Concentration Camp Memorial

Helmut Fiereder

The main features of the Concentration Camp Memorial at Mauthausen were constructed in the years 1947 to 1949; this makes it one of the oldest of its kind. The concept as it was realized then was developed by the victims‘ organisations in co-operation with the authorities and politicians, with the state giving these organisations the mandate to put forward ideas for the design and development of the memorial.

The state itself restricted its role to that of proper administration of the establishment, ideologically and religiously neutral. With the construction of a memorial area as well as the laying out of cemeteries to honour the victims after 1949, the Memorial took on an appearance which went beyond those original plans. Nowadays it is exactly these areas which contribute significantly to the character of the place. Nowadays the history of the concentration camp and the history of the Memorial are inextricably intertwined. Thus today’s appearance of the Mauthausen Camp Memorial is largely the result of the vision of the victims‘ organisations as well as a process of development that has spanned fifty years.