Dachau and Auschwitz – two names that cannot be erased from history. All over the world they have become synonymous with the greatest crime against humanity. Today, these memorial sites make a stand against all forms of racism, xenophobia, totalitarianism and exclusion.
On 8 August 2015, the districts of Oświęcim and Dachau signed a cooperation agreement. The partnership between the districts most deeply affected by Nazi totalitarianism is in line with the idea of a united Europe, whose foundations are values such as freedom, democracy, tolerance and respect for human rights.
An important area of cooperation is historical policy and action in the spirit of friendship for peaceful coexistence in Europe, in accordance with the message ”Never again!”
The Dachau District and a new cultural institution in the Oświęcim District – the Remembrance Museum of Land of Oświęcim Residents – have jointly created an exhibition dedicated to the fate of children in the Third Reich during the Second World War and thereafter. The exhibition organisers share a common commitment to the commemoration of the victims and promotion of the idea of helping others in particularly difficult times.
You are not to blame for what happened, but you are responsible for ensuring that it never happens again.
Max Mannheimer (1920-2016), patron of the partnership between the districts of Oświęcim and Dachau, former inmate of the Auschwitz and Dachau concentration camps.
- The ”Peace Unites” murals in Oświęcim and Dachau, Oświęcim District Office/Landratsamt Dachau
In 2016, the mural ”Peace Unites” was created by young people from the cities of Oświęcim and Dachau at the District Complex No. 2 of the Ignacy Łukasiewicz General and Technical Championship Schools in Oświęcim. Two years later, a second mural with the same peace message was created on the building of the Greta Fischer School in Dachau. The murals have become a symbol of the districts’ partnership.