Holocaust Memorial Day latest: Survivors, royals and world leaders gather at Auschwitz to mark 80 years since liberation

'You worked until you could work no more - then you went to the chimney'

There are few who can say they've seen the inside of hell, but Albrecht Weinberg is one of them.

From the safety of his living room, the 99-year-old describes how, as a teenager, he survived three concentration camps including the Nazi's biggest extermination centre, Auschwitz-Birkenau.

"Jews were only for the gas chamber. You worked until you could work no more. Then you went to the chimney," he explains in a soft Brooklyn twang he picked up after years of living in New York.

Born into a Jewish family of five in the East Frisia region of Germany, Albrecht was a teenager when the Nazis first sent him to do forced labour in 1939.

He was moved to various places in the next few years until, in April 1943, he and his sister were loaded on to a wagon to Auschwitz.

The Third Reich was accelerating its extermination of Jews as part of its "Final Solution" which would see more than six million killed in the Holocaust.

Albrecht had already been separated from his parents, who had been immediately sent to gas chambers.

Now, he was being unloaded at a place where they, and ultimately more than a million other people, were murdered.

Albrecht remembers that around 950 men, women, children and the elderly were on the train but he had no clue what Auschwitz was.

"I'd never seen a prisoner in a striped uniform and cap," he says.

As the train doors opened, he remembers soldiers shouting, "Out! Out!" in German.

Terrified, exhausted and dehydrated after days on the train, people rushed out, stepping over one another.

The group was then forced to march in front of one of the commanders so they could be selected.

Some would be sent to work, the rest to their deaths.

Auschwitz survivor: 'You worked until you could work no more - then you went to the chimney'

'We are the guardians of memory,' says Polish president

At the ceremony held at Auschwitz this morning, Polish President Andrzej Duda spoke about his country's role in remembering the Holocaust.

He described Poles as the "guardians of memory today" and detailed the horrors of the Holocaust that saw millions killed.

"Today, delegations from all over the world are coming here to participate in the commemorations," he said.

He continued: "We Polish people, on the soil of whose Germans created that death industry, we Poles are the guardians of memory today."

Netanyahu absent

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not planning to attend the ceremony in Poland today, according to reports.

As a signatory to the International Criminal Court, Poland would be obliged to arrest him.

The world's top war crimes court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November, accusing him of crimes against humanity for Israeli actions in Gaza.

But the Polish government adopted a resolution vowing to ensure the safe participation of the highest representatives of Israel.

Nonetheless, Israel are sending education minister Yoav Kisch instead.

Auschwitz ceremony sees survivors gather at 'wall of death'

Pictures from the morning ceremony in Poland illustrate the moving scenes from the day's first event.

The crowd, composed mostly of survivors and their families, gathered at what is known as the 'wall of death' - where prisoners were executed in the camp.

As wreaths were laid, there was silence.

Survivors gather in Poland for Auschwitz ceremony

Survivors have started to gather in Poland for the first ceremony of the day.

Taking place in the courtyard of Block 11 at Auschwitz, they carried wreaths and lit candles.

Polish President Andrzej Duda is among those in attendance.

He placed a candle at the 'wall of death' - where prisoners were executed.

The majority of the rest in attendance were elderly survivors of the camp assisted by family members.

For context: The ceremony is widely being treated as the last major observance that many survivors will be able to attend.

Later in the day, world leaders and royalty will join with elderly camp survivors, the youngest of whom are in their 80s. 

Politicians, however, have not been asked to speak this year - see our 7.38am post. 

Due to the advanced age of the survivors, organisers are choosing to make them the centre of the observances. 

The story of one survivor - who escaped thanks to a resistance attack

One survivor has shared his story with Sky News, telling how a resistance attack gave him the chance to escape a one-way journey to Auschwitz.

Simon Gronowski spoke to our Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins about his story, being rounded up by Nazi police and taken away with his mother and sister.

Describing what happened, he said: "The doorbell rang and all three of us froze. 

"The front door opened and two men entered shouting: 'Gestapo! Papers!' 

"My mother got up, white as a sheet and handed over her ID card and passport. 

"The Nazi took a look at it and appeared satisfied. 'Yes, this is the Gronowski family. You have been denounced.'"

Aged just 11, Simon was taken away with his mother and sister in Belgium.

With more than a thousand others, they were put on a train heading toward Auschwitz

However, a resistance attack gave him a chance to escape.

He continued: "I jumped from the train and I heard the soldiers running in my direction firing gunshots and shouting. 

"I jumped from the train because I obeyed my mother. 

"If she'd told me to stay then I would've never left her side and I would've died with her in the gas chamber."

Simon fled into the woods and a local family gave him refuge. 

But, three days later his mother was killed at Auschwitz and his sister would be killed as well.

On the anniversary, Simon is making his own journey to Auschwitz.

'We should listen to the voices of survivors'

During the events today, there will be no speeches by politicians, and instead world leaders will listen to the voices of Holocaust survivors.

As we set out in our 6.49am post, this is likely to be one of the last major gatherings of survivors of the Holocaust.

