SSPŠ | Graduation Portal

About project

This project represents a model processing of the Auschwitz concentration camp, developed as part of a graduation project.

Its aim is to provide users with a detailed insight into the history and scope of the concentration camp tragedy, with an emphasis on a detailed reconstruction of its appearance and layout. The model was created based on historical documents and sources, allowing visitors to the web presentation to explore the camp through interactive elements to gain more detailed information about its history and operations.

In addition to the traditional display on the monitor, the project has been expanded with virtual reality (VR), which provides users with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the camp environment and thus get a more intense tour experience. This technology opens up new possibilities in Holocaust education, offering an engaging and impactful way to better understand the historical tragedy that took place here.

Previous slide

Next slide

Úvodní slovo ředitele školy

Slovo Osvětim je synonymem pro jednu z nejtemnějších kapitol dějin lidstva. Během pouhých několika let na velmi malém prostoru zmizelo, co do počtu obětí, vlastně celé město Praha. Ne, slovo zmizelo není správně zvolené, v Osvětimi bylo zavražděno 1,1 až 1,3 milionu lidských bytostí, mužů, žen i dětí, a mnohé z nich velmi trýznivým a surovým způsobem.

Pokud nechceme, aby se temné kapitoly dějin opakovaly, je nutné si je neustále připomínat, aby nové generace zabránily podobným tragédiím v budoucnosti. Proto jsem navrhl tento projekt pro studenty naší školy, neboť právě mladá a nastupující generace by měla zajistit, že podobné hrůzy již lidé nikdy nepřipustí, minimálně na evropském kontinentu.

„Když jsem se zaobíral historií holocaustu, nejhorším zjištěním pro mě bylo, že ty hrůzy ve své podstatě páchali obyčejní lidé. Kdyby nebyli vystaveni pokušení oné děsivé doby, nejspíš by většina z nich zůstala pouze bezúhonnými milujícími manžely a otci. Přitom však nakonec mnozí z nich bez větších výčitek vraždili jiné ženy a děti.

Psychopatičtí jedinci se většinou vyskytovali jen na úplném konci zločinného řetězce, v podobě sadistických kápů či dozorců. Holocaust ale naplánovali a zrealizovali vědci, inženýři, chemici, lékaři, profesoři universit. Ti se dokonce scházeli a pozorovali umírání lidí, přitom hledali způsob, jak jich zabít co nejvíce v co nejkratším čase. Jak jich co nejvíce v nejkratším čase spálit. V popravčích komandech byli i muži, co měli předtím problém zabít kapra, králíka nebo slepici. A nakonec stříleli či jinak masově vraždili lidi všeho věku. Od nemluvňat po starce.

Z tohoto zjištění mi vyšlo hrozné resumé, tedy, že se vše může kdykoli zopakovat. Nikdo z nás nedokáže říci, jak by se v takových mezních situacích zachoval. Jediná obrana před tím spočívá v tom, abychom zamezili vytvoření podmínek, které by mohly vést k propuknutí podobného hrůzného scénáře.

Projekt Osvětim nevytváříme jen proto, abychom ukázali jednu velmi temnou kapitolu lidských dějin, ale především proto, aby lidé už nikdy nedopustili vytvoření podobné situace, aby se už nikdy nic takového neopakovalo. Nejde tedy o to jen ukázat, co se stalo, ale co by se mohlo znovu stát, pokud bychom se nedokázali z této strašné historie poučit.“

Ing. Radko Sáblík, ředitel Smíchovské střední průmyslové školy v Praze

Introduction by the school head

The word Auschwitz is synonymous with one of the darkest chapters in human history. In just a few years, in a very small space, the whole city of Prague disappeared in terms of the number of victims. No, the word disappeared is not the right choice, between 1.1 and 1.3 million human beings, men, women and children were murdered in Auschwitz, and many of them in a very harrowing and brutal way.

If we do not want the dark chapters of history to be repeated, we must constantly remind them that new generations will avoid similar tragedies in the future. That is why I have designed this project for our school students, because the young and emerging generations should ensure that people will never admit such horrors, at least on the European continent.

“When I looked at the history of the Holocaust, the worst finding for me was that the horrors were essentially perpetrated by ordinary people. If they weren’t exposed to the temptation of that terrible time, most of them would most likely remain merely impeccable loving husbands and fathers. In the end, however, many of them murdered other women and children without much remorse.

Psychopathic individuals usually occurred only at the very end of the criminal chain, in the form of sadistic hoods or guards. But the Holocaust was planned and implemented by scientists, engineers, chemists, doctors, and university professors. They even met and watched people dying, looking for a way to kill them as quickly as possible. How to burn as many as possible in the shortest time. There were men in the firing commandos who had previously had trouble killing a carp, rabbit, or hen. Finally, they shot or otherwise mass murdered people of all ages. From babies to old men.

From this finding, I found a terrible resume, that everything can repeat at any time. None of us can say how he would behave in such marginal situations. The only defence before that is to prevent the creation of conditions that could lead to the outbreak of such a horrific scenario.

We do not create the Auschwitz project just to show one very dark chapter in human history, but above all so that people will never let such a situation happen again so that nothing like this will happen again. So it’s not just about showing what happened, but what could happen again if we couldn’t learn from this terrible history. ”

Students' work

A few words about the project

MŮŽE SE NĚKDY TAKOVÁ TRAGÉDIE OPAKOVAT?

