Auschwitz museum hits milestone of 1M social media followers

WARSAW, Poland (AP) - The Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial museum has reached 1 million followers on social media and is hailing that milestone as it works to educate the world about the crimes committed by Nazi forces during World War II.

The memorial is located in southern Poland, which was under German occupation during the war. The state-run institution said the number of followers worldwide that it has on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram combined hit 1 million Monday.

Pawel Sawicki, a museum official who runs the social media accounts, credited celebrities and media figures for helping to spread word about its education mission.

He noted that Mark Hamill, the American actor who played Luke Skywalker in the 'œStar Wars'ť films, once tweeted: 'œIt may be difficult, but @AuschwitzMuseum is the most important account I've ever followed.'ť