Auschwitz Guide Turned Developer to Help Visitors
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ŁukaszOver the years of guiding visitors through the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, I’ve heard the same questions and seen the same challenges come up time and again. That’s why I decided to create this website – simple, yet helpful. It’s designed to provide clear answers and practical advice, so that anyone planning a visit to Auschwitz can be better prepared.
Guide's Experience and the Idea Behind the Website
Some visitors are not emotionally prepared for the powerful experience that comes with visiting Auschwitz and don’t fully understand the historical context of the site. I wanted to change that – by creating a website with practical information and answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Łukasz's extensive knowledge and ability to set the tone of reverence allowed us to internalize the gravity of the experience.
— Jeff J., Chicago, USA
Challenging Beginnings
In 2017, I received permission from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Press Office to create an independent website about Auschwitz Museum. I wanted visitors to have easy access to reliable information.
First Attempts
At the start, I only knew the basics — I could publish posts on WordPress. I asked friends for help. Unfortunately, the results were disappointing. It wasn’t until two years later that a knowledgeable friend helped me create the first version of the website. I began adding photos taken on the former camp grounds, designing the content, and gathering the most frequently asked questions and feedback from visitors.
After-Hours Work
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I started working as a software tester, so I could only work on the website in the evenings. Some days, I worked 16–17 hours in total — and kept that routine for several years. Although I also work outside the Museum today, I still occasionally guide tours at Auschwitz. It is an important part of my life — both out of duty and personal need.
New Challenges and Learning
In 2024, the system I had been using stopped working — and I had to start from scratch. It became an opportunity to build something more independent, faster, and better suited to the needs of visitors planning a visit to Auschwitz.
From WordPress to Coding
That’s when I realized how many components make up a modern website: databases, file storage, multilingual support, and content management. WordPress, while simple, was no longer flexible enough. I chose more advanced tools like Payload CMS, which gave me much greater control over the structure and content. By the end of 2024, I launched a multilingual version of the website. I started experimenting with JavaScript, CSS, and layout design.
Website Traffic and Bot Issues
In September 2025, I published the site to see how it would perform with real traffic from people searching for reliable information about visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau. Even with just around 40 daily visitors, the server load was extremely high — mainly due to bots and web crawlers. I had to rebuild many components so the website could run as a static site hosted on Cloudflare Pages. There's still a lot to improve.
How You Can Help
As of October 2025, the website is available in Polish and English. But the system is ready to support more languages: Dutch, German, Italian, French, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian.
If you speak any of the above languages and can help improve the translations — or if you have ideas that could make the website even more helpful for Auschwitz visitors — feel free to get in touch.
Social Media
Five years ago, I created a Facebook group for people planning a visit to Auschwitz, where you can get advice from those who have already visited the Memorial — and, of course, offer help to others ➡️ Auschwitz Visit Advice
Feel free to follow on other platforms as well — the links are here.
