The fate of a barrack that once housed prisoners of the Auschwitz death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland is currently the subject of intense talks between Polish and U.S. authorities, Warsaw Business Journal reported.

Currently on display at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC, the barrack was shipped to the U.S. 20 years ago. Poland is now demanding the artifact's return, since Polish law says any historical object loaned to another country must be handed back once every five years for inspection. The law was introduced in 2003 to ensure the preservation of Poland's cultural heritage.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum opposes the demand partly on the grounds that the object is in a fragile state.

“Due to the barrack's size and the complexity of its installation, removing and transporting it to Poland presents special difficulties, including potentially damaging the artifact,” the U.S. Holocaust museum said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. “Both the Museum and our Polish partners have been actively discussing various proposals, and we remain committed to continue working with them to resolve this matter.”

Prisoners slept in the barrack in appalling conditions as they awaited extermination at Auschwitz. The object is in fact one half of a full barrack, the other half of which still stands at Birkenau, a part of the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex.