In partnership with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, with the support of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the patronage of UNESCO, and in collaboration with architect Daniel Libeskind, the Commandant’s House will be opened in honor of the survivors and families of Holocaust victims on the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
(Oświęcim, Poland) — Today, Counter Extremism Project (CEP) CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace announces the purchase of the former home of Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Höss. The property, located at House Numbers 88 and 88a on ul. Legionów in Oświęcim, Poland, sits directly adjacent to the Auschwitz death camp. Under the patronage of Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, in partnership with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, UNESCO, and with the support of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in collaboration with renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, CEP will transform the former Commandant’s House into the Auschwitz Research Center on Hate, Extremism, and Radicalization (ARCHER) at House 88.
In honor of the survivors and families of Holocaust victims, on the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, on Monday, January 27, 2025, CEP will open the former Commandant's house for the first time.
The “paradise” that the Commandant constructed with his family at House 88, which was forever out of reach to those souls lost at Auschwitz, as well as to those that survived the death camp, will now be open to all.
The “ordinary” house where Höss and his family built an idyllic life, recently featured in the Oscar-winning film The Zone of Interest and several documentaries, is situated directly next to the Auschwitz death camp. Everyone has or can relate to the concept of the house next door. Tragically and regrettably, today, hatred and extremism often lurk as close as next door.
To confront that lurking hatred, ARCHER at House 88 will take up the fight against extremism and antisemitism. As a potent symbol of a society where extremism and antisemitism became all too normal, the house shall be repurposed into a site for stopping the extreme and antisemitic from becoming ordinary.
Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, CEO and Founder, Counter Extremism Project:
“Elie Wiesel rightly said that ‘we must never forget’ the Holocaust to ensure the end of such hate and to prevent another genocide. Eighty years later, it’s clear that while essential, ‘never forgetting’ is not enough to prevent the hate and antisemitism that grips our society. We must do more. On the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz, we honor the families and victims of the Holocaust by, for the first time, opening the house to all. The ordinary house of the greatest mass murderer will now be converted into the extraordinary symbol of that fight.”
Jacek Purski, Director, ARCHER at House 88:
“I have been working towards realising this initiative for many years, and I am deeply gratified to see it begin to come to fruition. ARCHER at House 88 will provide us with a unique opportunity to remember the victims of extremism while, at the same time, taking action to prevent the radicalization of future generations. This is a wonderful opportunity to look forward and imagine a better world.”
Pitor Cywiński, Director, Auschwitz-Birkeanu State Museum:
“I am proud to be a partner with ARCHER at House 88 in this fight against antisemitism and extremism. For many years I have said that remembering alone is not enough and this is even more true today on the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. It can never happen again.”
Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO:
"At a time when survivors and direct witnesses of the Holocaust are growing fewer, it is vital to further invest in education to pass on memory to younger generations. But remembering will no longer suffice – the surge of antisemitism and hate speech globally requires us to bolster collective commitment. UNESCO was founded 80 years ago to address these issues and foster education for peace. Eighty years after the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp, UNESCO is proud to support ARCHER at House 88 for education and research against antisemitism, hate speech and radicalization, which complements the monumental and irreplaceable work of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, a site already inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1979."
Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Poland:
“We are delighted to support the work of the Auschwitz Research Center on Hate, Extremism and Radicalization. It is not enough to say, we remember. We have a responsibility to act against extremism and antisemitism. While we must never forget, we have to educate each generation to do much more to fight the hatred that is within our midst even if it is hypocritically called antizionism.”
Collaboration with Daniel Libeskind
CEP is also proud to announce a collaboration with renowned architect Daniel Libeskind and Studio Libeskind on the design and development of ARCHER at House 88. Daniel Libeskind and his team will produce a master plan to develop the property.
Daniel Libeskind, Founder, Studio Libeskind:
“At this time when we honour the victims and families of the Holocaust on the 80th Anniversary, I am deeply privileged to be part of a project of such historical importance and magnitude. By transforming this house—once a symbol of unimaginable evil—into ARCHER at House 88 and a centre of learning, action, and remembrance, we can ensure that future generations never forget what took place here. It is my hope that this project can be designed to serve as a legacy, turning horror into hope, and reminding all of us that from the depths of darkness, we can create a beacon of light for the world.”
Daniel Libeskind and Studio Libeskind had already been selected by UNESCO in 2024 to renovate Block 17 of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum and install a new and joint permanent exhibition in the former Yugoslav pavilion.
The Counter Extremism Project is committed to developing the site with the utmost sensitivity, working with the local community and all relevant partners to appropriately preserve the house’s history, time, and place while avoiding memorialization of its insidious Nazi occupant. CEP will partner and collaborate with the government of Poland, relevant Polish authorities, and UNESCO to ensure such care.
Partnership with Francesco Lotoro
CEP is pleased to announce a partnership with Italian pianist, composer, and conductor Francesco Lotoro to incorporate within ARCHER at House 88 a permanent exhibition: the Francesco Lotoro Sound Hall. Maestro Lotoro has been collecting music written in death camps for over thirty years, excavating and preserving a legacy of resilience and resistance in the face of murderous extremism. Among other associated exhibitions, the music of the death camps will play in perpetuity as “Eternal Music” to honor those lost and the survivors of the camps.
Francesco Lotoro, pianist, composer, and conductor:
“My life’s work has tried to champion the resilience, even beauty, that can come from a legacy of hate. ARCHER at House 88 looks to do the same in its effort to transform Höss’s former home into a symbol for the fight against all forms of ideological extremism. I can think of no more fitting destination for the works I have collected than to be recorded and always playing in rooms that once housed the ultimate evil. My hope is that they will provide a musical accompaniment to the work of undoing the same hatred that created the unspeakable conditions in which they were written.”
Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director, Counter Extremism Project:
“ARCHER at House 88 will stand at the forefront of efforts to confront modern-day extremism, antisemitism and terrorism by providing critical research, education, and advocacy inspired by the stark lessons of the Holocaust. We believe that by equipping communities and policymakers with effective policy strategies, practical tools and knowledge, we can help ensure that such hatred and violence are never normalized again.”
CEP invites guests and journalists, including those attending the 80th Anniversary held at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in Oświęcim, to visit the ARCHER at House 88 open house from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CET. Beyond January 27th, the house will be undergoing construction and tours will not be possible in the interim without prior arrangement with ARCHER at House 88.
ARCHER at House 88 would like to thank The Fund to End Antisemitism, Extremism and Hate and its Co-Chairmen and Board Members Elliott Broidy and Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan (Co-Chairmen), Areyah Bourkoff, Senator Norm Coleman, Eric Herschmann, Kenneth B. Mehlman, George Schaeffer, Lenny Sands, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, and Dr. Herbert Wertheim. (Board In Formation)
About the Counter Extremism Project (CEP)
Founded by Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, CEP launched in 2014 to expose, confront, and combat terrorism, extremism, and antisemitism—from wherever they spring across the extremist ideological spectrums. CEP is a transatlantic, not-for-profit, nonpartisan policy and advocacy organization and through its work with governments, multilateral and international organizations, CEP is a global leader in countering terrorism, extremism, and antisemitism, through:
- Economic pressure of material and financial support networks;
- Fighting and countering online propaganda, support, recruitment, and incitement;
- Drafting and promoting effective laws, policies and regulations, and;
- Advocacy with the public, press, and policymakers.
For more information on ARCHER at House 88 and the Counter Extremism Project, please click here.
Contact [email protected] for more information or to arrange a special visit to ARCHER at House 88. For press inquiries or media-related questions about ARCHER at House 88, contact [email protected].
###