Jsem bohužel nucen konstatovat, že se podobná tragédie nejen opakovat může, ale vlastně se i v různých obměnách opakuje. Genocida obyvatel na základě jejich rasové, třídní či náboženské příslušnosti pokračovala na různých místech světa i po skončení druhé světové války. Mnohá zvěrstva, přitom páchaná, si nic nezadala s vyvražďováním židovské populace. Připomeňme jen řádění komunistů v Kambodži, zavraždění tři čtvrtě milionů Tutsiů příslušníky kmenu Hutů v Africe či barbarské počínání příslušníků tak zvaného Islámského státu. Ale zabíjelo se a zabíjí se i v mnoha jiných zemích, kde se vyskytly či vyskytují různé totalitní režimy, jedno na jaké ideologii postavené.

Je přímo strašné slyšet říkat či číst na internetu hrozné nenávistné výlevy, v nichž je navrhováno například obnovení plynových komor k řešení problémů s invazí migrantů do Evropy, která zaskočila státy Evropské unie v průběhu roku 2015. Možná, kdyby si dotyční autoři takových hrůzných výroků dostatečně uvědomili hloubku tragédie, která se odehrála v Osvětimi, nikdy by taková strašná slova z úst nevypustili či je nenapsali.

WHO ARE THE OUTPUTS OF THE PROJECT?

As the director of the Smichov secondary technical schools and the main guarantor of the project, I can declare that your outputs will be made available to the public who is interested in something. Of course the Museum in Auschwitz, with whom on the project Friends, but also for the possible use of educational institutional or institutional killing with history. Obviously, unknown outputs will be available without any funds from us.

AUSCHWITZ PROJECT AND STUDENTS

I am fully aware that the topic of Auschwitz for graduation and student projects is very difficult. If one delves deeper into this history, a chain of horrors will appear before him, events that seem unbelievable. The appalling monstrosity he was, and unfortunately still is, capable of committing on man.

I greatly appreciate how many students of our school volunteered for this project. I think that in terms of scope and difficulty, this is the largest project ever created at a Czech secondary school. Not only the weight of the chosen topic but also professionally.

I am deeply convinced that for those students who have chosen this theme of the coursework, the project will also have other benefits by changing their perspective on some events. This is assured by their behaviour during my introductory historical lecture on the Holocaust and Auschwitz. Served very rough, hard and without embellishments. It took exactly sixty minutes, and during this time none of the students spoke. Only their expressions gave an idea of how the facts and accompanying pictures of the period affected them.

Cooperation with the Museum AUSCHWITZ

The project also included a visit to Auschwitz on 30 September and 1 October 2015. Here, students and consultants not only became acquainted with the environment of the concentration camps but also obtained further documentation for their work, also in cooperation with the staff of the Auschwitz Museum. I must thank them for their great friendliness. Students were able to look into the museum’s archive, but also to blocks 2 and 10 that were otherwise inaccessible.

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT, HISTORY AND PRESENT

In the school year 2014/2015, the school head Radko Sáblík proposed to students to create technical documentation and schematics of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II camps. – Birkenau. He wanted to use them for his work on these camps. However, three students came up with the idea to model the camps in a 3D program. The experiment went well and next year more than thirty students enrolled on the offered topic of Student and Graduation Projects.

In the autumn of 2015, a two-day business trip to the Auschwitz Museum took place, consultations with museum staff, a visit to commonly unavailable and conserved Blocks 2 and 10 at Auschwitz I campus. about the horrors that took place in them and it would be good to depict typical scenes. Subsequent attempts to create them showed that it is possible to implement this proposal and it was decided to continue the project in this direction.

In autumn 2016, another two-day working trip to the Auschwitz Museum took place, further photography, measurement, history and building details. Later, over forty students worked on the project. At the end of the 2016/2017 school year, students again proposed using virtual reality to display camps, and after trying this idea, it was found to be feasible.

In the school year 2017/2018, fifteen students and seven graduates participated in the project. Interestingly, five of them had previously worked on the project as part of their Student and Graduation Projects and after graduation they became consultants to their younger colleagues.

At the same time, the physical model of the Auschwitz II camp was created within the project, using funds from the Operational Program Prague – Growth Pole. – Birkenau with 3D printing.

A virtual tour of the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II concentration camps has already been completed within the Studio 301. – Birkenau. This unique project has not escaped the attention of Czech Television and NOVA Television, and has been mentioned in major national evening news and other programs. Smíchovská SPŠ is often invited to various festivals where they are interested in presenting this project.

The Smichov SPS cooperates with the Genocide Research Center in Terezin, where it has a detached workplace in the Artillery Barracks. In one room, visitors can try a virtual tour of both camps, while in the other, they can see physical models created with the help of 3D printing by students of Smíchov High School. Opening of this detached workplace in March 2018 was broadcast live on CT 24.

FUTURE OF THE PROJECT

There are still minor modifications to the virtual model, adding some scenes and environments. Negotiations on the use of this project are currently underway with the Auschwitz Museum, the last meeting was held in November 2019, and another was scheduled for March 2020. Further educational outcomes are being prepared in cooperation with the Genocide Research Center in Terezín.