Sports photographer. Call P.J. Miller at 845-2302. Don’t miss the Rockets vs. Lakers Tuesday, March 6,1990 Leave your keys at home and ride a chartered bus to the Summit in Houston, Texas, to see the Houston Rockets take on the L.A. Lakers. Tickets are $22. Ticket price includes round trip transportation via B/C.S. Charters (depart Read Bldg, at 4:30) and game tickets. Trip is open to students, faculty, staff, spouses, and a limit of one guest each. All dependants must by accompanied by parent. Sign up by March 2 in 159 Read, or call Carrieann or Holly at 845-7826 for more information. backpacking excursions, as well as other programs for rockclintei: l! scuba divers, and general outdoor enthusiasts. All programs a® ^ XM1 " conducted by experienced personnel, and offer participants anoppoi tunity for personal growth through challenge and group fellowship Uni Registration opens February 5th for: Date Rating* Fee" I* Rock Climbing Clinic Feb. 24 B Mountain Bike Day Trip Feb. 25 B/l $6 B Rock Climbing, Hueco Tanks March 10-18 B/l 232/21: Canoe Big Bend March 10-18 B/l 235/25! Backpacking Copper Canyon March 10-18 B/l 399/42: Registration opens February 12th for: Canoe Day Trip March 3 B $25/31 r Backpacking Trip March 2-4 B $25/1 >( Inn lyDAPH The Ba As pa *B=Beginner, 1= Intermediate “Second price is for non-A&M participants All registration for TAMU Outdoors is taken in159 ReadFuij more information, call Patsy Greiner at 845-7826. ,,, ... yat noc The b; 3 peop Uk124 wi lted accic Ten oil rsities v Acknowledgements: McDonald’s Rec Sports Highlights is spon sored by your local McDonald's Restaurant at University Drive, Manor East Mall, Hwy 21 .Texas Ave. at SW Parkway and Post Oak Mall. This ad is a creation of Mark Figart and P.J. Miller, cartoons are by Paul Irwin and photographs are by Rec Sports photographers. The TAMU Women's Polo Team faired well at Colo rado State University in Ft. Collins February 10, over taking the Bulldogs 12-5. The men's team was de feated 13-5. The women's team is seeded #1 into the Central Region! in Katy,Tx. March 1-4 the men are ranked #21 the Southeast Regionais University of VirginiaMait 15-18. ,. v MONDAY February 19 TUESDAY February 20 WEDNESDAY February 21 THURSDAY February 22 FRIDAY February 23 ^ Entries Close: |j| Preseason Softball •• Softball Free Throw ^Horseshoe Singles Preseason Softball Brackets Posted, 3 pm Softball Captain's Meeting 5:30 pm, 701 Rudder ^ Entries Open: Penberihy Softball Tournament V .................V Horseshoe Singles Brackets Posted, 1 pm SATURDAY February 24 SUNDAY February 25 ■ [toward ery day j