Educational Trip to Oświęcim: Companies Take Responsibility in Light of History
In September 2026, the Hans and Berthold Finkelstein Foundation once again organized an educational trip to Oświęcim (Auschwitz). Employees from various companies and organizations took part, including BASF, Bayer, SAP, Deutsche Bank, and BarmeniaGothaer.
Die Teilnehmenden vor Block 10 in Auschwitz
The trip deepened participants’ understanding of the Auschwitz camp complex. It also brought the role of German companies under National Socialism into focus. In collaboration with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum and its education department, participants explored the history of the concentration and extermination camp. They listened to the biographies of victims and survivors. They visited Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II-Birkenau, and Auschwitz III-Monowitz.
One focus was the former I.G. Farben plant at Auschwitz and the Monowitz camp. Participants examined industrial production, forced labor, and Nazi crimes. This connection shows the responsibility companies carried then and continue to carry today. Auschwitz reminds us where the disregard for human rights and human dignity can lead.
The Finkelstein Foundation’s educational trips combine historical learning with personal reflection and dialogue. They create space to understand the past and draw responsibility for the present. One central question guides the work: How can the lessons of history strengthen democracy, human rights, and social cohesion today?
The Foundation thanks all participants for their openness, commitment, and willingness to engage with difficult chapters of German history. Encounters like these keep historical responsibility alive. They provide impetus for responsible action in the present.
