Managers of Auschwitz have described an ice cream stand outside the site as “tasteless”, “disrespectful”, and “unacceptable”.
Local media reported that the stall with the words “icelove” appeared before the famous ‘deathgate’ of the former concentration camps late last month.
The Auschwitz Museum spokesperson told the Gazeta krakowska that they could not remove the plot because it is private property – despite any offence.
Bartosz Bartyzel, from the museum, stated in a press release that “this is not only an example of aesthetic tastelessness but also a disrespect for a historical place located near.”
He added, “We are confident that competent local government officials will resolve this embarrassing problem.”
Dagmar Kopjasz of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Site Foundation said that nearby residents are also “upset”, and think it “looks terrible”.
Social media has been buzzing with images of an ice cream stand, and people have condemned the location as “inappropriate”.
“Respect their memory”
In less than five year during the Second World War, it is estimated that more than one million people died in the Nazi death camps.
Near Krakow, Poland, the site receives as many as two million visitors per year.
Site managers reminded people last month to “respect” the memory of those who died after a picture showing a woman posing in front of train tracks became viral.
The museum tweeted: “When visiting @AuschwitzMuseum, visitors should remember that they are entering the original site of the former camp which over 1,000,000 people were murdered. Respect their memory.”
The woman who uploaded the photo of the tourist captioned it: “Today, I had one the most harrowing experience of my life.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that everyone was as moved by the incident.
We were repeatedly asked to be respectful and mindful. You’d think that this kind of thing would not need to be specifically mentioned as a “no-go” for the criteria.