(Oświęcim, Poland) — A new exhibition, “The Birdman of Auschwitz: Science and the Failure of Conscience,” will open April 30 at the Auschwitz Research Center on Hate, Extremism and Radicalization (ARCHER) at House 88, at the former home of Commandant Rudolf Höss. In partnership with British naturalist, historian and author of The Birdman of Auschwitz, Nicholas Milton, it explores the life and legacy of Dr. Günther Niethammer.
A brilliant scientist and ornithologist, Niethammer conducted Europe’s most infamous bird survey in the forests of Auschwitz as the genocide of more than a million people was taking place directly in front of him. While he went on to have a flourishing career after the War, his work was used as a smokescreen to obscure the mass killing. Niethammer benefited after the war from a system that sanitized and ultimately erased his role, allowing him to resume a distinguished academic career.
CEP CEO Ambassador Mark Wallace said:
“This exhibition is part of our larger effort to transform this space from one in which mass murder was normalized to one in which indifference is confronted. Niethammer was a scientist—a professional observer of bird life who yet refused to look at the atrocities being committed around him. He joined the Nazi party for his own professional advancement. He volunteered for the SS. He served as a guard at Auschwitz. He was a part of the machinery of terror—yet slickly convinced himself and others that his service to Commandant Höss and Auschwitz was incidental and not a defining moral failure.
“In the wake of an unprecedented surge in antisemitism over the past two years, this exhibition seeks to force a moral reckoning at a moment when many of our most respected institutions and professions - academia, science, and the arts among them - appear increasingly susceptible to extremist ideologies, especially directed against Jews.”
On February 20, the Counter Extremism Project (CEP)/ARCHER took possession of eight of the original bird specimens collected by Dr. Niethammer, obtained on loan through collaboration with the Vienna Natural History Museum. Those birds include the Hooded Crow which sat on the “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign, the Partridge which Niethammer shot as game and brought back to Höss at House 88, and the Great-crested Grebe which bred on ponds drained to create Auschwitz II Birkenau.
Each bird will be showcased at House 88, on public display for the first time in more than 80 years. Their presence in the house will serve as reproach to a history that has overlooked the origins of Niethammer’s scientific contributions. They will also serve as a reminder and a warning that professional ethics and codes are no safeguard against extremism.
Drawing on newly uncovered documents, archival footage, personal correspondence, and scientific publications, the exhibition asks how individuals of undoubted intellect, and in professions with supposed ethical standards, became complicit in the machinery of Nazi terror. Niethammer’s complicity was not one of overt violence, nor even ideology, but rather the result of a devastating mix of ambition and moral disengagement.
The Birdman of Auschwitz
In partnership with the historian and naturalist Nicholas Milton, author of The Birdman of Auschwitz (2025), the exhibition will explore the profound ethical questions raised by Niethammer’s story — from the role of academics and scientists in Nazi crimes, to the ways denial and distraction served to cover up the atrocities of the Holocaust. Milton stated:
"Niethammer’s life forces us to confront an uncomfortable truth: that even the most erudite academics were seduced by the Nazis. Evil triumphs when people are too absorbed in their own pursuits to take notice. Instead of confronting evil, Dr. Niethammer conducted the most infamous bird survey of all time, and it was used by the Nazis to cover up what was really happening at the camp."
Dr. Swen Renner, Head of Ornithology at the Natural History Museum Vienna stated:
"On behalf of the Natural History Museum Vienna, we believe these specimens carry profound historical significance beyond their scientific value. Partnering with CEP/ARCHER at House 88 to showcase them is not only an honor but also a reminder of the ethical and historical responsibilities inherent in scientific exploration. We hope their exhibition will inspire meaningful dialogue and reflection on important themes such as science and national socialism."