21 years of work dedicated to preserving memory

Anniversary of the establishment and operation of the Museum and Memorial Site in Bełżec.

A photograph showing "The Rift" – a stone path at the Bełżec Memorial Site that descends between high walls covered with a rusty installation of metal rods. The path leads toward a bright concrete wall under a cloudy sky.
Today marks 21 years since the opening of the Museum and Memorial Site in Bełżec. This is not only a date on the calendar—it is a moment that prompts reflection on the meaning of memory, responsibility, and history. Visiting this place is a deeply moving experience. It is a confrontation with history that leaves no one indifferent—a history inscribed in the silence of the ground, in the symbolism of the space, and in the fates of people who were deprived of their lives and dignity.

The Museum was established out of the need to commemorate the victims of the German Nazi extermination camp that operated in Bełżec between 1942 and 1943. It was here that hundreds of thousands of people were murdered, deported as part of Operation “Reinhardt”—the German plan for the mass extermination of the Jewish population in the General Government. Today, the site serves a dual role: it is both a place of remembrance for the victims and an educational institution.

The Museum’s mission is to build historical awareness, counteract forgetting, and foster dialogue and reflection. Through exhibitions, educational activities, publications, and its continuous presence in public life, the Museum staff contribute every day to disseminating knowledge about the German Nazi extermination camp in Bełżec—so that more and more people become aware of the existence of this site and its tragic history.

Working in such a place is not only a duty but above all a responsibility toward truth, history, and memory. It involves constant care for the authenticity of the site, reliable documentation of facts, and the development of programs that thoughtfully and responsibly pass on knowledge to future generations.

A drone photo showing a section of the Bełżec monument. A vast field covered in dark slag is intersected by a light-colored concrete path ("The Rift"). In the foreground, a cluster of trees with golden and honey-colored leaves casts shadows across the memorial surface.