WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The world’s focus will be on the remaining survivors of Nazi Germany's atrocities as world leaders and royalty gather for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The main ceremonies will unfold at the site in southern Poland where over a million people were murdered, most of them Jews, alongside Poles, Roma and Sinti, Soviet prisoners of war, LGBTQ individuals, and others targeted for extermination under Adolf Hitler's racial ideology.

The significance of this anniversary is heightened by the advanced age of the survivors, heightening awareness that their numbers are dwindling, even as contemporary conflicts make their warnings increasingly relevant. The CBS News reports that the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum anticipates around 50 survivors from Auschwitz and other camps will attend Monday’s events, accompanied by political leaders and royalty. On this occasion, the powerful will have the opportunity to listen to the voices of former prisoners while they still can.

The Auschwitz concentration camp was established in 1940 in the Polish town of Oswiecim, following Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939. Initially designated for Polish prisoners, it later evolved into an industrialized site of mass murder. Survivors were transported in cramped, windowless cattle trains, where at the notorious selection ramp, the Nazis determined who would be used for forced labor and who would be sent to death.

In total, the Germans executed around 6 million Jews, representing two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population, in the Holocaust at Auschwitz and other camps, in ghettos, and through mass executions near urban areas.

On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz, discovering approximately 7,000 malnourished prisoners. Boris Polevoy, a correspondent for the Soviet newspaper Pravda and an early eyewitness, reported an alarming scene: “I saw thousands of tortured people whom the Red Army had saved — people so thin that they swayed like branches in the wind.” The liberation coincided with the Allies advancing across Europe, with Soviet forces initially freeing the Majdanek camp near Lublin in July 1944.

The liberation commemorations have become bittersweet reminders for survivors, with many mourning the loss of family members and the devastation of their communities. “For Jewish survivors, the liberation day is a very, very sad day,” stated Havi Dreifuss, a Holocaust historian at Tel Aviv University, during an online discussion about the significance of the anniversary.

Today, Auschwitz stands as a memorial and museum, managed by the Polish state, and attracts millions of visitors each year. In 2024, the museum recorded over 1.83 million visitors, reflecting its ongoing mission to preserve the site and its history. One poignant conservation effort involves caring for the shoes of children who lost their lives there, emphasizing the emotional weight of the museum's obligations.

Auschwitz symbolizes the extensive suffering inflicted by the Nazis and serves as a tangible reminder of the consequences of hatred, bigotry, and racism. This site is distinct from others, with a large number of survivors who were able to recount their experiences, unlike locations where the Germans aimed to destroy all evidence of their crimes. “Relatively many people survived, which, for example, barely happened in sites which didn’t have such a forced labor component,” remarked Thomas Van de Putte, a specialist in Holocaust memory.

Leaders attending the memorial include German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, alongside international figures such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron. Notably absent will be Russian President Vladimir Putin, who attended the 2005 anniversary but has remained unwelcome in light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. “It is hard to imagine the presence of Russia, which clearly does not understand the value of freedom,” stated museum director Piotr Cywiński.

Furthermore, the backdrop of conflict in Gaza raised questions about whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would attend. However, Poland has pledged to ensure representation from Israel while Netanyahu has opted to send Education Minister Yoav Kisch instead. For further details, visit AP News.