A survivor brings a candle to the Death Wall at the Auschwitz-Birkenau former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp, during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the camp's liberation, in Oswiecim, Poland, Jan. 27. 2025.

No speeches were being made by politicians at the ceremony, with the focus on the voices of the few remaining survivors of the camp. Former inmates laid flowers at the camp's Death Wall in the morning,

The 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops was observed at the site of the former Nazi death camp.

A ceremony Monday marking 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration camp will be attended by heads of state from around the world, but will focus on the voices of survivors some of whom may not live to see another commemoration .

At Auschwitz, the Germans left behind barracks and watchtowers, the remains of gas chambers and the hair and personal belongings of people killed there. The “Arbeit macht frei” (work will set you free) gate is recognized the world over.