Google’s $1 Million Dollar Gift: Virtual Auschwitz Tours Are Now a Reality

Google has announced a $1 million grant to support the development of the “Auschwitz in Front of Your Eyes” project through its philanthropic arm, Google.org. The initiative aims to deepen awareness and knowledge about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, reaching additional audiences worldwide through a live-streamed virtual tour. 

The project enables people unable to physically visit the camp, including those in remote locations, to engage with the history of Auschwitz. The virtual tour, conducted by a guide, includes survivor testimonies, multimedia materials, and interactive opportunities for participants to ask questions.

“The funding will help develop the technological platform and its accessibility, including real-time subtitles, AI-based translation into multiple languages, and the digitization of survivor testimonies,” said Rowan Barnett, director of Google.org for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

“This support will also provide comprehensive training for guides and enhance the capacity to bring such visits to large communities worldwide, including partnerships with schools to educate more students about the Holocaust.”

The online guided tour program, “Auschwitz in Front of Your Eyes,” was recently launched by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. This innovative initiative provides a virtual visit to the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp.

Auschwitz concentration camp, operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during the Holocaust. (credit: WALLPAPER FLARE)

The two-hour tour is divided into two parts: Auschwitz I and Birkenau. Educators conduct the tours live, utilizing multimedia materials, archival photographs, artistic works, documents, and testimonies of survivors.

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