Management at the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial site have defended their use of water misters during a heatwave in Poland, insisting that the health of their visitors' must be protected.

Critics have blasted museum organisers in recent days for installing a sprinkler system that reminds them of the gas chambers formerly found on site.

The museum's Facebook page carries a defiant statement today, in it organisers write: 

"Because of the extreme heat wave we have experienced in August in Poland, mist sprinklers which cool the air were placed near the entrance to the Museum ...The safety and health of visitors are our priority during the period of extreme heat. Cooling air have been really helpful to visitors in this difficult situation."

Visiting #Auschwitz? Enjoy a cool 'mist' shower http://t.co/c8m7oOXEkc pic.twitter.com/rFefy1t8vs

— Jewish Daily Forward (@jdforward) September 1, 2015

The statement continues: "And one more thing. It is really hard for us to comment on some suggested historical references since the mist sprinkles do not look like showers and the fake showers installed by Germans inside some of the gas chambers were not used to deliver gas into them. Zyklon B was dropped inside the gas chambers in a completely different way - through holes in the ceiling or airtight drops in walls."

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