Arbeit Macht Frei

The sign at Auschwitz, which I visited in July 2003

One of the symbols of Nazi Germany has been recovered after being stolen by thieves a few days ago. The sign - Arbeit Macht Frei ('Work shall set you free') - above the entrance gate to the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz, was cut into three pieces and removed last Friday and the theft caused international outrage. Five men have been detained for stealing the sign. The authorities that run the museum had offered a reward of nearly $40,000 to recover the symbol of nearly 1.5 million people, mostly Jews, who perished at the camp near Krakow in Poland. The motto was a cynical ploy by the Nazis' to give their victims false hope and was not monitored by closed-circuit cameras at the museum. I visited Auschwitz in July 2003 and you can read about my trip here.