Mauthausen Things to Do

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Prisoners were forced to run up and down the stairs of death. Frequently those that survived that fate were taken to the top of the quarry and forced to jump to their deaths. SS humour named this the parachute jump. Though the ledge was narrow no SS troops ever fell off the ledge. The area where the ledge was is overgrown today.

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The working day started at 4.45 am in the summer and 5.15 am in the winter. The day ended at 7pm. There were 2 roll calls each day which were held in this area. Behind the granite wall on the right was the quarantine camp. The building on the left with 2 chimneys was the hospital which contained a gas chamber in the basement.

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When prisoners first arrived they were made to stand by the 'Wailing Wall' . There were iron rings set in the wall which were used to chain up the prisoners. The wall straight ahead is the wailing wall . The wailing wall and the wall on the left now have personal memorials placed there by families of the victims.

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The prisoners referred to this entrance as the Mongol gate or the Mongolian gate. The 2 watch towers above the gate give the appearance of Chinese architecture. The picture was taken from outside the camp. Because of the ready supply of granite this was the most ornate concentration camp with extensive use of the stone. The stairs on the right lead down to the garage yard.

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This was originally the site of the SS Barracks and it was located between the main camp and the quarry steps. In 1949 the site was turned into a memorial garden with the first memorial being donated by France. There are now 22 monuments and more than 30 inscribed plaques.

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There are 186 steps on the stairs of death. The prisoners were forced to carry 25 kgs blocks of granite on their back up the 186 steps. The weight was gradually increased and as the prisoners tired they would fall backwards striking other prisoners causing a dominoes effect. The SS use to gamble on who would fall. I walked down the stairs when it was wet and they are very slippery. Walking up the stairs once, is is very tiring enough let alone doing it all day.

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The former concentration camp located in Mauthausen is one camp of hundreds that have been turned into museums today. The camp at Mauthausen I found to be special. Inside I was able to see first hand the places where many Jewish, Russian, and other peoples who didn't fit the Nazi ideal of racial superiority were held against their will for many years. Most of the prisoners here died due to extremely poor working conditions (the camp at Mauthausen was originally established as a work camp) and towards the final stages of world war 2, it was converted into a concentration camp where thousands perished. Many stories surround this camp including one daring escape where the inmates threw their bed mats on the electrified barb wire fence in order that they may escape the camp. There is also a field where the Nazi SS officers used to play games of soccer upon. The secrecy of this camp was preserved by the Nazi's until the war turned sour for Germany. Before that time, all knowledge of the camp was suppressed even from local residents of Mauthausen who were shocked as to what horrors lay inside when the Americans liberated the prisoners still left alive in the winter of 1945. People were told by the SS officers that it was a holding camp for prisoners of war. They were not told that it was a concentration camp. Visiting this Concentration camp was like taking a trip back into time where one can see the conditions where members of the human race were forced to live when the world was at war. It is a time that even though it is horrific, it is part of humanity's past and, for the sake of the world's future, it is a history that none should forget or pretend that it doesn't exist.

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There's not really much to say about, but Mauthausen Concentration Camp deserves a visit, and not for the camp itself, but in memory of all the people who have lost theis lifes.

A big parking is available outside the complex, and the complex entrance fee is about 2 EUR with the availability of instant translation and explanation instruments, in different languages.

Back in January 1945 the camps contained roughly 85'000 inmates but the death toll remains unknown.
Mauthausen, with the other camp, Gusen, where the only 2 camps in the whole Europe to be labelles as Grade III, which means that they were intended to be the thoughest camps.

Unlinke other camps, who were intended for mixed prisoners, Mauthausen and Gusen were mostly used for extermination and labour, "reserved" for educated people and members of high social classes.

Back in august 1938 prisoners from the Dachau camp, were sent in Mauthausen to begin the camp construction.

Inside the camp barracs can still be visited inside, and they have been restored using the same materials used during the camp construction.
A very well explained museum with samples of letters, clothes, etc.. can be seen inside the camp, and this will keep you occupied for quite long time.

Some parts of the camp aren't accessible during winter for safety reasons (ice).
Inside the camp also many graves of different nationalities, remembering falles people.