Tourists pause near the main entrance, with a replica of the inscription "Arbeit Macht Frei" (translated to "Work Sets You Free") over the entranceway to the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz Birkenau, in Oswiecim, southern Poland. The original has been stolen. Photo by AP.
Interior Ministry spokeswoman Wioletta Paprocka said Saturday that border guards at Poland's eastern border with Ukraine and Belarus - which is also the European Union's eastern frontier - stepped up checks of goods out of Poland looking for the sign, which means "Work Makes You Free."
Checks have also been tightened at airports.
Interior Minister Jerzy Miller ordered police to increase vigilance and question all possible witnesses and suspects in a nationwide effort to find the sign that stands as one of Nazi Germany's most chilling symbols.
Thieves stole the sign yesterday.
