Mauthausen Concentration Camp

Mauthausen Entrance

Today I visited the Mauthausen Concentration Camp and Memorial. A professor from the center organized it and so us students received a private tour. It was a very interesting experience and very hard to describe, but I will do my best to try. The day was overcast, blocking out the sun. It definitely added to the ambiance of the place. It was very cold and the wind cut right through my wool coat. I can't even imagine how cold it would be with only one thin layer. Mauthausen was the send camp built and the first in Austria in 1938. Originally it was a camp for political criminals and the like. It was built around a quarry and the idea was to work the prisoner in the quarry and float the stones down to Graz as building material. This actually never happened. Since the camp grew so quickly, all the stones were used to expand. Our guide tried to express to us how hard it is to define the camp as a Death Camp or Work Camp or Concentration Camp because at one point it was all those things. In the beginning, no Jews were held at Mauthausen. Only political criminals, war prisoners, and those who opposed the Nazis were sent there. Later, as the war progressed and the final plan was put into action, Mauthausen added gas chambers and crematoriums. They did not see the traffic that the ones in Auschwitz did, but they were used. Before they were completed, the guards marched the prisoners of the cliffs of the quarry. There are accounts of prisoners removing more dead bodies from the quarry than stones in a days work. 



Mauthausen Concentration Camp



Quarry



Death Stairs

It was beautifully tragic. I felt bad at times thinking how beautiful the landscapes was especially down at the quarry. The leaves were changing color and the land was just so still. The steps leading down to the quarry were called the Death Stairs. Every prisoner was put through a kind of test when they first got to the camp. For two weeks they had to carry 50-100 lbs stones up these stairs everyday from sun up to sun down. This process was used to whittle out the weak. Many did not survive the first two weeks. We were walked through the camp and were shown how it grew over the years. At first the barracks were clean and tidy. The prisoners had mattresses and sheets. There were closets to hang their clothes in and table and chairs. Later, as more and more prisoners came, the barracks became crowded and filthy.

As for the structure and control of the camp, I hate to say it but the Nazis were very smart. They created a hierarchy amongst the prisoners and labeled them with symbols. Most of the time, prisoners policed other prisoners. The Nazis guards themselves rarely stepped through the gates into the camp where the barracks were. There was no need because they had complete psychological control. The path from the quarry to the camp walked right through the center of the guards quarters. According to the recounts, this was the most terrifying walk that the prisoners had to make twice a day since they never knew when the guards would be having "target practice" as they called it. Nobody was safe.

Some common myths and misconceptions were cleared up during our tour. Like the fact that the Nazis guards were never forced to work at these camps. It was very easy for them to say no and change jobs and locations. All the guards had the option to leave. Most enjoyed the position for it allowed them to bring their families with them. Yes, the children of the guards grew up around this camp. Once, the commander of the camp gifted his son 13 prisoners to kill for his 13th birthday. Another misconception is that the people in nearby towns and farms had no idea what was going on. Everyone knew. It was impossible not to know. Mauthausen is situated on a hill above the town. It is a large fortress that is purposely visible from all directions. Also, the train station was in the middle of the town. The prisoners were marched from the train station 5 kilometers through town and up the hill to the camp. Many didn't make it to the camp. Mauthausen was the last camp to be liberated in 1944 by the Americans.

Jewish Memorial

Today, the camp is a memorial site as well. Each country was encouraged to erect a memorial of some sort. The problem now is politics. Some countries who have a monument no longer exist so the question is who cares for the memorial? Is it Austria's job or the job of the individual countries. And what happens when borders shift and the countries cease to exist? Answers to these questions are still trying to be found.

It was a very sobering experience to say the least. I learned a lot and I know the experience will stick with me for the rest of my life. I'm glad that I went with a professor and had a private tour. I got inside recounts of camp life and our guide really tried to show us how the camp changed in six short years. Also, being with other students instead of on my own helped me to process all the information. I think I would have become overwelmed if left to my own. Luckily, next week I'm on to some happier travels.