This is a sentiment that Pawel Sawicki, a spokesperson for the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial, repeated.

He said that during today's proceedings, world leaders would do the listening, not the talking.

"It is clear to all of us that this is the last milestone anniversary where we can have a group of survivors that will be visible who can be present at the site," he said.

He went on: "In ten years it will not happen and for as long as we can we should listen to the voices of survivors, their testimonies, their personal stories. 

"It is something that is of enormous significance when we talk about how the memory of Auschwitz is shaped."

World leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council president Antonio Costa, will all be in attendance at the event at Auschwitz today.

Israel will be represented by Education Minister Yoav Kisch.

'If you lost weight, you were sent to the gas chamber'

An Auschwitz survivor who was 13 when she arrived at the concentration camp says the recent rise in antisemitism is driven by "ignorance".

Separated from her mother as she passed through the gates, Susan Pollack told Nazi guards she was 15 so they would keep her alive.

"Somebody whispered to me, your mother will be gassed. How could I respond? I was just hopeless."

Susan, now 94, shared her story with Sky News presenter Sarah-Jane Mee ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day.

Born Zsuzsanna Blau in 1930 in Hungary, Susan became aware of antisemitism around her from a young age. Her uncle was murdered by fascists. His attacker was sentenced to only two years in prison.

After Germany invaded Hungary in 1944, the Nazis and their Hungarian collaborators organised the deportation of Hungarian Jews under the supervision of high-ranking SS officer Adolf Eichmann.

In May that year, Susan and her family were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland by cattle truck. In less than two months, almost all of Hungary's Jewish population, some 825,000, was deported.

"On arrival we scrambled out of the trucks, and men and women were separated immediately," Susan says, recalling her first moments at the concentration camp.

"I was left on my own, surrounded by shouting. I felt pure terror and devastation."

Inside Auschwitz, she says she was "dehumanised" and survived by behaving as a robot.

She described having to stand in front of Dr Josef Mengele, the infamous camp physician, every morning, who would look at their naked bodies. Those who were deemed to be losing weight too quickly were sent to the gas chamber, Susan recalls.

"You don't think that you live in a world which does those things."

As Allied forces advanced in 1944, Susan and others were put on a "death march" from Auschwitz, like tens of thousands of others.

Prisoners were moved out of camps near the front and forced to walk long distances in the bitter cold, with little or no food, water or rest. Those who could not keep up were shot.

Susan was taken to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany, where she suffered from tuberculosis and typhoid.

"I wanted to die. I had no energy any more," she said.

"When I was liberated in Bergen-Belsen I couldn't walk, I could hardly talk and I just crawled out to die," she continues.

"I felt a gentle pair of hands, lifting me up. A gentle pair of hands. And he was a British soldier."

She and others were then taken to Sweden, where she says they were given regular food.

"And we had a Jewish man in his 20s, and he played music every night," she says.

"The lights were turned off and he played classical music every night, and that is what saved my life as well, in terms of thinking and hope and understanding."

Susan Pollack's full interview will be aired on The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee programme on Sky News at 8pm this evening.

How many survivors are left?

Today is likely to one of the last gatherings of survivors who experienced the Holocaust's horrors on a major anniversary.

As of January last year, there were approximately 245,000 Holocaust survivors still alive.

Those survivors live in more than 90 countries.

We've not had a more up-to-date figure since the start of last year, and 20% of those surveyed in 2024 were already over 90.

That report, named "Holocaust Survivors Worldwide. A Demographic Overview", said the vast majority (96%) were born after 1928, known as "child survivors". 

Many do not to attend events like these, choosing not to be exposed again to the places that brought them so much pain, while others simply can't make the trip. 

We're expecting at least 50 survivors to attend the service at Auschwitz for commemoration services today. 

The events taking place today

Poland 

This morning, a commemoration service will be held with Holocaust survivors in a courtyard inside the Auschwitz I concentration camp.

Candles will be lit and wreaths laid. 

Shortly after that concludes, we're expecting to hear from Andrzej Duda, the Polish president.

Our Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins will be with members of the public who have come to observe Holocaust Memorial Day at the camp. 

At 3pm UK time, the main commemoration ceremony will begin, which we'll be covering live here in this blog while our TV coverage is led by presenter Anna Botting.

It's being held in a special tent built over the gate to the camp. One of the symbols of the commemoration will be a freight car that will stand directly in front of the gate.

The King is representing the UK in Poland, and has other engagements planned throughout the day.

The UK

There's also events happening in the UK. 

The Prince of Wales will be in attendance at a special service at London's Guildhall this afternoon. Other high-profile guests, including survivors and politicians, will be there. 

Also this evening, iconic buildings and landmarks will light up purple and people across the nation are being encouraged to light candles and place them in their windows.

King in attendance today

The King will be in Poland today to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Charles will join other dignitaries and Holocaust survivors at a service held at the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum and memorial later today. 

He will also meet members of the local community in Krakow before the service, Buckingham Palace has said.

-SKY NEWS