Auschwitz Commandant's Home to Welcome Visitors Amid Dark History

A house on the grounds of Auschwitz, once owned by the notorious camp commandant Rudolf Höss, is set to become a visitable site, drawing attention to its turbulent history. Garzyna Jurczak, who lived there for 42 years, reflected on her complicated feelings about raising her children next to such a significant and chilling location. After the home's connection to the Holocaust was highlighted in the Oscar-winning film “The Zone of Interest,” Jurczak decided to sell the property to the Counter Extremism Project in hopes that it might offer educational insights about the atrocities committed during the war.

Jurczak fondly describes her time living in the three-story house, which overlooks a former gas chamber and gallows at Auschwitz. A source of safety and tranquility while raising her two sons, she struggled with the disturbing reality of her home's past, especially as curious visitors began exploring her garden following the film's release. Consequently, she made the difficult choice to move on, selling the house to New York’s Counter Extremism Project. The organization aims to transform the site into a meaningful destination for visitors, ensuring that the memory of the Holocaust remains a powerful lesson for future generations.