On January 27th, the whole world is commemorating "Memorial Day" in remembrance of the end of the Shoah. On this day in 1945 troops freed the prisoners who had been deported and imprisoned in the Auschwitz concentration camps. The international community has designated every January 27th as "Memorial Day", a decision shared by the European Union and of the United Nations.

The organizers of the 2010 Tour of Poland, which will take place from August 1st to 7th, also want people to keep remembering this tragedy. The 2010 edition of the Polish race will feature a start of a stage from  Oswiecim, "The City of Peace"  close to where the occupying troops decided to build the Auschwitz concentration camp - a concentration camp which has since become a sad icon of the Holocaust in the international collective memory. The 6th stage, scheduled for Friday, August 6th, on the roads from Oswiecim to Bukowina Tatrzanska over a total distance of more than 240 km, will be an important occasion to render homage  to the victims of this sad page from history. This stage will be very difficult, with the stage finish taking place on a climb. It promises to be the hardest stage in the 2010 edition, and most probably will determine who will be the winner of this year's Tour de Pologne.

"We think it's important to do our part to commemorate the Shoah - explained Czeslaw Lang, General Director of the Tour de Poland. "The spirit is that of remembering in order to better learn from the mistakes of our past, so that tragedies like these on this large a scale can never happen again. The 6th stage will start from the centre of Oswiecim and the riders will proceed in an orderly, poised manner to the ex-concentration camps Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II Birkenau. Here there will be a break under the sadly famous phrase "Arbeit macht frei" (work makes man free) and a minute of silence will be observed. A rider from each country will be lined up in the first row. The goal is to communicate a message of universal peace, equality, brotherhood and trans-nationality. These important values are stronger than differences in language, ideology or religion, values that are at the heart of sport and cycling, which we can and must contribute to spreading throughout the world."

The local community of Oswiecim has organized numerous initiatives in the area of the ex-concentration camps at Auschwitz, to remember the genocide and the numerous deported people. Currently a monument is being erected. The monument is titled The mound of remembrance. Stones from all over the world will be part of this monument, becoming the peace stones. The mound will be erected in the shape of a 35 meter tall cone and will be built in the area between the two former concentration camps. The site of the mound will also be the headquarters of the International Centre that will sponsor the formation and presentation of multi-cultural activities and other peace initiatives throughout the world. The project includes a fully equipped amphitheatre that can host up to 600 guests for meetings and conferences regarding these important issues.