Auschwitz
AuschwitzYossi Zeliger/Flash90

The international "Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation" initiated a project a number of years ago to raise a sum of 120 million euros in order to renovate and preserve the buildings at the German death camp situated on Polish soil.

Over the course of the years since the end of the Second World War and due to the harsh conditions of Polish winters and the high levels of precipitation, most of the buildings have deteriorated and some are in danger of collapsing.

According to the Auschwitz-Birkenau fund, they are close to achieving their goal, having raised 101 million euros from 30 countries around the world who joined their efforts and contributed to the project.

The President of the Auschwitz-Birkenau foundation Management Board, Anna Miszewska, said that the "money would serve to fund and maintain the historic buildings in the former extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau."

The director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum, Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński said that 30 countries and nine private donors had already transferred funds to the foundation for the project. However he claimed that the sum of 120 million euros "may not suffice to perform all the necessary renovation and preservation work in the camp."

Private donors include the head of the World Jewish Congress(WJC) Ronald Lauder, famous movie producer Steven Spielberg as well as Polish businessman Jan Kulczyk who was considered the wealthiest man in Poland until his death last year.

The main sum contributed by countries came from Germany, which gave 60 million euros. Other large contributions came from the US (15 million euro), Poland (10 million) and Israel which gave a million dollars to the project. Some Muslim countries, including Turkey, contributed to the project as well.