An ice cream truck about 250 meters from the entrance to the former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp caused several people to react.
During World War II, over 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were transported here and killed by the Nazis.
Since 1947, the camp in the Polish county of Oświęcim has served as a memorial and museum, with several million visitors each year.
– Tasteless
The placement of the ice wagon has made museum management see red, as they believe it is a parody of the museum and the dark history of the place.
fury after that
– This is not only an example of a lack of aesthetic taste, but also of a lack of respect for a particular historical place. This car is located outside the protection zone of the Holocaust memorial, so unfortunately we cannot do anything about it, Bartosz Bartyzel, spokesman for the Auschwitz museum, told the Polish newspaper. Gazeta Krakow.
Residents of nearby towns also reacted to the ice cream truck, according to the newspaper.
– It’s a sign of a total lack of respect for the dead. After all, it is the largest cemetery in the world, confides one of them.
– Not illegal
In addition, several expressed their dissatisfaction on Twitter.
– I remember the first time I visited Auschwitz. When I got back to Krakow, I just wanted to sit in the hotel room for the rest of the evening. Others clearly want to eat ice cream, writes Ben Stanley, associate professor at SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Poland.
When the Gazeta Krakowska newspaper first published the article, it was claimed that the stand had been placed illegally. This turned out to be wrong, and booth owner Krzysztof Kawiorski always claimed he was in the clear.
– I rent the land to a private individual. I pay for the zone, I pay taxes, and there are the same regulations for this zone as for all other places where it is legal to conduct business, Kawiorski explains to the Pole TVP3 Krakow.
Avisa has since apologized to Kawiorski.
– Very special
Even though the car is installed on private land and outside the 100-meter-long protection zone, the museum still hopes that the car will be removed.
– We hope that the local authorities are competent and will solve this embarrassing problem, says Bartyzel.
The deputy mayor of Oświęcim says they won’t do anything about it.
– Since it’s not county property, we won’t take any action. We are not stakeholders and have nothing to say in this context. Yet it is very special to create such a company in this field, explains Paweł Kobielusz to TVP3 Kraków.
Emma (33) gave birth in a coma
At the same time, the owner of the plot declares that he will improve the appearance of the stall with an associated veneer. He also says it’s not inconceivable that they’ll move the carriage away from the museum a bit further in the long run.
“Hardcore coffee specialist. Unable to type with boxing gloves on. Devoted internetaholic.”