The managers of the Auschwitz memorial site and former concentration camp in Poland have decided to open a page on Facebook, the British Broadcasting Corporation
reported Wednesday.
The Polish authorities in charge of the museum are trying to reach the younger generation through the popular social networking website and educate them about the mass slaughter of Jews by the Nazis during World War II, the museum's spokesman told the BBC.
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This move follows the launch of a YouTube channel by Auschwitz earlier this year.
According to the BBC, the Facebook page contains news and information about the museum, links to its YouTube channel and official website, and a discussion board, in which the first topic is about whether Auschwitz should have a presence on Facebook.
Auschwitz Museum official Pawel Sawicki explained, "We're always trying for new ways of reaching people, and in today's world one of the most popular tools is the internet, and on the internet millions of people use Facebook.
"If our mission is to educate the younger generation to be responsible in the contemporary world, what better tool can we use to reach them than the tools they use themselves?"
According to the BBC, more than a million people have visited Auschwitz so far this year, the majority of them young people.
Sawicki noted that "the Facebook page will provide a place for discussion which is not available on the official website. We want it to be a place of discourse but of course we won't let anyone do anything that may abuse the memory of the victims and this place.
"So far, it's just an experiment. We'll see how people react," he concluded.
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