A disused factory in Brnenec, Czech Republic, where German industrialist Oskar Schindler (1908-1974) employed Jews to save them from gas chambers, will host a Holocaust memorial and exhibition. The opening of the memorial is scheduled for 2019.

A Czech foundation that promotes Holocaust awareness plans to restore the neglected 19th century building and create within it an exhibition on Schindler’s life and a memorial to commemorate the extraordinary actions of the man who saved so many lives during the Second World War, AFP reports.

“Our aim is to restore the building to its original condition, including the watchtower,” Jaroslav Novak, head of the Shoah and Oskar Schindler Foundation, said.

In 1944, Schindler relocated his enamelware and munitions factory from Nazi-occupied Poland, to the small town of Brnenec, Eastern Czech Republic. There, he was able to save the lives of 1,200 of his Jewish employees, who would otherwise have been sent to concentration camps.

The well known story of the German businessman was brought to wider attention following the 1982 historical novel Schindler’s Ark, later adapted by Steven Spielberg into the 1993 blockbuster film Schindler’s List.

Both novel and film reflects the transformation of the man who was initially motivated by profit, to the person who demonstrated such a strong dedication to protecting the lives of many.

In 2004, the village of Brnenec attempted to create a memorial, but who failed due to being unable to raise the necessary funds.

Follow artnet News on Facebook: