Ceremonies to be Held in Luxembourg, Poland to Commemorate 80th Anniversary of Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau Camp

27 January 2025 marks the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust; it commemorates the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp by Soviet troops on 27 January 1945. 

The Service for the Remembrance of the Second World War and Luxembourg's Ministry of State have announced that, this year, the 80th anniversary of this liberation in particular is being commemorated with ceremonies in both Luxembourg and Poland.

Ceremony in Poland

On 27 January 2025, the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess, together with Prime Minister Luc Frieden, will travel to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial in Poland to attend the international commemorative ceremony for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and extermination camp in the presence of numerous heads of state or government and the last survivors of the camp.

They will be accompanied by the President of the Israelite Consistory, Albert Aflalo, and the President of the Luxembourg Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah, Laurent Moyse.

After the welcome speech, former survivors will share their testimonies about their experience in the camp. These stories will be followed by prayers and a solemn candle-laying ceremony in which the heads of state or government will participate in front of the international monument in tribute to the victims of Auschwitz.

Ceremony in Luxembourg

On the same day, at 19:00, the Minister of Sports and Minister of Labour, Georges Mischo, will participate in the commemorative ceremony to be held on the Place de la Synagogue in Esch-sur-Alzette, where he will deliver a speech. During the ceremony, all guests will lay a stone at the foot of the steles while the names of the Jewish deportees of Esch-sur-Alzette are read.

Approximately six million Jews, including Jews from the Grand Duchy, were murdered during the Holocaust. "On this day of remembrance, let us remember the victims and renew our commitment against hatred, intolerance, and all forms of discrimination".