ROM to Present Acclaimed Exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presents Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away., which examines the history and legacy of the most significant site of the Holocaust, for its exclusive Canadian showing. Opening on January 10, 2025, and running to September 1, 2025, the exhibition arrives just ahead of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, which took place on January 27, 1945. Featuring hundreds of authentic objects as well as archival documents and historic photographs – never before seen in Canada – Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. is one of the most comprehensive exhibitions ever created on the subject.

“Arriving on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, this groundbreaking exhibition is unprecedented both in scale and scope,” said Josh Basseches, ROM Director & CEO. “From a single discarded shoe to the searing testimony of survivors, Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. provides a comprehensive look at one of the darkest moments of the 20th century. It is also, in the tradition of ROM, a call to understand the past – so that, together, we can shape a shared future.”

Auschwitz became a system of concentration camps in which over 1 million Jews – and tens of thousands of others, including Poles, Romani, and Soviet prisoners of war – were killed in a systematic and industrialized fashion. Developed by an international panel of curators and historians, the exhibition marks the first time a collection this immense has come together to tell the story of Auschwitz, and the objects will only be gathered and presented as an exhibition for a brief time.

Created by Musealia and co-produced with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, the exhibition will include more than 500 original objects from one of the most devastating periods in human history. In addition to the hundreds of authentic items from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, special loans are also included from over 20 other major institutions and private collections around the world.

The ROM presentation of Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away. is part of an international tour which began in 2017 and has included stops to date in Madrid, Spain; Malmo, Sweden; and Los Angeles, Boston, and New York in the U.S.

The exhibition will be augmented by one of the broadest educational initiatives in ROM’s history, with an extensive series of programs designed to deepen our understanding of the Holocaust, identify bias in all its forms, and foster greater social cohesion. These learning initiatives will include Ontario Holocaust education curriculum-aligned school tours and experiences, anti-bias learning installations throughout the Museum, and public programs featuring internationally recognized Holocaust experts. The robust slate of curriculum-supporting educational programming will be developed in partnership with the Toronto Holocaust Museum, ROM’s Education Partner for the exhibition.

To further support access and opportunities for enhanced education about the significance of the Holocaust, ROM will offer free admission to Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. for Grade 6-12 students participating in organized visits from Ontario-based schools. The Museum will also develop exhibition-related teacher training materials, as well as online school learning resources.

This powerful exhibition explores the dual identity of the Auschwitz camp complex as a physical setting – the largest documented mass murder site in human history – and as a symbol of the borderless manifestation of hatred and human atrocity. Physical objects and archival records provide a contextual framework for the socio-political landscape in Europe before the Auschwitz camp, as well as its day-to-day environment and continued legacy, raising awareness of the machinations at work in realizing such systemic barbarism.

Piotr Cywiński, Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, noted, “On a universal and symbolic level, Auschwitz played a pivotal role in shaping the identity of the world after WWII. The belief that humanity must prevent the recurrence of events like the Holocaust and the resurrection of places like Auschwitz was the cornerstone of post-war political changes. These principles of respecting others and promoting peace should be in everyone’s hearts and minds as we approach the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.”

Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. tells the stories of over 400,000 registered prisoners of the Auschwitz concentration camps, as well as the hundreds of thousands of murdered men, women, and children. Featured objects include concrete posts that were once a part of the Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration camp fence, large portions of an original prisoners’ barrack, a gas mask used by the SS garrison members who staffed the concentration camps, as well as personal objects such as shoes, clothing, children’s dolls, and suitcases that had been packed by Auschwitz deportees in the hopes of one day returning to their lives.

“At the heart of this project is the idea of bringing the history of Auschwitz, in all its complexity, to the world,” explained Luis Ferreiro, Director of Musealia. “The exhibition is a powerful opportunity to understand how such a place could have come to exist, how these events could happen, and what it means for us today. It is also a moral urgency to remember those who lost their lives at Auschwitz.”

Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. was curated by world-renowned scholars Robert Jan van Pelt, Michael Berenbaum, and Paul Salmons, in collaboration with historians and curators from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, among others. Toronto-based lead curator Jan van Pelt previously co-curated The Evidence Room exhibition at ROM in 2017 and is recognized as one of the leading international authorities on the history of Auschwitz. Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. underscores a critical need to understand the underlying conditions that allowed the Holocaust to happen. By reflecting on the past, visitors are invited to consider their own responsibility in creating a more inclusive and tolerant society.

“The Azrieli Foundation is dedicated to Holocaust education. Through survivors’ voices, we teach about the individualized impact of the Holocaust,” said Naomi Azrieli, CEO of exhibition Presenting Sponsor The Azrieli Foundation. “For the 1.1 million people who were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau, remnants of their lives are revealed in this powerful, extensive exhibition, which is both a painful memorialization and an eye-opening exploration of hatred. Visitors to this exhibit become witnesses, sharpening our understanding of the past and our present.”

Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. will be presented at ROM from January 10 to September 1, 2025. For more information, please visit the website here.

Image credit: The gate in Birkenau. Image © Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum.

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About ROM  

Opened in 1914, ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) showcases art, culture, and nature from around the world and across the ages. Today, ROM houses more than 18 million objects, from Egyptian mummies to contemporary sculpture, from meteorites to dinosaurs. ROM is the most visited museum in Canada and one of the top ten museums in North America. It is also the country’s preeminent field research institute, with a diverse range of experts who help us understand the past, make sense of the present, and shape a shared future. Just as impressive is ROM’s facility — a striking combination of heritage architecture and cutting-edge design, which marks the Museum as an iconic landmark and global cultural destination. 

We live on in what we leave behind.

About Musealia

Musealia is an independent Spanish company that creates and manages global touring exhibitions, which inspire us all to explore the past, understand the present and shape our collective future. With more than 20 years of international experience, our exhibitions are characterized by their strong narrative character, their historical rigor, educational value and emotional impact. More than 70 museums and institutions in countries such as the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, South Africa or Australia have hosted our exhibitions.

About the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum

Fulfilling the wish of survivors, on July 2, 1947, the Polish parliament created the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum on the site of two preserved parts of the former German Nazi camp: Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau. The Memorial today includes Archives and Collections, and undertakes research, conservation, and publishing activities. It is, above all, an education center that teaches visitors about the history of Auschwitz. More than 2 million people visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum every year.