The Auschwitz death camp stands as a symbol of the genocide committed by Nazi Germany during World War II. In 2005 the United Nations General Assembly established International Holocaust Remembrance Day, with the date set as 27 January – the day on which Soviet soldiers opened the gates of the camp. Soon 75 years will have passed since that day.

Polish people associate the names Oświęcim / Auschwitz above all with the site of Polish martyrdom (43%) and, a little less frequently, primarily with the site of the systematic extermination of Jews (38%). Over the course of the last twenty-five years, it is clear that the main association with the Holocaust has been becoming more frequent.

Other associations with the names Oświęcim / Auschwitz, formulated by respondents themselves, chiefly refer to it being the site of martyrdom or extermination for both Jews and Poles (70%), for people of many nationalities (20%), or generally the site of extermination, tragedy or Nazi crimes without distinguishing any nationalities (11%).