Annual pilgrimage follows route of Auschwitz escapees Vrba and Wetzler

Dozens of people now undertake an annual pilgrimage following the escape route taken by Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler, two Slovak Jews who fled Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944. The two men initially struggled to convince the world about the horrors they witnessed at the Nazi death camp. Their testimony became known as the Vrba-Wetzler Report, one of the first detailed accounts of the systematic mass murder taking place at Auschwitz. The report was eventually distributed by Jewish organizations and Allied governments, helping to alert the international community to the Holocaust. Today, the commemorative journey retraces their dangerous escape route, serving as both a memorial to their courage and a reminder of their crucial role in documenting Nazi atrocities.