The negotiations were long, but the Ministry of the Interior has now announced that the Republic has bought substantial parts of the former Gusen concentration camp. For decades, these had been left to decay or used as company premises. Now a worthy memorial for the tens of thousands of victims of Nazi terror is to be erected there. The Gusen concentration camp was established in December 1939. By the time it was liberated in May 1945, 71,000 prisoners from almost 30 nations were imprisoned there. More than half did not survive imprisonment. “The purchase is a milestone in making our history visible and coming to terms with it,” says Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (VP).
Significant structural remains of the Gusen concentration camp are located on the land that has now been purchased, including the roll call area, the gravel crusher and two SS administration buildings. The “Jourhaus”, the former entrance gate to the camp complex, remains in private hands. According to reports, the negotiations failed due to the high price expectations of the owners.
The Mauthausen Memorial is now to start a participatory process to involve interest groups at regional, national and international level. Above all, Poland, France and Luxembourg have a special interest in the memorial, as people from these countries were also murdered in Gusen. The concept developed should take into account their concerns as well as those of the survivors and relatives of the victims and those of the people living near the memorial.
“The next step is to adapt the properties structurally and legally for a dignified commemoration,” explained the President of the Finanzprokuratur, Wolfgang Peschorn. At a regional kick-off, the director of the Mauthausen Memorial, Barbara Glück, together with the mayor of Langenstein, Christian Aufreiter, will present the other projects. “In this case, the process itself is just as important as the result. It is of central importance that the expansion of the Gusen memorial is supported by everyone involved,” says Glück.
As Minister of the Interior in the Bierlein government at the time, Peschorn had the property appraised by an expert. On the basis of this, Karl Nehammer’s ministerial decision was taken in 2020 to buy the land. The fact that the republic wants to buy the area is also in the turquoise-green government program. “The purchase is intended to ensure that these historically burdened properties are not used for other purposes,” says Peschorn.
Source: Nachrichten
