Today Auschwitz- Birkenau is a museum run by the Polish Culture Ministry, and a UNESCO world heritage site.

Leaders of 44 countries and Holocaust survivors gathered in Poland last week to observe ceremonies to mark 60 years since the liberation of the Nazis' most notorious death camp. The ceremony evoked vivid memories and emotions among the survivors and the world leaders alike.

Many survivors said the free world had turned a blind eye to Auschwitz when thousands were being gassed to death.

1:American Vice President Dick Cheney at Auschwitz. 2: French President Jacques Chirac, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski at the memorial ceremony 3:An Auschwitz survivor wipes away tears. 4:Candles at the main memorial

Photograph: AFP/Getty Images