Thursday 21 January 2010

'Arbeit Macht Frei' sign returns to Poland

A stolen Nazi sign, which translates as 'Work makes you free,' has been returned to the museum of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp near Poland's Krakow.

Five suspects, aging between 20 and 39 were arrested last December while heading to the North of Poland to catch a Sweden-bound ferry with a stolen "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign.

The sign was stolen allegedly for an individual in Sweden, who reportedly agreed to pay 30,000 euros ($43,000) for the historical artifact. The sign was sawn into three parts, each containing one word.

Auschwitz was the largest Nazi concentration camp, where more than million people - 90% of them Jews - died. The museum has been operating for 62 years and on January 27 will mark the 65th anniversary of the camp's liberation be Soviet troops.

Last year's record of visitors number surpassed the previous high of 1.22 million in 2007. It also prompted the authorities to restrict access during peak summer months to people in guided groups.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm glad i don not have to pay a dime for such fanciful stories.