Germany has initiated an £8.5 million campaign to increase the number of schoolchildren visiting former Nazi concentration camps, such as Auschwitz, in a bid to prevent the fading of Holocaust memories. The original annual budget has been doubled to £3 million with additional emergency funding from a private foundation. The Bethe Foundation has committed an extra £8.5 million over five years, enabling a doubling of trips to these eerie sites.
Family Minister Karin Prien expressed concern that as Holocaust survivors pass away, the remembrance of Nazi atrocities is in danger of diminishing. She emphasized the importance of firsthand exposure to Germany’s dark history by visiting places like Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Sobibor to fully comprehend the enormity of the crimes committed.
Prien stressed the value of young people directly engaging with historical sites of Nazi crimes to foster a sense of responsibility for democracy. She highlighted the need to assess the effectiveness and impact of these programs. Additionally, she emphasized that merely visiting a concentration camp does not automatically make someone an anti-fascist or democrat, but it aids in understanding the gradual process of disenfranchisement and dehumanization that led to the Holocaust.
Over 40,000 German students have participated in the program since 2010, and officials are expanding it to prevent a growing detachment from this pivotal chapter in Germany’s history. During a visit to Israel in October 2025, Prien revealed her personal connection to the Holocaust, as members of her family were victims of Nazi concentration camps.
Prien, the first German federal minister to openly discuss her Jewish heritage while in office, advocates for establishing a Yad Vashem-linked education center in Germany. Plans are underway to set up the center in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, or Saxony by 2026. Prien also met with Israeli Education Minister Joav Kisch to revive youth exchange programs disrupted by conflicts, emphasizing the importance of international engagement in preserving historical truth.
The initiative aims to have more than 12,000 young people visit former Nazi execution camps annually, promoting a deeper understanding of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust.
